Power Grid Blog
Historic Church in the Nation’s Capital Launches Groundbreaking Ceremony for Increased Accessibility
October 22, 2012 | Asantewaa Nkrumah-Ture
(picture of church members breaking ground on the new accessibility renovations, wearing white hats and holding shovels.)
Photo courtesy of Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ, Rev. Graylan Hagler, Senior MinisterAfter a journey of almost 20 years in the making, Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ, Washington, DC, a church founded by former slaves in the late 1880s, held a sacred groundbreaking ceremony on September 30 to begin renovations to assure accessibility to members and others in the community.
The renovations will include a ramp, lift and an elevator. The work will also include a walk-way bridge connecting the smaller chapel to the main sanctuary.
Over the years, several church members formed small organizations to develop plans, secure an architect and a construction company, raise needed funds, inform church members, etc. Their hard work has paid off and as construction begins, it is hoped to be finished in approximately 18 months.
Playing a crucial role in this process has been the Cornerstone Fund, http://cornerstonefund.org, the UCC denominational arm that helped in the financing of this project. Rev. Graylan Hagler, Senior Minister states, “Throughout our journey to this point we watched the congregation work together to bring the effort to fruition. We have been working with the Cornerstone Fund, a corporation of The United Church of Christ that offers all kinds of investment instruments in credible, legal, and creative ways to offer their investors good returns; and in turn to offer loans to congregations, so that those congregations can build new churches and renovate ones that need renovation. It has been a pleasure to work with the Cornerstone Fund.”
For more information on the church and its renovations, please see, http://www.plymouth-ucc.org.
