Rick Young said he is proud of the work that has been done over the past several months to make Buchanan Christian Church more accessible to everyone — especially those with disabilities.

The church deacon and trustee said the church has spent approximately $440,000 to address maintenance concerns and bring the 76-year-old building up to speed with current ADA requirements, including the installation of an elevator and three handicapped accessible bathrooms — one on each floor.

Young said the elevator, which has been in operation for approximately three weeks, is especially popular with the congregation’s older crowd.

“They are loving it,” he said. “A lot of older people, they just find it difficult to use the steps, so this gives them another option.

“There were some people not coming to church because of the stairs that are coming now.”

The other issue faced by those with special needs, Young said, was parking.

The main parking area, he said, was located around the backside of the building, requiring a relatively long walk to get to the main entrance.

Young said an agreement was made between the homeowner of the lot adjacent to the church’s Moccasin Street entrance to trade their house for a parsonage that the church owned just down the street. Once ownership of that home was secured, Young said the home was torn down to provide parking in close proximity to the entryway where the elevator and main entrance is located.

“These additions will help those with special needs and the elderly more easily access the building whether it is to attend church services, weddings or other celebrations well into the 21st Century,” Young said.

The upgrades are part of a three-part building campaign for the church.

The first phase, which included mechanical upgrades, took place this past winter. The second phase, which included the ADA upgrades, began this spring and is almost complete. Young said the church still needs to plant landscaping around the building and new parking lot area.

The third and final phase of the building campaign, Young said, is to install a new roof. Young said the timeline for the project is dependent on fundraising.

Founded in 1854, Buchanan Christian Church is one of the oldest churches in Buchanan. Fire destroyed the original church building in 1940. Later that same year, the current building was dedicated and opened for use.

Since the building was built before the Americans with Disabilities Act became law in 1990, the church was exempt from the ADA updates.

Young said church leaders long desired to make the church more accessible and were finally able to do so thanks to the building campaign.