What to expect: facility, grounds, and accessibility

Arriving at First Church

Parking

At First Church, primary parking is located behind the building. The main/upper lot at the rear of the building can be accessed from S. High St. and from J. R. Mains Drive, located just past the church (to the left of the church if looking at the building head-on). In this lot, there are two designated accessible parking spaces located by the start of the walkway leading down to the building. When leaving, vehicles must exit using J. R. Mains Drive.

The small lower parking lot/drop-off area tucked directly behind the church is for accessible parking and includes 4-5 parking spaces.

A view of the lower parking lot and, to the right, the stairs at the end of the walkway from the upper parking lot.

A partial view of the lower lot and the road leading up to the upper lot.

A view of the back entrance from the lower parking lot.

A view of the sidewalk leading to the back entrance from the end of the walkway from the upper lot. To the left is the lower parking lot.

Accessing the building from the rear

If you have parked in the back parking lot, there is a path that leads from the lot to the back entrance of the church. The walkway is at a decline and ends with a staircase (10 stairs). The walkway brings you to the lower lot, which has a sidewalk along the side of the building leading to the back entrance.

If you have been dropped off or parked in the lower lot for accessible parking, there are no steps. The sidewalk in front of the parking spaces can be taken directly to the back entrance, which is to the left of the parking spaces.

The rear entrance has a small lip, as pictured below.

Entrance to walkway from the upper (main) parking lot, featuring the accessible parking located next to the walkway’s entrance.

The paved walkway leading from the upper (main) parking lot down to the building.

The set of stairs that the walkway culminates in. There are ten steps. (View from the path looking down at the lower lot, which leads to the church’s rear entrance.)

The set of stairs that the walkway culminates in. There are ten steps. (View from lower lot looking up the staircase)

The lip of the entranceway from ground level/head-on.

Navigating the facilities at First Church

General layout and accessibility

From the back entrance, you will enter a lobby area. To your immediate left is a staircase (leading up into the sanctuary) and the lift. There are 12 steps up to the sanctuary. The lift can take visitors up to the sanctuary and down to the fellowship hall. Its capacity is one passenger and operator or 600 lbs maximum.

In front of you as you enter the lobby are the stairs leading down to the fellowship hall and the accessible and gender-neutral restroom (which is a single stall with a toilet and changing table). There are 8 steps down to the fellowship hall.

To your right is the church office, which is open Monday through Friday from 9 am to 12 pm. On the other side of the lobby (to your right) is the parlor, where various meetings are often held, and a hallway off to the right. At the end of the hallway on the right, you can find the men’s and women’s restrooms, which are both multi-stall and both have changing tables and diapers.

In the Sanctuary

Towards the front-left (the side you enter the sanctuary from), there is a pew designated for wheelchairs (accessed via the main aisle).

During services, our leaders use microphones to assist with hearing. We currently do not have any assistive hearing devices for the service, but we are looking into offering this in the future.

Along with the regular service bulletin, which can be obtained at the welcome desk as you walk into the sanctuary, we also offer large-print bulletins for easier reading.

The bottom of the stairwell leading up to the sanctuary.

The turning point in the stairwell leading up to the sanctuary.

The top of the stairwell leading down to the accessible restroom and fellowship hall.

The turning point in the stairwell leading down to the accessible restroom and fellowship hall.

A sign on the door of the downstairs restroom, which is gender neutral, single-stall, accessible, and equipped with a changing table.

A side view from the main aisle in the sanctuary of the wheelchair accessible pew.

We’d love to hear from you

We work hard to make sure all people can be here comfortably. If there’s more information you need before you join us, or if you find you need something different in order to be here comfortably, please reach out. We are always glad to hear from you.