Beulah Hill's New Steeple is Raised

The last major phase of Beulah Hill's

renovation project was the replacement

of the steeple.  These photos and three

short videos document the process.

This is a final glimpse of the original
copper-plated steeple that has adorned
Beulah Hill Baptist Church since 1959.

You can't just call for a "workday" for jobs
like this.  A powerful crane arrives along
with the new steeple.

The roofing crew and steeple crew
spend a day coordinating their work.

This crane is ready for heavy lifting.

Pastor Barbery (center), Johnny Williamson
(right), and the crane operator anticipate
the church's new look.

Just getting the old steeple, belfry, and
 bell to the ground is no trivial undertaking.

There's plenty of service left in this venerable
old bell, which has summoned multitudes to
worship for many decades.

Prior to its raising, the cross atop the new steeple
casts its shadow while still on the flatbed truck.

During the brief period when it had no steeple
at all, Beulah Hill looked strangely bare.

The massive base awaits installation.

The steeple is prepared to be seated
upon the base.

The base is cut for a perfect fit to the church roof.

The new alongside the old.
Both will stir cherished memories.

A thill is in the air as "lift-off" moment arrives.

The beautiful white spire features
praying hands lit by a solar cell at night.

Up, up, and away.  An expert crane operator
makes a difficult task look easy.

The following two videos, 41 seconds and

76 seconds, show the actual raising of the

steeple from start to finish, a historic moment

in the life of Beulah Hill.

Mission accomplished!

With the new steeple in place, the
renovation is largely completed.

Then there's the matter of the church

bell.  The following video shows you

the "reclaiming" of the bell by the

powerful crane.  Listen to it clang

as it sways between heaven and earth.

Pastor Barbery envisions that the old bell, in a
new location, will once again summon worshipers
to Beulah Hill Baptist Church.

So this church, well into its second century,
embraces a new era.  The changes in the building
are readily apparent.  But the CHURCH, which
means God's people, has not changed in its mission
or its character.  We still seek to be a Lighthouse on a
 hill, a beacon which can guide men's souls to Christ.
   And a fellowship of believers-- Christ's ones-- who carry
  that light into our community and the world beyond.