Liberty Lake Baptist: ‘Rise Up, Build’

October 30, 2020
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When Pastor Greg Wilt Sr. looks out at the Liberty Lake community, he sees more than parks and neighborhoods, schools and businesses or roads and roundabouts.

“People often discuss the physical infrastructure of a community, but we do not always think about the spiritual infrastructure,” said Wilt, the founding pastor of Liberty Lake Baptist Church. “We want to be a part of developing the spiritual infrastructure of Liberty Lake and the surrounding area.”

With the celebration of its fifth anniversary this past fall, the church recently made a further investment in the community, purchasing property just west of the Ridgeline High School development with plans to eventually renovate an existing 6,500-square-foot building and move to the new site. Since its founding, Liberty Lake Baptist Church has held services in the Liberty Lake Portal building.

With pastoral structure to his communication, Wilt listed the plans to “Let us rise up and build” (Nehemiah 2:17-18) as one of three “Ts” that currently describe the church — “in transition.” A second T, “timeless,” Wilt said he hopes to apply to the building’s architecture, creating a space “meant for worship, not renovated from retail.” But, of course, the word “timeless” has far broader applications.

“As a church, we are not old-fashioned, we are timeless,” he explained. “We teach the timeless truths, and we sing the timeless songs of the faith.”

Wilt said the final “T” relates to the church’s desire to be “in touch,” as illustrated by its purpose statement: “Liberty Lake Baptist Church exists to glorify God by giving everybody, everywhere, every opportunity to hear the Gospel; learn the timeless truths of God’s word; see the principles of the Bible lived out in the lives of ordinary people; and act upon what they heard, learned, and observed so that they can have a vibrant personal relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Visitors are invited to join the church for weekly 11 a.m. services at 23403 E. Mission Ave., Suite 112 (temporarily moved online as of this press deadline due to COVID-19).

NOTE: A version of this article first appeared in the 2020 Liberty Lake Yearbook.

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The story of Liberty Lake and Greenstone

January 23, 2020
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By Jim Frank
Founder, Greenstone Homes

What was it about Liberty Lake that made it ideal soil for the vision of Greenstone, and how do you view Liberty Lake as a continued part of the Greenstone identity?

When we started Greenstone as a company, some 30 years ago, the vision for the Meadowwood planned community was already in place. The real vision for the community came from Bill Main, and he is the one that attracted Hewlett Packard and provided the private funding for the initial Liberty Lake sewage treatment plant. When we started working in Liberty Lake in the early 1990s, we shared with Bill Main the vision for a mixed-use walkable community. That vision was also shared by the Schneidmiller family, which farmed and owned the land.

The circumstances that enabled the growth of Meadowwood into the Liberty Lake community were unique. A vision for the community was in place, the LLSWD had the sewer and water capacity to support growth, and, most importantly, the Schneidmiller family had the patience to see the vision though.

The early years of developing in Liberty Lake were a learning experience. A strong sense of community existed in Liberty Lake when we started development, and we saw firsthand the benefit and power of people working together to create a better community. Those early experiences helped us form an understanding of how you create lasting value in a community, and that has carried over in our work across Eastern Washington and North Idaho.

Our focus in Liberty Lake is now in the River District, where we are working hard to build on the value we see in strong communities.

NOTE: A version of this article first appeared in the 2019 Liberty Lake Yearbook.

Permanent teeth saved with 2-phase

November 20, 2020
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Growing up in the 1980s, Tamryn Parker-Carver and her husband, Scott, both had braces, and they both remember the trauma of having permanent teeth pulled because there wasn’t enough room in their mouths.

It came as no surprise, then, when their family dentist told them children Sylvie and Joel both had extremely narrow palates. The kids were facing severe crowding issues and the possibility of future extraction of permanent teeth.

Fortunately, his recommendation was a familiar one: Go see Dr. Ralph.

While teaching piano lessons in Liberty Lake, Tamryn saw dozens of students file in and out of her house with braces. Normal small talk revealed the same thing time and again: They saw Dr. Scott Ralph of Liberty Lake Orthodontics, and they loved him.

Now, it was her kids’ turn. She took Sylvie to Dr. Ralph as a kindergartner, and Joel as a first-grader. Both entered into a two-phase treatment she only wishes would have been available when she was younger.

“I love his philosophy of two phases of braces because it makes so much sense to me,” said Tamryn, who now teaches music at Liberty Lake Elementary School. “It is to preserve ultimately healthy permanent teeth.”

In the first phase, both children’s palates were expanded. Tamryn said in Sylvie’s case, front teeth were pulled back together as part of the process of getting everything aligned for the arrival of permanent teeth. Using terms and details gained through many appointments, she described how the first phase dialed in both children’s bites as well.

“I’ve learned a lot about orthodontia from Dr. Ralph,” she said. “I’m not an orthodontist, but I can play one on TV.”

Earlier this year, Sylvie started her second phase, and Joel is on a similar trajectory to follow suit soon. Tamryn marveled how Sylvie was actually excited to get her braces and how both kids look forward to orthodontic appointments — “they do make it fun there.”

As the responsible parent, Tamryn added that she appreciates the clarity and manageability of the payment plans, all part of an overall practice experience she has grown to appreciate and trust.

“He’s just smart,” she said of Dr. Ralph. “He’s done a lot of research and knows a lot about the different kinds of methods for orthodontia, and he goes with what he truly believes in. Working on saving those healthy permanent teeth is so important. Why pull perfectly good, healthy teeth? There’s no reason for it.”

While Dr. Ralph sees many patients like Sylvie and Joel, Liberty Lake Orthodontics is a full-scope practice serving patients of all ages with braces and Invisalign options.

“My practice philosophy has always been to provide people with a common-sense approach to treatment that is safe, affordable, portrays the big-picture perspective — and maybe is a little fun along the way,” Dr. Ralph said.

NOTE: A version of this article first appeared in the 2020 Liberty Lake Yearbook.

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