CRESTVIEW — St. Mark United Methodist Church's Crestview location is undergoing some construction to keep up with growth.
Early next year, members can expect a larger sanctuary, five more classrooms for the children's ministry, a 3,800-square-foot children's playground, additional parking and a second exit to P.J. Adams Parkway.
The $1.25 million expansion would bring 88more seats to the sanctuary, which currently seats 250, church member and project manager Terry Harpool said.
Members from St Mark's Crestview and Niceville campuses collected enough donations to fund the project, he said.
The classroom expansion would give the church an additional 4,100 square feet for Sunday ministries, which is long overdue, he said.
"We originally had something like nine or 10 children and now, on a typical Sunday, we have nearly 250 children," Harpool said.
Adding an exit to the church's west side should relieve increasing traffic. The church currently has one exit to P.J. Adams on Key Lime Place.
Much of the membership's growth comes from families moving to the area with the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Harpool said.
Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown at 850-682-6524 or matthewb@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbMatthew.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: St. Mark UMC plans $1.25M expansion to cope with growth