The construction for a new sanctuary at First Baptist Church Mahan Street is set to be completed this fall.

“We’ve made tremendous progress regarding the construction of the new facility,” said the Rev. Steven Blunt, the church’s pastor. “We are close to 50-percent completion as of this point.”

The church began construction last spring by demolishing the church’s annex wing to provide room for the initial construction. In June of last year, they began getting the grounds primed for the foundation work they needed before starting the project.

The project is being headed up by Church Development Services out of Virginia Beach.

“The process has been extremely smooth so far,” Blunt said. “We have been extremely blessed and very fortunate to not have any problems or issues to this point. CDS has been absolutely terrific to work with, and we have a great team of persons serving diligently on a daily basis who work hard to make sure that channels of communication continue to run smoothly as well as keeping our church congregation regularly informed of all the dynamics related to the project.”

The 450-seat sanctuary in the new building will replace the 246-seat sanctuary in the current building. The current building will be converted to office and administrative space, while the new building will also include features such as a lobby and an area for child care during services.

The Planning Commission voted 6-2 to recommend approval of the project in September 2016. The ordinance passed 8-0 in City Council the following month.

“We are also appreciative of all the wonderful guidance and support that we have received from the city of Suffolk, as the city has played a vital role in providing direction for this vision to come to pass,” Blunt said.