CENTER TWP — The First United Methodist Church in Butler is looking to expand to its Crossfire Campus at the intersection of Route 8 and Mercer Road.

Executive director Christine O’Brien said the church plans to build a 13,000-square-foot addition onto its Crossfire branch campus.

O’Brien said the project would cost about $3 million.

“We would love to begin work in the spring,” she said of the project’s construction. “That would be our hope.”

The proposed expansion would be connected to the existing Crossfire Church. It will have 10 classrooms for Christian education, O’Brien said.

“The issue is on Sunday mornings we have so many children at our Crossfire building,” she said.

The branch campus has nearly 600 people gather at its 9:45 a.m. Sunday service.

O’Brien said the classrooms can be used by other adult education classes during the week.

The church in May began tearing down the former Kerr’s Furniture building, which was next-door to the campus. That building did not structurally fit the needs for a classroom building.

Township supervisors on Wednesday approved a conditional use permit for the church to build the expansion.

O’Brien said if everything goes well, the new building could open by the end of 2015.

“That would be the best case scenario,” she said. “But you never know what you’ll run into.”

The First United Methodist Church has about 3,000 people at its two campuses, O’Brien said. About 1,300 people attend its weekend services.

The church will begin a campaign to raise funds for the project early next year.

To make a donation, send a check to the First United Methodist Church, 200 E. North St., Butler, PA 16001. Checks designated for the project should have “Breakthrough Campaign” written on the memo line.