The Rev. Allan Osterwise, administrative pastor for Grace Community Church in Cranberry Township, says the new facility being built off Marshall Road in Cranberry is needed to meet the needs of a growing congregation.

CRANBERRY TWP —Grace Community Church's membership has grown by leaps and bounds in its decade of existence. The growth prompted the nondenominational group to begin construction Aug. 31 on a $3 million facility near the intersection of Marshall and North Boundary roads.

The project is being managed by Dynamic Building and is being financed by First Niagara Bank.

Work is well under way on the new 31,000-square-foot facility, with most of the earthmoving work complete. Work on the building's base should begin by next week.

When construction is complete next fall, the church will sell its current building on Mystic Pine Trail.

Situated on 30 acres, the new facility will be double the size of its current location and will include an 800-seat auditorium, staff offices and a multipurpose area that will house the church's Sunday school and youth ministries.

Grace Community Church was founded a decade ago by the Rev. Matt Kaltenburger and his wife, Dana. The congregation began with about 30 members who met at Haine Middle School.

Now, between 1,400 and 1,700 attend the four services each Sunday.

“Our growth really came about by word of mouth,” explained Kaltenburger.

“We believe we're unique. We want to be a church for the people that had given up on ‘church.' We wanted to offer God's grace.”

Grace Community bought its current facility on Mystic Pine Trail in 2006. It formerly was owned by Victory Family Church, which also had outgrown the facility and built a new one on Route 19.The Rev. Allan Osterwise, administrative pastor, said Grace Community's core mission it to reach out into the community “and bring forth the Gospel.”When Grace first moved to its Mystic Pine Trail church, about 250 people attended weekend services.“The new property is not the end all,” said Kaltenburger. “It's a new opportunity to reach more people.“We're happy to be moving to a new building,” added Osterwise. “We now have more space to grow.”Progress of the church's construction and more information on the church's programs can be found at its website, www.graceincranberry.org.

Grace Community Church has started construction on a new 31,000 square-foot facility near the intersection of Marshall and North Boundary roads in Cranberry Township. It will include an 800-seat auditorium, staff offices and a multipurpose area for the church?s Sunday school and youth ministries. Completion is slated for next fall.