By Doug Fletcher,Staff Writer

LEWISTON – Soaring attendance at the Vineyard Church on Foss Road has prompted its leadership to plan for a new building. The church has about 800 attendees at four Sunday services, said Assistant Pastor Allen Austin. “We’re pretty well maxed-out.”

The church, now housed in a large meeting room with a stage, hopes to purchase a nearby building and renovate it into a 600-seat facility, Austin said. In time, it might be expanded to 1,000 seats, he said.

The project would be undertaken in a couple of phases, he added. Included would be additional parking, more than 200 spaces. Austin said church members are involved in a capital giving campaign that’s intended to raise the money needed to buy and remodel the building eyed for services. A deal on the building could be signed within two or three weeks if negotiations prove fruitful, Austin said.

The existing space will be converted into an area used for children’s programs. The church also operates a school on the Foss Road grounds, and has several rooms that serve as offices and places for people to meet.

The Bible-based church has more than 600 members, but its services also attract scores of nonmembers, Austin said.

The church sponsors a program called Alpha, which consists of a 10-week introduction to the basics of Christianity. It also sponsors small socially focused groups that meet weekly to worship, study the Bible, pray, offer fellowship and fun. Its Vineyard Christian School serves children from pre-kindergarten through grade 12, and includes a toddler program.

The church also is taking part in a program aimed at hurricane relief in Louisiana and Mississippi. And it is sponsoring a new program called Mercy Works that aims to spread the word of God by helping to feed hungry people in the Twin Cities.

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