SUFFOLK, Va.  Tabernacle Christian Church leaders will make their case for a new, 42,000-square-foot facility during a public hearing before the city planning commission Dec. 16, according to the Virginian-Pilot.
The new facility would be located about a mile from where the church has stood for 86 years. The current church is one of several in its neighborhood, and parking has become a problem for its 700 members.
The proposed church includes a 1,190-seat sanctuary, a fellowship hall for 500, and daycare facilities for seniors and children.
"It's more room," said Thelma Smith, a church deaconess. "Maybe we can get more souls."
The Rev. Carlton R. Upton Sr. said the congregation is already cramped in its present facility and he anticipates a greater need for space in the future.
"The church will grow," he said. "More than that, I'm thinking about the outreach into the community."
City planners have recommended approval and if the planning commission concurs, the church must get approval from the city council in January.
