LOWER NAZARETH TOWNSHIP, N.J.—For a church that has known only change as its constant in the last 10 years of moving from one temporary worship space to another, the site of a new building framework represented the end of the Carpenter's Community Church's struggle for a sanctuary.

According to The Express-Times, the church overcame great challenges to obtain the property, the legal clearance and the contractors to move ahead with a 15,500-square-foot facility. Construction should be complete by fall on the $2 million project, the first permanent place of worship for the church since coming to the region in 1992.

The church has grown from about a dozen members to nearly 350. They have met in a bank, a rented space in an industrial park and a middle school auditorium.

"We've always been in temporary facilities," said Alan Shalosky, chairman of the church's building committee. "This will be our first step into something permanent."

The new space will eliminate the need for volunteers to arrive early and stay late to set up and clean up for services. Music rehearsals will have a home. But those were small problems compared to financing trouble the church encountered when it embarked on the road to a permanent facility.

Already in debt from the 28-acre lot purchase, the church was further burdened by unforeseen fees imposed by the township, as well as open space fees of $3,000 per acre.

"When you're dealing with people who are giving out of charity, it's tough to handle these extra expenses," said Lee Snover, chairman of the church's board of trustees.

Church members successfully lobbied the township to drop the fees to $1,000 per acre because the land would be developed by a religious, nonprofit organization.

The church was also entrenched in negotiations with the local school district, which wanted to raise the rental price by $11,000 for the auditorium where the church is meeting. A compromise allowed the church to pay the same rent through this year.

"Everyone's been very positive. It's been a long haul. They've been staring at an artist's rendering (of the church) for two years now," Shalosky said.

Throughout the entire time, the members haven't lost touch with what's most important, Snover said. "It's not about a building. It's really about the people. The building is just a mechanism," he said.