MARCO ISLAND, Fla. -- After two years of planning and eight months of construction, members of Marco Church of God finally got to celebrate a $750,000 expansion project.

The Marco Island Eagle reported the church marked the opening of its remodeled building April 13 with a worship service highlighted by ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremonies.

During the ceremonies, the Rev. Clayton Watson reminded his flock of the day's true significance.

"We've taken a monumental step of faith and we've done it together," Watson said. "God has helped us. This moment is filled with potential. We're going to dedicate this building, but before that we're going to dedicate ourselves."

The project included adding 6,000 square feet of space, six new classrooms, a new kitchen and an enlarged sanctuary with state-of-the-art sound system, the newspaper reported.

Most of the remodeling was done around the existing church and worship services were interrupted for only one month, when the congregation relocated to the church's original building.

One wing of the expanded building will house a daycare center, set to open this summer, the newspaper reported. The daycare program will accommodate 38 to 48 children.

The project doubled the church's size and cost about $900,000, including landscaping and site development and is being funded by the church's 130 members. One, who was not identified, donated $350,000, Watson told the newspaper.