KENT, Wash. -- After months of debate about whether to sell an historic church building in Seattle and build anew to accommodate growth, First African Methodist Episcopal Church has launched a satellite service at Sequoia Junior High School instead, The Seattle Times reported.

More than 100 people attended a recent service at the South King County location, where First AME conducted its first service Easter Sunday.

First AME has been at its present site since 1912 and is considered the state's oldest African-American church. Over the last five years, some 600 people have joined the church, bringing membership to about 1,500, the newspaper reported. At the same time, South King County has had an influx of African Americans. About 43 percent of King County's African-American population of almost 94,000 live in the South county, according to the 2000 Census, as opposed to only 25 percent in 1990.

That population shift prompted the church to consider selling its property and building a new church in Tukwila. A planning committee appointed by the Rev. John Hunter found it would cost $8 million to $10 million to stay in Seattle and add parking and more classrooms, according to the news report.

The church's board of trustees voted 5-4 in favor of moving, but the sale of the building required a vote of the congregation. Opposition to the proposal put off the vote indefinitely and prompted the Kent satellite launch.

"It was very controversial," said Hunter. "Praise the Lord for the opportunity to expand the kingdom of God and to share the love of God with our brothers and sisters in this area."