MONROE — Construction is nearing completion on First Baptist Church’s new Family Activity Center.

Work on the 10,000-square-foot facility began in May and it will serve as a gymnasium and fellowship hall for the churches 200 members and community, said the Rev. Bill Liston.

The facility, located at 457 S. Main St., Monroe, will serve as a gymnasium/fellowship hall and have the capability of being converted into a worship center, Liston said. The center, which is an add-on to the original 52-year-old church building, will initially seat about 250 people with a capacity of up to 500.

Liston said the center, which the church plans to conduct a dedication ceremony for next spring, is needed for several reasons.

“We want to be able to reach out in the community and have a facility that we can have activities and bring people in,” said Liston, pastor at the church for six years.

“We want to be able to reach out in the community to young families, have activities for them and we want to open the building up to local people that may want to use the building for a basketball league or support groups or anything. We want this to be a community center.”

The church is waiting on funding in order to put black top in the parking lot, improve the entry way to the church and add landscaping, he said.

“Builders for Christ” — a Baptist construction group comprised of volunteers — built the work site and poured the foundation. The church is responsible for all the materials and labor is free, he said.

Kitchen appliances have been donated by church members, Liston said.

Sunday school services are conducted at 9:15 a.m. on Sundays and worship follows at 10:25 a.m.