The $27 million expansion of Berean Christian Church, which provides for a new sanctuary, retail space and a day care center, is well under way.

New roads are being developed to flow traffic to the church from Panola and Young roads and about 800 additional parking spaces are under construction.

A community meeting to discuss the expansion will be held Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. at the church Fellowship Hall, 2201 Young Road.

With 11,000 members, upwards of 5,000 people attend Berean’s four Sunday services, including three at its DeKalb campus. After Dec. 1, Berean’s Gwinnett location will grow from one to two Sunday services.

Senior pastor Dr. Kerwin B. Lee said “anticipation is in the air” now that land has been cleared and construction has begun. The church last year assembled enough property to nearly double its campus, from 21 to 39 acres.

“It’s just been a real motivation for the congregation to see the land from a different perspective as opposed to with the trees and houses,” Lee said.

The expansion plan went under the microscope of Berean’s neighbors in the Hidden Hills community last year as Berean sought rezoning and building permits from DeKalb County.

Several community meetings were held with residents who wanted specifics, particularly in regard to parking, square footage of apartments, buffers and landscaping.

Apartments and office space have been removed from the plan, according to Robert Howze, Berean’s chief financial officer.

In an interview Monday, Jan Costello, coordinator of the Greater Hidden Hills Overlay District, said the church has been supportive of the overlay district group’s effort.

“They continue to be supportive of the work we’re doing in an overlay zone which they’re affected by,” Costello said.

Berean’s current seven- to 10-year plan calls for a sanctuary of up to 5,000 seats, a shopping plaza, a day care center and a banquet facility. The church already has a school that has been adding one grade per year, and Howze said it currently serves 144 children in grades pre-kindergarten through fourth grade.

The additional parking under construction will bring Berean to 1,200 spaces and should be completed by March, Howze said.

The former Hope of Glory church next door is becoming Berean’s day care center. Renovation begins in March and should take six or seven months, he said.

Later in the spring, the church will completely renovate its community center on Young Road and will also convert a 6,000-square-foot home purchased last year into a banquet hall.

The new elements planned for the growing church will help it minister holistically to the community, Lee said.

“We want the people in this community to know our church is committed to the community,” Lee said. “It’s more than just a place to worship. This will be a place where you can work, live, play, worship and feel good.”