Valley Real Life Ministries is expanding the auditorium, lobby, and office at its church located at 1831 S. Barker Road, in Greenacres.

“We are going to four services on Sundays because we are just busting at the seams with growth,” says Valley Real Life executive assistant Brittany Murphy. 

The expansion project is valued at about $7.6 million, according to the latest permit information on file with Spokane County. Funding for the project came in part from a church-wide campaign and partially through a loan, Murphy says.

Spokane-based Baker Construction & Development Inc. is the general contractor for the project. Fusion Architecture PLLC, also of Spokane, is the architect.

Construction started Aug. 17, and work on the foundation is expected to be completed by the end of December, Murphy says.

As planned, the church is expanding its current 45,500-square-foot auditorium to just over 91,000 square feet — nearly doubling its size, says Murphy. The new auditorium will support larger worship gatherings and function as a multiuse space for community events, such as graduations and memorials, she adds.

“Having a larger auditorium allows our staff to have a little bit of breathing room instead of running ragged every weekend doing services,” Murphy adds. 

In addition to the auditorium expansion, the church is updating the lobby and relocating an existing café area next to the auditorium, Murphy says. A wall behind the current café will be pushed out to create a hallway connecting the existing and expanded church areas. Additional improvements include lowering the auditorium ceiling, and building office and meeting spaces in the space above, she adds. 

Valley Real Life currently serves a congregation of about 3,700 members.