By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

The Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit in Alabaster is preparing to begin using its new building addition within two weeks, said church Rector Rev. Lee Lowery.

The church began work on the new church wing several weeks ago, and is slated to begin holding programs and outreach ministries in the building in early June.

“We should be in there in two weeks,” Lowery said, noting the church will hold several programs in the new wing, including Christian education programs and Pentecost.

The 4,000-square-foot new building, which will be named the church’s Parish Hall, will help the Church of the Holy Spirit expand programs it already has in place, Lowery said.

The building will also house office space and social areas for the church at 858 Kent Dairy Road.

Lowery said the church was able to keep the construction time down by using the Calera-based Rose Office Systems, which specializes in modular buildings. Lowery said opting to construct a modular building allowed the church to get about 20 percent more space in the new building while spending the same amount it would cost to construct a traditional building.

Because the current church building offers limited space for many of the church’s outreach programs, the new wing will allow church members to expand its presence in the Alabaster community, Lowery said.

“We just had to have more room. When the new building is completed, that will help us out a lot,” Lowery said. “It will help us build our presence in the community.”

One of the church’s biggest outreach ministries is its monthly food donations. Through the ministry, church members hand out rice and beans to those in need every third Saturday of the month from 9 a.m. to noon.

“The new building will help us to expand programs like that,” Lowery said. “And we will have room for other offerings as well.”

The Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit holds worship services at 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. every Sunday, and holds other programs throughout the week. For more information about the church, visit Holyspirit-al.org.