The Wantagh Baptist Church will be relocating to 25 Hempstead Turnpike, the site of the former Perkins Restaurant and Bakery. After gutting the Farmingdale building and starting from scratch, the church is getting closer to having a service held at the new facility on Saturday evenings. An opening date is yet to be determined.

For approximately one and a half years, the congregation has been in the process of refurbishing the inside of the building; phase one of their project. The second phase of expanding the facility will commence once the first phase is complete.

As of this spring, a new sprinkler system was being installed throughout the building, allowing the church to move ahead and order carpets. Currently underway are renovations for the electrical, plumbing and the construction of new walls. The furniture will be ordered within the next few months.

Since the location use to be occupied by family restaurants, including Perkins and Red Lobster, the kitchen equipment in the building was removed and sold, in addition to gutting out all of the big freezers. Money from the kitchen equipment and funds from the churchgoers contributed to the building process.

As an act of worship and giving, the church people are doing most of the labor, where just about every week as few as five and as many as 20 come to help, said Daniel Giaritelli, interim senior pastor.

"The people are doing it because they love their God," said Giaritelli. "They are giving beyond what they usually give because they desire to have an impact by helping the community both spiritually and physically."

The new location provides good visibility and it is centrally located from the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway (Rt. 135) North/South and Hempstead Turnpike East/West. The location is expected to have a parking facility large enough for 135 automobiles.

"As a religious institute, our desire is to have a godly influence and impact in the community," said Giaritelli. "When people's lives are touched by God, they in fact have an impact."

The Wantagh Baptist Church has served Wantagh and its neighboring communities since April 27, 1952 when the first worship service was held in the Sunrise Park School in Wantagh. The present church building is located at 1081 Wantagh Avenue. This building was enlarged and renovated in 1970 to accommodate additional growth.

At the Wantagh Baptist Church, the current worship attendance is 440 persons for the 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. services held on Sunday morning. They also hold a Sunday School for all ages at 9 a.m.