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FOXBORO - From its main entrance to the lengths of its lower level, St. Mark's Episcopal Church will be sporting a brighter, more spacious interior when a special service is held Sunday.

After months of major renovations, the church has reopened and is ready for a rededication that will be held at 5 p.m. Sunday with Bishop Bud Cederholm of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts as the presiding celebrant.

Members of the congregation will gather outdoors for prayer, then enter the building and the sanctuary where a service with music, readings and a short sermon will be held, followed by refreshments.

The day will mark the culmination of years of discussion and planning leading up to the start of construction last summer for the $900,000 renovation project.

"This has been long overdue," said the Rev. Rebecca Brown, rector of St. Mark's. The intent, she said, was to create a more welcoming building with a more efficient layout, and that was accomplished starting at the front door.

The building previously had three entrances, an awkward layout and some wasted spaces. Now it has one main entrance opening into a spacious lobby and redesigned sanctuary, and a new double stairwell leading to a renovated fellowship hall, kitchen and classrooms.

One of the former outdoor entrances used to lead directly into the sanctuary, but that entrance was removed and replaced with a wall of windows to bring more natural light into the worship space.

The front of the sanctuary has also been altered by adding a new platform and moving the altar forward to bring it closer to the congregation and to allow seating on three sides. The move also created more space behind the altar to accommodate the organ, piano and choir area.

The renovation project had been under discussion for more than 15 years, Brown said, until the congregation decided three years ago to begin the actual planning and to appoint a committee.

After a lot of discussion among church members, the committee determined that some of the features of the 45-year-old church were no longer meeting the needs of the congregation.

Once a vision for the building was developed, the congregation hired an architect, began raising money, and then chose a general contractor, F.W. Madigan Co. of Worcester, which started construction in July.

The congregation then spent two months worshiping at the Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer on Main Street before returning in the fall to hold services in the fellowship hall while work continued on the main level.

The main worship space was mostly completed last month and was officially reopened on Nov. 18 while minor work continued.

Workers were still in the building this past week to finish some of the painting and the floors on the lower level, and work will continue on the kitchen even after Sunday's dedication. A portion of the $900,000 cost is being raised through a three-year appeal, and Brown said more than 90 percent of the goal has been met through pledges and outright donations.

St. Mark's Church is located at 116 South St. To reach the church office, call 508-543-8191.