Construction is underway for Freedom Church, a member of the Seacoast family of churches, says pastor Shawn Wood. He and his wife Connie are both Moncks Corner natives and Foxbank residents; Wood says he’s been anxious to get back to his hometown and feels God called him to start a church in the area.

The Freedom Church congregation, about 450 worshippers, has been meeting at nearby Whitesville Elementary since August 2011. Construction on the 21,000-square-foot, contemporary church building will be ready by the end of the year, says Wood.

“We are very focused on being a community church,” he says. “The building will serve the community, and includes a 600-seat auditorium that we hope will be used for recitals and other community events.” One wildly popular, family-oriented, community event he’s looking forward to next year is the Big Ol’ Egg Drop, an annual Easter egg hunt centered around a helicopter drop of 20,000 plastic eggs.

The Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church is not far behind in planned construction of its new home in Foxbank. With a main campus in Summerville, Beautiful Savior wanted to expand and reach out to other areas, says Pastor Jonathan Quinn. The 8,000-square-foot church will include a preschool near the plantation’s south entrance.

“We’ve been worshipping at the Cabin at Foxbank since January last year,” says Quinn. “We have lots of young families, and a preschool seemed like a big need, so the new church will include classrooms, a playground and public pavilion area for the community.

“We’re excited to be in and serve the community, and we’re looking forward to contributing in any way we can,” says Quinn. The new Beautiful Savior church at Foxbank is expected to open April 2015.