By Jim O'Sullivan

The applause might have outnumbered even the amens. The tributes and the thank-yous were in no short supply, either.

And, at one point, it seemed as if there were as many people standing in the front of the church as there were standing in the pews.

But by six o'clock on Wednesday, August 13, after an hour had allowed people still working at the five o'clock start time to filter in, Morning Star Baptist was filling up, enough to make a visitor think they might need more space.

Which is, with a new structure going up next door, just what the 2,000-strong congregation at the Blue Hill Avenue church will have by next spring, if all goes according to plan. A $10 million project, which Morning Star Pastor John Borders said has been on the must-have list for almost two decades, could be open by next Easter.

Last week, church, elected, and business leaders met to mark the refinancing of the construction loan, the result of a collaboration between Sovereign Bank and Citizens Bank.

"These are blessings, that we have a bigger and better worshiping place to praise the Lord," said Louise Harris, who said she had been a member at the Mattapan church for 20 years. "It's like any dream that a person could have. There are always things that got in the way of it, but the important thing is that we will soon have a space where all of us can pray."

According to Borders, the new edifice will house 1,000 people, up from the 300 who now pack themselves in for services. And the new space will allow for an increase in the church's outreach capabilities, church elders say. A soup kitchen and a GED program will be available to all members of the community.

"Right now, we can't accommodate the whole community, just worship services," said Dolores Thomas, an associate minister at Morning Star and member since 1985. "Now we'll be able to use the facility for other things."

Thomas said the current building likely will be torn down and used as a parking space for the larger structure to its immediate north.

Last week, members of the congregation filed in slowly, and found dignitaries and elected officials to spare, all of them generous in their praise of the project, and of Borders.

"Has anyone here ever &emdash; ever &emdash; said no to John Borders?" asked Congressman Michael Capuano, who credited Sovereign and Citizens banks for investing in the project, whose price tag started at $4 million and climbed. "They know that we need this sanctuary, they know that you will do whatever it takes to make it work, and they have faith in John Borders."

Borders said Morning Star established a building fund in 1987, because the congregation was outgrowing its current space. Renovation did not appear a prudent option, so the money was earmarked for a new building. An architecture firm that filed for bankruptcy in the mid-1990s left the worshipers at Morning Star starting from scratch, according to Borders.

"That was a major disappointment we had, but we never lost hope," he said.

The project's fruition, is a credit to the congregation's determination to overcome "obstacles," according to City Councillor Charles Yancey and a number of the event's other speakers. Yancey said, "This new edifice is not only about spiritual relevance, it's about serving your community."

"This is not one of those churches where people go to church at 10 o'clock, enjoy the services, and go home and enjoy themselves," Menino said. "This church works 24-7, in so many different ways."

And others said a team effort of elected officials and businessmen pulling together helped form the other prong of the attack. "

These are the thing that you don't get to read about, the phone calls that get made and the urgings," said state Senator Dianne Wilkerson, a member of the church. Wilkerson remembered a cell phone call she made to put two of the principals in touch, a linking of the religious and business communities that was in evidence at the afternoon gathering.

"The heart of the community of Boston has been the churches of Boston," said John P. Hamill, president of Sovereign Bank.

Many saw last week's event as a celebration of the marriage between two different spheres, the grassroots and the boardroom, one which could lead to a growing family &emdash; and a need for bigger space. Morning Star leaders predict that the growth made possible by the new church will lead quickly to more space concerns.

"We'll outgrow it and have to buy property somewhere else and build a larger edifice," Thomas said.

"If we continue to expand and grow, we will be building somewhere else in the near future," echoed Borders. "That is my sincere hope and desire."