BILLERICA — Following the groundbreaking ceremony held over the weekend, the construction of the renovation and restoration of important structural parts of the nearly 200-year-old church began.

The First Congregational Church building at 18 Andover Road has stood on the same spot since 1829, serving the community in a variety of ways beyond just religious services.

“What makes First Congregational Church different from many other churches in the area is that it is a true center for the community,” Church Marketing Committee member Elaine Keough said in a telephone interview Tuesday. “People come in and out for all kinds of different things, Indian dance classes, kindergarten, AA meetings, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. It’s not just a building that’s used on Sundays.”

The groundbreaking ceremony Saturday was the culmination of 10 years of work that Keough said began when a group was considering a master plan and noticed that the cornice inside the main church structure was rotting.

“They found it was still safe to use the building, but that needs to be addressed,” Keough said.

As well as stabilizing the sill, which is the building’s support structure, the renovations will be used to make the church more accessible for modern use. This will essentially take the form of a full-size elevator that will take people to and from the church sanctuary, replacing a smaller elevator that was too small for people with disabilities to use it properly.

It is also believed that sill rot is caused by drainage issues on the exterior of the building. This issue will be addressed as part of the renovation work to prevent future decay.

Construction is expected to take eight to 12 months, and Keough said they plan to minimize disruptions to all of the building’s services during that time. He said some things will need to be moved, but they plan to stay open throughout the entire construction process.

The church’s pastor, the Rev. Katherine Adams, said Wednesday that the renovations will extend the life of the historic building.

“This renovation will allow our church to continue providing vital services to the community and exist for another two hundred years,” Adams said.

The project is primarily funded through a capital campaign in which FCCB raised $610,000. Billerica in spring 2023 Town Meeting voted to provide an additional $385,000 in Community Preservation Act funding for the renovation and preservation of the building. Billerica-based contracting company DA Kinsella was selected as the general contractor for the project.

“As a lifelong resident who lives and works in the town, this project supports Billerica. This church is the center of the community. The number of people and organizations using this building is staggering,” said project architect David Kinsella.

Travis Brown, chairman of the Community Preservation Committee and a church neighbor, said FCCB “carried out this project the right way to preserve the integrity and history of the building.”

“This is a model project for community preservation in a historic town,” Brown said.

“Getting to this point is the result of a lot of work and planning,” said Billerica Town Manager Clancy Main.

“It’s the beginning of another journey forward to make sure the building construction is completed,” Main said.

FCCB Construction Committee Co-Chair John Keough said the committee is “excited to continue working with Dave Kinsella and his team to see the project come to fruition.”