New Life Christian Fellowship, a student-focused ministry at Virginia Tech, is expanding into the old American Red Cross building at 130 Jackson St. in Blacksburg.

The impetus: appealing to an audience beyond college students.

"A lot of the Blacksburg area has ties to the campus," said Marcus Wiles, a Tech junior who leads one of the fellowship's home groups, a midweek gathering of between 20 and 40 students who participate in Bible studies and community service. "But there's plenty of people who are working in and around this area who are not directly a student or they need to be reached in a different way."

New Life Christian Fellowship is a nondenominational, Bible-based organization with chapters at Tech and Radford University.

The new facility, which was vacated by the Red Cross in March, accommodates about 300 people -- far fewer than the 550-seat Colonial Hall in Squires Student Center on Tech's campus where NLCF holds two Sunday services for students who live in the residence halls.

But organizers don't anticipate cramped quarters posing a problem. The Red Cross building is being refurbished by NLCF to be used for midweek concerts, meetings and an early Sunday morning service, not to replace the existing 10:30 a.m. Sunday gathering in Squires.

"We want to have a really post-collegiate expansion," said Dave Williams, a staff minister and communications engineer with NLCF. "There's a lot of students that have graduated and they're staying around the area and they're still going to our service on campus. ... So the point is that we would have that additional space to be able to have more noncollege folks getting involved with our church."

Before the doors open, a few details must still be worked out. NLCF signed a five-year lease, but organizers aren't sure a move-in date of January will happen on schedule.

The renovations, which will require installing audio and video equipment, are expected to cost between $50,000 and $75,000, Williams said.

Several alumni of the Tech architecture department who assisted in the ABC television show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" in Blacksburg last year are helping with this project.

Organizers are enthusiastic about the building's future. NLCF explored other expansion sites, including sorority houses, that wouldn't have accommodated an audience of more than 75.

"We want to have it to be very participatory, very family-centered and just kind of something that hits the niche that other churches maybe don't," Williams said. "We don't want to take anybody from other churches to come to ours. We just want to really reach out to people who don't go to church and have a place for them."

Williams said NLCF's goal of expanding into a new, off-campus arena is the latest sign of progress for the organization, which brought in a record 950 attendants between its two Sunday services one weekend this year.

"A lot of times at this point in the year the attendance has really dropped off, but it seems like it's really just maintained throughout the year," Williams said. "God's really here. He's really just bringing an excitement, I think, to people's lives and really just helping them get a grip on what they're wanting to do with their life."

In religion

n Gospel singing. Sunday, 6 p.m., Merrimac Pentecostal Holiness Church, Blacksburg. With Billy and Diana Mitchem of Tennessee.

n Baha'i prayer and discussion on the role of spirituality in elections. Sunday, 6:30 to 8 p.m., Episcopal church at the corner of Church and Jackson streets, Blacksburg. 818-0611.

n Wesleyan Kids for Missions auction. Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., Blacksburg First Wesleyan Church. Handcrafted items and baked and canned goods. Proceeds benefit international outreach ministries. 641-2808.

n Community Taize Prayer Service. Friday, 7 p.m., Good Shepherd Church of the Brethren, Blacksburg. 961-0354.

n Craft show, yard sale, hot dog and bake sale. Nov. 11, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Highland Park Community Church, Dublin. Sponsored by the Christian Motorcyclists Association.

n Veterans Day Celebration. Nov. 12, 11 a.m., Cambria Pentecostal Holiness Church, Christiansburg. Lunch served in fellowship hall after morning service. 382-6801.

n Gospel singing. Nov. 19, 6 p.m., Bible Baptist Church, Cambria. Featuring Ed Hypes and the Highlanders. 763-3296.

n Thanksgiving dinner. Nov. 23, 1 p.m., St. Michael Lutheran Church, Blacksburg. Free and open to those who are unable to provide a dinner for their family or are seeking fellowship. For a ride or to volunteer: 951-8951.

n Bible bus sponsorship program. To raise money to convert the interior of a bus into a classroom. To inquire about making a pledge: drewfenstermaker@charterinternet.com.

n The Baha'is of the New River Valley will host devotion and question-and-answer sessions on the Baha'i faith. Sundays, 6:30 p.m., Christ Episcopal Church, Blacksburg. 818-0611.

n Stretching Body and Spirit. Tuesdays, 5:30 to 7 p.m., Christiansburg Presbyterian Church, 107 W. Main St. A yoga class for Christians. Includes a gentle hatha yoga workout coupled with Christian chanting, prayer and meditation. 382-2802.

n Relationship Bible Study. Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m., St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church, Blacksburg. Meal and wellness program, "Food for Soul." 552-8782.

n Lutheran Student Movement. Tuesdays, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Campus Center, Virginia Tech. Dinner and fellowship. 552-0066.

n Gospel singing and Bible study. First Tuesdays and every Thursday, 9:30 a.m. and 10:15 a.m., Christiansburg Recreation Center, Christiansburg. Musicians, singers and benchwarmers welcome. 382-8543.

n Bible study. Shepherd's Chapel Bible students seek members to meet every other Wednesday at the Christiansburg Library Community Room. 381-4557.

n Meditation program. Wednesdays, 5:15 p.m., Blue Ridge School of Massage and Yoga, Blacksburg. Learn a simple, universal meditation practice for people of all faiths and beliefs. 552-2177 or www.meditate-shivabala.org.

n Faith discussion groups. Thursdays, 10 to 11 a.m.; Fridays noon to 1 p.m., Luther Memorial Lutheran Church, Blacksburg. 951-1000.