NORTH TONAWANDA — You can go home again.

The city’s Payne Avenue Christian Church made plans to move to Wheatfield, after the congregation outgrew its nearly 80-year-old church.

It even took on a new name, The Church at Shawnee Landing, but after being temporarily housed at a Masonic lodge, it became clear that the Wheatfield site was not right, due to escalating construction costs and other problems.

Now the church is back on Payne Avenue — but in a new setting. Church members have brought back to life the St. Joseph Church building closed in the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo reorganization of recent years.

“We’ve been on a 12-year pilgrimage, seeking our ‘promised land,’ ” said Vic Baker, the church’s moderator for development. “We’re inspired with the realization that our dreams were waiting for us all along on the same street where we had served our faith and missions for many generations.

“This is a resurrection and a homecoming for the Payne Avenue Christian Church.”

The St. Joseph site is some two acres, with ample parking, an eight-bay garage and a rectory of about 5,000 square feet.

Congregants are respectful of the “great legacy” of the Catholics, said Baker, and are committed to continue the shared mission of spreading Jesus’ word.

In that ecumenical spirit, the Monsignor Carr Clinic, which offers many services for children and their families regardless of faith or finances, will remain in operation on the campus under the ownership of Catholic Charities.

The Rev. Jerry McGlone, the Payne Avenue pastor, once worked as a caseworker for the needy and previously headed First Christian Church of the Disciples of Christ in Shenandoah, Va.

“We’ve reached our promised land at last — but this is not an ending,” McGlone said. “Our work’s just begun. We have been tested with all kinds of delays, disappointments and difficulties over the past decade. Our congregation never lost faith, and we kept forging ahead.”

A service of dedication and celebration at the new church takes place at 10 a. m. Sept. 19 and includes several events, among them a chicken and ribs barbecue. It’s open to the public, and the Buffalo Bills football game will be on during the barbecue.

Baker joined the church in 1996 “because I saw potential for an expanding mission and opportunities to think outside the box.

“The challenges have made us smarter, more determined and ever more certain that we chose wisely,” he said. “We never thought our journey would bring us home to North Tonawanda, but we’ve been led here for a reason, and we believe this is the best of all possible outcomes.”

The former St. Joseph School will be adapted to expand the mission of the church and serve the larger community, Baker said. He sees the potential for a site for homeless veterans.

Payne Avenue Christian Church already has co-developed the Town Homes at Shawnee Landing, a 64-unit affordable housing campus in Wheatfield managed by Belmont Shelter Corp. and funded by federal and state grants.

The church also leased 1.5 acres of land across Captain’s Way to Heritage Christian Services for a group home for developmentally disabled adult women.

McGlone and his wife, Janet, a lawyer, moved to North Tonawanda in 1984 and began serving as pastor of Payne Avenue Christian Church of the Disciples of Christ. The Disciples of Christ — or Disciples — is the oldest American-founded Protestant denomination. McGlone already has celebrated his silver anniversary at the church and 35th anniversary of his ordination.

“The Disciples of Christ denomination has a long-held tradition of tolerance, following the example of Christ, as told in the Gospels,” Baker said. “We don’t recite creeds, but we follow his path.”

The old Payne Avenue Christian Church was built during the 1920s.

“It was never updated,” McGlone said. “It had original plumbing, wiring. It would cost at least a million dollars to update the building to modern standards. We had no parking lot.”

Now, the growing church has the room it needs.