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The stone church has been in Brooklyn for almost 200 years, and it was easy to tell. The floor creaked under worshipers’ feet as they made their way to a pew, and a plaque in the vestibule commemorated past members who had fought in the Great War.

Many who gathered for a recent Sunday morning service had been part of the congregation of New Utrecht Reformed Church for decades. Still, as they sang and prayed and wandered the aisles to offer peace to one another, many felt like they were acclimating themselves to the sanctuary. They had been locked out for some 15 years, as a renovation project swelled into an epic overhaul. They have only been allowed back inside to worship in recent weeks.

“Welcome to God’s house,” the Rev. E.J. Emerson, the church’s pastor, said at the start of the service. The sanctuary was new to her, too. She had arrived six years ago, and until now, the space had been filled with scaffolding and tools. She had led services in a hall next door.