Construction has begun for a new 168-seat church in Rivett, despite protest from locals at Rivett shops.
The church will be the first permanent home for the St Athanasius Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church, a small parish which has had to hire out other churches and local school halls since it opened its Canberra chapter in 2008.
However, local shopkeeper Bill Pesi, owner of Rivett's Pitch Black Cafe next door, has concerns about the build.
