Churchgoers threaten to call police as tradies fence off church

The situation is the latest escalation of the tension between community congregations and the Uniting Church following multiple closures of churches across the region.

Members of Carngham Uniting Church in Snake Valley raised the alarm at 11am on Thursday, threatening to call police if the contractors failed to leave.

Church-goers placed padlocked chains over the entrance when contractors left the job partly-completed. They returned mid-afternoon, while parishioners were meeting inside the church, but installed no more of the two metre-long panels as they waited for advice.

"I felt sick when I heard the news," church committee chair Kaylene Baird said.

"There was no warning and no communication. This church is the heart and soul of the community."

The gate, chains and padlocks were replaced later in the day - with members of the community and church vowing to "do anything" to save it. They did not rule out legal action, protests or chaining themselves to the building if closure and a sale remained on the cards.

Yellow ribbons were tied on the front fence on Thursday as a symbol of hurt and solidarity.

Committee member Sue Whiteley said instructions to erect the fencing had come from a building company which in turn had been hired by the Victorian/Tasmanian head office of the Uniting Church "to make the building safe".

Committee members admitted the church had some structural issues - including a horizontal crack at the top of the spire and a missing 'finial' - or decorative stone fleur-de-lis.

Ms Baird had placed star-pickets around the spire as a safety precaution, which had since been removed.

"We are doing our due diligence and maintaining this property - and doing whatever is asked of us for safety," she said.

"Just this week we removed a large tree branch on the grounds.

"The allegation is that the church is unsafe. We know factually that it's not unsafe.

"We've had assessments done, that's why the star pickets were taken away."

Reverend Trevor Bassett, the head of the Presbytery of Western Victoria, said the church had a "major safety issue".

A great lump of masonry fell off the church and someone could have been killed," he said.

"The Synod head office felt that action needed to be taken and a barrier erected."

Reverend Bassett said staff had assumed the congregation had been notified of the need for a fence.

"That communication didn't occur and they're rightly angry about that, but the fence is the right decision."

Reverend Bassett said he could not confirm if the fence was intended for the entire building or just the section near the spire.

He said he did not know if the fencing would stay for weeks, months or years.

"We need to do a fuller assessment and there's a significant crack in the spire," Reverend Bassett said.

"Now that we know it's there, we would be negligent beyond belief if we didn't do something."

He was asked if the Snake Valley church would close.

"I have no idea. That's their decision," Reverend Bassett said. "It's a small congregation with a property that has significant issues. The congregation will make that decision."

Reverend Bassett said the issues with the structure and congregation were a matter for the Uniting Church and he did not want to see a debate in The Courier.

Snake Valley members accused the Uniting Church of putting money ahead of people.

Ms Whiteley said the committee had put up with four years of pressure to close.

"We've had meetings where leaders have sprung votes on us - suddenly saying, 'who wants to shut the church?' with no discussion or debate or warning," she said.

"This (fencing) is just a more extreme version of it."

The wide positioning of the fence, if it stays in place, will also block access to Snake Valley's only op shop, which is in a separate 1963 building next to the church.

The move comes after the closure of Uniting churches in Neil Street this year - as well as Barkly Street, St Andrews Kirk, Pleasant Street and Pentland Hills within the last decade.

"We have been told our church at Snake Valley is valued at $11 million if it had to be replaced - but we had an independent assessment which said it could be rebuilt for $5 million," Ms Whiteley said.

"We are concerned: are all rural churches being given a difficult time by the Uniting Church?"

Ms Baird said the collapse of Melbourne school Acacia College had caused a financial black hole for the denomination, leading to the sale of several churches around 2014.

"Now there's obviously a need to sell churches again and it's taking the heart out of the community," she said.

"It's a moral injury to us because we are here to serve the community.

"We help with community welfare. The community is amazingly obliging and supportive - and we have many volunteers in the op shop."

Parishioners are involved in local Kids Hope mentoring programs and also run an agricultural science education program from church land.

Stock had been moved from the site on Thursday.

The cost of building the 1892 structure was donated by the Russell family.

"This was donated to the community," retired Baptist minister and church member Stephen Downey said.

"I have read the documents relating the creation of the Uniting Church (in 1977) and the revised version in the 1990s.

"There is no reference to what happens to the land title held by a local church."

The structure also contains stained glass windows and relics to remember Snake Valley and Carngham locals who were killed in action.

It is also home to a custom-built rare pipe organ that is still in working order.

APOLOGY

A comment posted on this page (but now removed) made serious and hurtful accusations against Andrew Collins. We should not have allowed the comment to be published and apologise to Andrew for having done so, and for the stress and anguish it has caused him and his family.