A 107-year-old church in Perth-Andover that was damaged by the flooding on March 23 is being demolished on Wednesday.

The Perth-Andover Baptist Church had survived spring floods before, but this time it was condemned after the flood waters filled the basement and hit the floor boards.

The congregation, which has about 100 members, voted to build a new church on higher ground in the western New Brunswick village.

About two dozen people were there to watch it come down Wednesday, including many members of the congregation.

"A lot of memories, a lot of emotions here today, I brought Kleenex," said Sheila Cummings.

"We were married here, our kids grew up here in the church as well, good times of fellowship, get-togethers, potlucks meals and Christmas celebrations," said Ron Cummings.

Some parts of the old church, including 38 pieces of stained glass and the pulpit, will be preserved.

Dan Robichaud, a stained glass artist from Saint John, is repairing the windows so they can be installed into the new church.

"It's a complete renovation on each of them ... so it's a lot of work," Robichaud said.

The building was officially decommissioned on June 24, the same day a sod turning was held at the new location.

The congregation is fundraising to build the new church, which they hope to have opened by Christmas.

Meanwhile, services are being held at the Andover Elementary School gym, which is directly behind the old church.

Many homes and businesses in the village were damaged in the March floods, including the hospital and high school.

A state of emergency was declared in the northwestern community of about 1,770 people.

The village issued a mandatory evacuation order to about 500 people living in low-lying areas close to the St. John River.

Warm weather had caused numerous ice jams that led to flooding.