FOUR Uniting churches across central Victoria will be auctioned at St Andrew’s Uniting Church, Bendigo, on October 1.For-sale signs have gone up on the Barnadown, Carisbrook, Raywood and Korong Vale Uniting churches. Decreasing congregation numbers have led the churches to close their doors, and the Uniting Church, together with each congregation, has decided to put the churches up for sale.Minister for the Loddon Mallee Presbytery, Gordon Bannon, said he hoped somebody would make good use of the vacant buildings.“The congregations have closed down because of a lack of numbers and the age of people, who have been faithful for a long time. They have kept the doors open but have now decided it would be better for them to go elsewhere,’’ he said.The maintenance of the churches has been left to a select group of people, often elderly.“The upkeep has also been a factor, there’s been an increasing cost for them to be maintained,’’ Mr Bannon said.He said the Uniting Church decided to auction the churches together to get more exposure.“There’s been a fair bit of interest, I guess it’s a bit unusual and people come slightly out of curiosity,’’ he said. “They are buildings with character and history.’’January’s floods put further pressure on the Carisbrook Uniting Church.The church and an adjacent brick hall sits on about half an acre of land on the corner of Simson and Chapel streets.“The congregation was small but the flood was the straw that broke the camel’s back,’’ Mr Bannon said.Carisbrook congregation member Jean Hurse said the floods had a terrible impact on the town, and the church was not spared.“They were thinking of closing it but we wanted it to stay open, but the flood was the finish of it,’’ she said. “I’ve been a part of the Uniting Church all my life. We used to have mass every second and fourth Sunday but a lack of numbers and then three feet of water through the church meant the end.’’She said many congregation members now went to church in Maryborough, while others have joined the Presbyterian Church in Carisbrook.The Raywood church, with a brick meeting room at its rear and on half an acre in the town’s main street of Sandhurst Street, is attracting a lot of attention.The Barnadown church, built nearly 140 years ago, and on nearly one acre, is for sale after its last service in March.A clad building, with brick toilet block, on a 1000 square metre block in Vernon Street Korong Vale will join the other churches to auction, at noon on Saturday, October 1, through Pat Rice and Hawkins real estate agents.