Kathy and Hal Burge sit in the sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church, which will be relocating. 

The First Presbyterian Church building on Lewis Street in New Iberia soon will be demolished and its congregants relocated after the site was purchased by Ohio-based SkilkenGold Development LLC.

First Presbyterian Church Clerk of the Session Hal Burge said the church has been at that site since 1957. Burge said church officials could not comment on some details concerning the congregation’s move.

SkilkenGold Development LLC president Frank Petruziello said the company will demolish the site to create an entrance into a grocery store the company plans to build nearby.

Petruziello introduced his plans for a grocery store in September to the New Iberia City Council. Project developers have not released the name of the store, but Petruziello has told the council more than $40 million had been spent on the development and the company expects to hire more than 100 employees.

Although the store’s identity has not yet been revealed, SkilkenGold has made similar moves in Louisiana. A public notice in May showed SkilkenGold Development had purchased a permit in Terrebonne Parish for a grocery store. Permits Administrator Lisa Ledet said the permit was used to construct a Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market.

There has been opposition to the development in New Iberia. 

In September, some New Iberia residents protested the business that will raze First Presbyterian Church. A petition was created from residents of Joliet and Marquette Streets to stop the grocery store from happening due to the possible influx of traffic that will occur. The grievance was brought to the New Iberia City Council, which voted to rezone the property despite the complaints.

The Presbyterians have been in existence in Iberia Parish since 1895, initially starting in Jeanerette. According to a church booklet, the First Presbyterian Church in New Iberia became self-supporting in 1946, with a membership of 107 that grew to 124. Burge said the church now has 30 members.

The Lewis Street building has been a Presbyterian place of worship for 58 years, but it has considerable aging and some utilities are becoming a problem, Burge said.

“We don’t even have a thermostat,” Burge said. “We turn on the air conditioning and pray.”

The chance to relocate, and possibly grow the church’s membership, is too good to pass up, Burge said. 

“We’re looking at this as a rebirth for our church,” Burge said. 

Burge’s wife, Kathy Burge, said the building will be missed. 

Relocation has already begun, with the church to take up shop on Parkview Drive at the office of State Farm agent Carroll Boudreaux.

Boudreaux said the space is the former site of Hebert’s nursery, with Boudreaux’s office taking up the former administrative section. The church will have “not even a full wall” dividing them from Boudreaux’s office.

“I never tried to find another tenant. These people showed up about a month ago and asked if they could use it for storage space,” Boudreaux said. “When they got a look at it, they saw they could have services in here, and I was happy to rent it to them.”

Everything from pews to stained glass windows will be stored at the new site, Hal Burge said. 

Members hope the space will be temporary. Hal Burge said the church plans to eventually find a location and get a new pastor. Boosting church attendance, however, is on the top of the list. 

“I’m not sure why (attendance is low). I would imagine there aren’t that many Presbyterians in the area. There were other churches in Franklin and Jeanerette that have closed,” Hal Burge said.

For Burge, the plan right now is to work with the congregation to make the church a viable place. The first church service at the new Parkview Drive location will be Sunday.  

“The biggest thing is to continue the church and hopefully begin to build into the near future,” he said.