The first time around St Mary's Anglican Church was moved just across the Clutha River.
This time it is making a 135km journey to a new home at Waianiwa, near Riverton.
Built in 1869, the 12m by 6m church originally stood at Inch Clutha, a large island in the middle of the Clutha River, downstream from Balclutha.
When the community hub moved across the river to Stirling in the early 1900s, the church went too.
It was deconsecrated in 2005 and sold the following year to Southland couple Greg and Annie Close, who will restore it and use it as a wedding chapel and funeral venue on their 1ha property, Argyle Cottage Garden.
Getting to the point of moving the church had been a "long process", Mr Close said yesterday, partly because he and his wife were in no hurry and partly because of delays in obtaining consent to shift the building, which has a Category 2 Historic Places Trust listing.
But now the job is under way.
The building was lifted on to a truck on Sunday and had its roof removed yesterday. Both pieces would be transported to Southland in the next few days, Mr Close said.
St Mary's was "a lovely wee church", he said. Among its features are stained glass windows, pews and a bell, which Mr Close was told was originally a ship's bell.
"We didn't buy it to wreck it but to preserve it ... All it needs is a bit of TLC." Mr Close declined to say how much the purchase, move and restoration was costing.
"We'll keep the budget to ourselves. Suffice to say it's not cheap."
