ABOUT US
Sharing Jesus the Christ in Word and Deed.
Vision Statement of the Sardinia UMC
Our church exists to nurture, worship, teach and
fellowship together so that we may bring persons to know
Jesus Christ and his teachings; to reach out to the children
and youth of our community; to reach out to the disabled;
to reach out to people who have no knowledge of Jesus in
our community and beyond; to reach out and be the loving
hands of Jesus in our world today and in the future.
Our Staff
Minister: Matthew Brooks
Matt Brooks grew up in Fillmore, NY but has a lot of roots in the Sardinia area. His Grandmother and Grandfather lived in Sardinia on West Schutt Rd. Matt’s grandmother attended Sardinia UMC and his mother and father were married in this church. Matt has been serving as the minister of Sardinia United Methodist Church since July of 2022. Prior to this Matt has spent the last 15+ years serving in various youth and children’s ministry roles. In addition to serving in Sardinia, Matt is the program director at the Fillmore Powerhouse Youth Center Inc. Matt is currently pursuing his Master of Divinity Degree at Northeastern Seminary at Roberts Wesleyan University. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, fishing, golfing, playing Kan Jam, metal detecting, and watching the Buffalo Bills and Sabres.
Contact: mattbrooks86@gmail.com
Music Director: Donna Warner
Donna graduated from college with a double major in early childhood education and music, with piano as her concentration. Her first opportunity to serve our God through music was Junior Choir, which led to accompanying choir, playing the organ, and eventually directing choirs of her own. She has been serving at Sardinia UMC for about 10 years where she directs the choir, leads hymns, and coordinates and leads special seasonal music cantatas.
Sardinia United Methodist Church
Intentional Discipleship Plan
Accepted by SUMC Administrative Board November 10, 2021
“Sharing Jesus, the Christ in Word and Deed” is our mission statement at The Sardinia United Methodist Church. Our aim and focus are to have this statement be our guide in how we live every day as disciples (believers) of Jesus. This plan is not a program where we go through it and then we are done. It is a change of heart and a lifelong mission.
The goal of focusing on discipleship stems from the Bible as Jesus said “Go and make disciples in my name….”. We can show the love of Christ to all we encounter.
Our Discipleship Plan is a journey with Jesus by living out our Mission Statement. Much prayer, discussion, and reading has resulted in what we feel represents each of our journeys with Jesus. We all are at different places in our journeys. Some of us are searching, some are exploring, some are serving, and some are sharing or a combination of these as we journey with Jesus.
We look forward to incorporating our goals into every facet of our church lives.
Our action points of this plan include - Searching, Exploring, Serving, Sharing.
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Searching – whether you are a new believer or a person searching for answers to life’s questions we are all searching for Jesus. Our goal is to build deeper relationships with each other and help us develop meaningful relationships as we disciple others.
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Exploring - being part of a small group that helps us grow in relationships with each other and with Jesus. Examples would be: small group learning; choir; United Women in Faith, Closet to Closet ministry, Prayer Team, Hospitality Team
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Serving – Following Jesus’ footsteps by putting our faith into action. Such as: a churchwide community outreach project, Abundance Cupboard involvement, Closet to Closet involvement, personal mission project.
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Sharing – sharing our resources and learning to share our faith as part of our everyday lives. We want to be able to share Jesus the Christ in Word and Deed! We become like Christ by following Christ.
The Discipleship Committee
History
History of The Sardinia United Methodist Church from the writings of Robert Schiener….
for the rededication of the church on its one-hundred-year anniversary.
The Methodists in the Town of Sardinia formed their first class in 1821 and consisted of thirteen
members. For over twenty years meetings were held in shops and private homes. The legal incorporation of the Society was affected on the 6th day of July 1841 and in the summer of
1842 a church building was erected. A 36’ X 50’ building at a cost of $2,400.
In 1882 our current building and parsonage were built on land furnished by Mrs. Julian Simons. The
church was built from plans furnished by the Board of Church Extension and consisted of a sanctuary, an entrance way, and bell room under the high steeple which housed a very fine bell. It was heated with
two wood stoves and the stove pipes went into the two chimneys which are the side pillars of the arch
curving up to the round window at its peak. It was built at a cost not exceeding $5,000.
The first big renovation project was done in 1909 under the Pastorate of A.W. Decker. At that time the
building was raised and a basement put underneath and the front entrance was changed. A furnace was installed that burned coal or wood and a gasoline pressure system for lighting was installed.
In the 1920’s when electric power became available, the church was wired for electricity and the
gasoline system discontinued.
The building stayed the same until the early 1940’s when under the Pastorate of Fred Bolender, the
youth fellowship raised money for the wallboard paneling (on the walls today) to replace the faded
wallpaper. They also purchased a large organ from a Franklinville church which operated with a motor
driven bellows and had imitation pipes made of wood.
During the Pastorate of Revere Perkins in 1955 the basement was completely remodeled. A new
modern kitchen put in and a new gas furnace was installed. Parke Davis donated a large share of the
funds for this project.
In the late 1950’s mostly during the Pastorate of Paul Cauvel the entire sanctuary was remodeled, with
new hardwood floor, new pews, new memorial windows, new lighting, and completely new pulpit
furniture. The communion rail and the altar were made from wood from the old pews. Rev. Cauvel
built the altar himself. A new organ was purchased and a matching piano was given by Mrs. Martin
Rogenmoser.
The second renovation project took place in 1967 during the Pastorate of John Kamaras when a church
school addition was built. The two-story building included six classrooms, a pastor’s study and two new
bathrooms. This building was consecrated by Bishop Ward. A mortgage of $25,000 was obtained for this project.
In 1975 during the Pastorate of Gordon Bloomberg a two-car garage was built.
Many items that beautify our church such as the speaker system, kneeler, hymnals, baptismal fount,
lights, Bible stand, offering plates, altar set, carpet and so forth were donated or purchased through the
Memorial Fund over the years and should definitely be included in this brief history of the church
building.
Additional building history after Robert’s writing:
Hardwood floors refinished
Walls in the sanctuary were painted.
New basement windows.
New windows in the 1967 addition installed.
In 2006 the steeple was removed, renovated, painted and reattached to the church building.
An elevator was installed. A handicapped bathroom was installed.
Church and parsonage painted twice.
New sidewalks installed.
In 2022 an extensive renovation of the parsonage completed.
New countertops, cupboards and new sink installed after water damage in the church basement.
New carpeting installed in most areas of the church.
Garage renovated and concrete floor installed.
Altar area revamped and ramp installed to choir area.
