A Home on Old Country Road
Hicksville United Methodist Church has stood at 130 West Old Country Road for generations, serving the Long Island hamlet of Hicksville and the surrounding Nassau County communities. The congregation's vision statement captures its identity in plain words: a joyful Christ-like community, unified in its diversity, mission focused, and supportive in a safe, welcoming, and comfortable environment. The church belongs to the New York Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, which appointed its current pastor in the summer of 2023.
Worship happens in a single sanctuary in the heart of the building, and Sunday School meets alongside the Sunday morning service. The rest of the church stays open throughout the week. A food pantry operates on Saturday mornings. A prayer team gathers on Friday mornings. A Bible study meets on Wednesday evenings. A Hispanic ministry conducts worship in Spanish on Tuesday and Saturday evenings. Music rehearsals fill Thursday evenings, and an immigration legal clinic sees clients during the week. The church's motto of being "unified in our diversity" shows up in the languages heard on its grounds, in the cultural backgrounds of those it serves, and in the variety of programs offered beyond Sunday morning.
Sunday Mornings at Ten
The Sunday Family Service with Sunday School gathers each week at 10:00 AM in the sanctuary. The single worship hour is built around families, and children remain part of the service through Sunday School that meets at the same time. Music plays a central role in the hour, with the Senior Choir providing traditional hymns and the Praise and Worship team leading more contemporary songs just before the service begins at 9:45 AM. Soloists and small ensembles round out the morning, and a livestream of the service is available on the church's YouTube channel for those who cannot attend in person.
Sermons are recorded and posted for later listening, and an archive of audio sermons is available through the church's online library. The Sunday School itself is led by the Youth Coordinator, who oversees the church's ministry to children and young people. Visitors are welcome at every level of the morning, and the congregation's longstanding practice is to greet newcomers warmly and to walk them through the rhythms of the service.
Servicio en Español
A Spanish-speaking congregation shares the same campus and the same United Methodist identity. The Hispanic Ministry of Hicksville United Methodist Church gathers for worship on Tuesday evenings at 8:00 PM and on Saturday evenings at 7:00 PM. Pastora Rosa Larios Bonilla leads the Hispanic ministry and the Spanish-language worship services, which function as a distinct community within the larger church.
The Tuesday and Saturday services are held alongside the English-language Sunday morning service, giving the church a bilingual rhythm that draws neighbors from across Long Island's diverse population. Pastora Rosa Larios coordinates the spiritual care of Spanish-speaking members and visitors and serves as a familiar face for newcomers who arrive through the Hispanic ministry. Visitors who want to learn more about the Hispanic Ministry can reach the church office during the week for additional details.
A Heritage of Music
Music has been central to worship at Hicksville United Methodist Church for many years. The music program has been built by long-tenured Ministers of Music, including Rosemary Chung, who served as organist and then Minister of Music for many years before her retirement, and Nancy Turner, who currently holds the position. Nancy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Piano from Asbury College (now Asbury University) and a Master of Music in Piano from the University of Kentucky. She previously served as a children's choir director at Kingswood United Methodist Church in Dunwoody, Georgia, as pianist and choir director at Shiloh United Methodist Church in Cumming, Georgia, as a keyboardist with the praise team at Creekside United Methodist Church in Cumming, and as pianist and choir director at Alma United Methodist Church in Alma, Arkansas. Nancy and her husband Chip moved to Long Island in 2015 and live with their two rescue cats in Glen Oaks, Queens.
The music ministry rests on several pillars. The Senior Choir sings every Sunday morning at the 10:00 AM service and rehearses on Thursday evenings from 7:00 to 8:00 PM. The Praise and Worship team, led by Susan Greenfield, leads contemporary music at 9:45 AM each Sunday, just before the service begins. Soloists and small ensemble singers and instrumentalists contribute during the prelude and the service. The Jubilate Bell Choir, led by Evelyn Biamonte, rings during the year on Sunday mornings and performs at annual bell choir festivals across Long Island. Recordings of past musical offerings are available online, including performances by the bell choir and solo pieces, so newcomers can hear the church's musical style before they visit.
Youth Ministry
Dana Sarikaya has served as Youth and Sunday School Coordinator since April 1, 2008. Before joining the staff, she taught Sunday School and volunteered with the youth program for about two years. Dana grew up on Long Island and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Dowling College. She worked in social work for five years before joining the church, an experience that helps her understand the challenges facing young people and young adults. She is active in the Tres Dias, Chrysalis, and Credo communities and helps lead the Conference Council on Youth Ministry.
The youth program is built around Sunday School, worship, fellowship, service activities, mission, retreats, fun trips, Conference Council on Youth Ministry involvement, Bible study, and Tae Kwon Do. The kids have formed what the church describes as "one big family," welcoming new members warmly each year. Activities follow a monthly calendar published by the church, and the program extends to younger children through the Sunday School that meets at the same hour as Sunday worship. Parents who want to know their children are welcome to attend can speak with the Youth Coordinator through the church office.
Saturday Food Pantry
The Hicksville United Methodist Church Food Pantry began in October 2007 and has grown into one of the most active outreach ministries of the church. Every Saturday morning from 9:30 to 11:30 AM, the pantry opens its doors to neighbors in need. Clients come and "shop" as if in a small market, choosing from the items available that week. The pantry serves Hicksville and the surrounding communities and welcomes between 25 and 35 families each week, with some visitors coming every week and others coming every two weeks or once a month depending on their circumstances.
The pantry receives grants from Long Island Cares and Island Harvest that supply most of its inventory, and additional donations come from the congregation and from other churches and businesses in the community. Kathy Nannini chairs the food pantry ministry. Volunteers are always welcome, and the work has made the pantry a tangible expression of the church's commitment to feeding the hungry in its own neighborhood. A photograph gallery on the church's archive, titled the Food Pantry and Clothing Ministry, documents the work over the years.
Justice for Our Neighbors
Since 2014, Hicksville United Methodist Church has hosted one of the New York-area clinics of Justice for Our Neighbors, a national network of church-based immigration law clinics. Justice for Our Neighbors was started in 1999 by the United Methodist Committee on Relief and now operates four sites in the New York metropolitan area: the Long Island clinic at Hicksville United Methodist Church, the Chinatown clinic at Chinese United Methodist Church, the Bedford-Stuyvesant clinic at John Wesley United Methodist Church, and the Flushing clinic at La Promesa Mission.
The mission of the network is one of hospitality. Its volunteers welcome immigrants by providing free, high-quality immigration legal services, engaging in advocacy for immigrants' rights, and offering education to communities of faith and the public. The Hicksville clinic serves clients across Long Island. Zamzam Quraishy, a Certified Lay Servant and Evangelist at the church, plays a significant role in the work. His own journey through the immigration system - from a knock at the door by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to bail posted by the New York Annual Conference's immigration attorney T.J. Mills and a successful asylum case handled by Professor Lauris Wren of Hofstra University - shaped his commitment to helping neighbors navigate a system that, in his words, often fails those who most need accurate legal help. The Immigration Ministry at Hicksville United Methodist Church is one of the clearest examples of the church's mission to combine faith with concrete service.
Wednesday Bible Study and Friday Prayer
Two weekly gatherings support the spiritual growth of the congregation. On Wednesday evenings at 7:30 PM, the Adult Bible Study class meets to read and discuss Scripture together. All are welcome, and the church encourages newcomers to call for directions and details before their first visit. The Bible study is grounded in the conviction that the Word of God is a lamp for the feet and a light on the path, and that growth in Christ comes through study of the inspired text.
The Prayer Team gathers every Friday morning from 7:00 to 9:00 AM. The prayer ministry is grounded in Philippians 4:6-7: "Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Visitors are invited to come and pray for any length of time, and they may leave whenever they need to. The prayer team keeps a regular rhythm that anchors the week for many in the congregation.
Quilts and Books
Two smaller but beloved ministries round out the church's life. The Quilters of the Cloth began in November 2007 with the goal of teaching the art of quilting to newcomers while learning from experienced quilters. The quilts they make become gifts of love for church members and visitors to mark weddings, baptisms, and other life events where comfort or celebration is needed. Each stitch carries a message from the heart, and the ministry is open to anyone interested in learning, from absolute beginners to those with advanced skills. Evelyn Biamonte coordinates the quilters' meetings and serves as a steady presence in the life of the group.
The HUMC Lunch Bunch Book Club meets at noon on the first Thursday of each month, hosted at the home of Rae Schopp. Members bring their own lunch, with beverages and cookies provided, and gather for lively discussion of a chosen book. New members are always welcome, and the group is a popular gathering for those who want to combine faith, friendship, and reading. The Book Club is one of the longest-running small groups in the congregation.
A Church That Opened Its Doors After the Storm
In the months and years following Superstorm Sandy, Hicksville United Methodist Church became a hub for disaster relief. After the storm passed and power was restored to the building, the congregation opened its doors to provide shelter for emergency relief workers. Between November 2012 and July 2014, the church housed over 500 volunteer workers from many states, including New Jersey, Virginia, Michigan, Iowa, Rhode Island, and California. The volunteers came from many faith traditions, including Jewish, Lutheran, and Pentecostal backgrounds, and ranged in age from high school students to senior citizens.
The relief work was coordinated through Volunteers in Mission, the New York Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, and the Long Island Volunteer Center. The church provided hospitality and hot showers to those helping others recover, and the program built lasting connections across faith communities and geographies. The Sandy Relief effort remains a touchstone of the congregation's identity as a church that responds to crisis with open doors.
Mission and Beliefs
The mission of Hicksville United Methodist Church is to empower all people to grow in their relationship with God by providing opportunities for worship, study, fellowship, and mission to neighbors in a safe and comfortable environment. The church welcomes anyone and everyone who wants to follow Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Members describe themselves as a congregation with very liberal-thinking members, very conservative-thinking members, and members in between, taking for granted that they will not always agree on everything. As United Methodists, they bear a faithful Christian witness to Jesus Christ, the living reality at the center of the Church's life and witness.
Drawing from The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church, the church makes disciples by proclaiming the gospel and welcoming persons into the body of Christ, leading persons to commit their lives to God through baptism by water and the Spirit and profession of faith in Jesus Christ, nurturing persons in Christian living through worship, the sacraments, spiritual disciplines, and other means of grace such as Wesley's Christian conferencing, and sending persons into the world to live lovingly and justly as servants of Christ by healing the sick, feeding the hungry, caring for the stranger, freeing the oppressed, and working to develop social structures consistent with the gospel. The church affirms that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Savior of the world, and the Lord of all, and respects persons of all religious faiths while defending religious freedom for all.
The Pastoral Team
Reverend Iwy Patel-Yatri was appointed to Hicksville United Methodist Church by Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton of the New York Annual Conference on July 1, 2023. She holds a Master of Divinity from New York Theological Seminary, earned in 2004, and a Master of Social Work from Fordham University. Before entering ordained ministry, she served as Coordinator of Pastoral Ministries for Covenant House in New York, where she developed pastoral programs for runaway and at-risk youth. She has served in various churches in the New York Annual Conference since 2004 and lives with her husband, Pastor Enock Yatri, and their college-age son, A. Evan Yatri.
Nancy Turner serves as Minister of Music and oversees the choirs, ensembles, and bell choir described above. Dana Sarikaya leads the Youth Ministry and Sunday School. Pastora Rosa Larios Bonilla leads the Hispanic Ministry and the Spanish-language worship services. Zamzam Quraishy serves as Evangelist and Certified Lay Servant, bringing a background in evangelism with the Billy Graham Ministry in India and a deep commitment to immigration ministry through his work with Justice for Our Neighbors. The team represents the cultural breadth of the congregation and reflects the church's identity as a community shaped by many traditions and callings.
Giving and Visiting
Online giving is available through the church's secure donation page, which accepts contributions and pledge payments. Annual pledge cards are also available, allowing members to commit to weekly, monthly, or yearly support, with an option for automatic bank deduction through Vanco. The donation page is paired with the John Wesley charge: "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can."
The church stands at 130 West Old Country Road, Hicksville, New York 11801. The main office number is 516-931-2626 and the fax line is 516-935-0346. General information can be directed to humc.secretary@verizon.net. The Sunday morning service is livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel at youtube.com/channel/UCDsEOToE4X1DUfdYqW9kQpg, and the secure online giving page is available through eServicePayments. Visitors are warmly welcomed at any of the worship services or weekday ministries, and the church's heritage as a multi-cultural, multi-generational community of faith continues to shape its life together on Old Country Road.