Pastor Laura came to Aldersgate UMC during June 2021. She is happy to be in Sumter where she is learning to see the beauty of God’s creation in a new setting. Pastor Laura is originally from the mountains of Western North Carolina. She served a church in Greenville while she worked on her MDiv from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary.  She served at Surfside Beach after completing her degree and while she completed the ordination process.

Her office door has a sign that says “Grace is given here.” She hopes you will come visit her and hear grace in a conversation. Her prayer for Aldersgate is to be a congregation that gratefully accepts the gift of God’s grace and generously helps our community experience the love and grace of Jesus Christ.

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She enjoys family time with her husband, Daryl and her grown children and their spouses, Ben and Carli and Sarah and Matt. The family dog, Tucker is a big part of her life. She enjoys a nice walk, a good novel, and a challenging jigsaw puzzle.

Brooke came to Aldersgate UMC at the beginning of 2021. She is a Sumter native. She has a background in accounting and office managment, but has discovered a passion for making sure that our events are engaging for our community.

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Sphendi Dani came to America in 2001 from Albania.  He has been married to his wife for 31 years and they have three amazing children.  His favorite verse is Mark 1:17 “And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”  He loves to serve the Lord with excellence in all that he does.



Trish Banham joined our staff as the Music Director in 2023. She is originally from the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She has been here for 19 years with some years going back and forth to her 2nd home in PA. Trish went to Arcadia University in Glenside, PA. She has a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Voice Performance and a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in Design. Trish went on to take two years of graduate courses in the Temple University Music School majoring in Opera Performance. 

She has studied with well known Voice Teachers and Opera coaches from Julliard and the Metropolitan Opera Company. Trish also studied under world renown conductors as her coaches. She had lead roles in Philadelphia opera companies and many recitals. She is a pianist, vocalist, conductor, and artist. Trish has been a Music Director for churches in PA and SC. She has directed senior, junior, bell, children choirs and praise teams. Trish had her own music school of private voice, piano and art lessons for 25 years in Pennsylvania. 

As a soloist for many years for the Chapel of Four Chaplains in Philadelphia, she sang for Generals, Presidential Cabinet members, royalty, and celebrities. Aside from her music activities, Trish had her own stores in PA and other businesses. Currently she works remotely in her home office as an Insurance Agent for a major company doing various projects throughout the year. She is very happy to be with our church family. 

Mark Hodges has been the Organist/Pianist since ????. He also added the duties of Interim Music Director between Music Directors.

Mark's training incluides....

He served as a Music Teacher in the Sumter County School District prior to his retirement.

He enjoys antique cars and cats.

Our Audio/Visual Technology Team is comprised of staff members and tech servants.

David Shoemaker - David Shoemaker is our Sound Technician. He is also a sound technician for a number of other events around Sumter. He has worked with a number of local musicians and helps them set up for funerals or other events here at Aldersgate UMC. He loves the drums and his cat.

Ryan Dani - Ryan operates the visuals on Sunday mornings. He enjoys fitness and working with his family on many projects around the church.

Krista Jennings - Krista has a passion for technology and for connecting with people. She produces the slides for worship services and makes sure that we are livestreaming our worship services.

Kathy Goldstein -