MONROE — When Pastor Sarah Mae Gabuyo first visited Wisconsin in 2016 as part of the Discipleship Intensive Program of the Epworth League in Sullivan, she knew that she had found a place to someday call home. 

She is now the new pastor at Staver and Clarno Zion United Methodist Churches in Monroe.

Having grown up in Milan, Italy, after being born and spending 10 years in the Philippines, she was struck by Sullivan’s small-town charm and the welcoming hospitality offered by everyone she came across during her summer-long stay in the state. 

“To be part of a community who loved me from the very beginning was kind of a lifechanging event for me,” Gabuyo said. 

A ‘fertile soil’

It was during her first semester in seminary that Gabuyo decided to return to Wisconsin upon her graduation.

Her first experience in Wisconsin led her to feel at-home in the area that was so far from her original home.

“I did feel something — this is my space, this is my story, this is who I am,” she said.

As part of the appointment process, she expressed interest in being placed in the Wisconsin Conference of the United Methodist Church, but could have been assigned to any part of Wisconsin. It was by chance that she ended up less than two hours from the community that planted her initial love of the state.

“I received so much from Wisconsin,” she said. “It was a fertile soil for me to grow in serving the Lord.”

In March, Gabuyo learned that she would be preaching in Monroe beginning in July.

“I feel like I’m getting so much of God’s presence right here in Monroe,” she said. 

During her months here, she has had the opportunity to meet individually with church members and grow as a part of the community, with the church family becoming a part of her own.

“It’s really just being who you are and serving people who you have around and loving them,” she said. “That same hospitality that I received from others, especially here in Wisconsin, is something that I want to give back”

A lifetime in church

Gabuyo graduated from Wesley Theological Seminary in May with her Master of Divinity, but using her talents to strengthen and share her faith has been a part of her life forever.

Gabuyo is a fourth-generation United Methodist.

“I was raised in church,” she said. “Church has been part of my life, but to experience myself in Ministry… kind of opened my eyes on how much I can give with whatever I can to the church.”

Serving through music

Gabuyo’s passion and dedication to her faith is what led her to seminary, but what she brings the sanctuary is far more than just that. 

She graduated from the Conservatory of Music “A. Buzzolla” in Adria, Italy with a combined bachelor’s and master’s degree in flute performance. She also earned a diploma in voice/opera performance from the Claudio Abbado Civic Music School in Milan. 

“She just seems to have a real gift,” lifelong Staver Church member Richard Rote said. “Adding her voice to the congregation is just a real plus.”

Gabuyo’s life has been a “journey through music and church,” thanks to those who supported and encouraged her to use her musical settings in her worship, she said. “My parents were there to remind me that music is a gift and a talent from God and therefore I should be using it to serve the Lord.”’

Now, Gabuyo frequently uses her talents to worship and serve through her incorporation of music during a service. 

Gabuyo’s services are held Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. at Clarno Zion UMC and at 10:45 at Staver UMC.