Four sacred historic sites on Long Island have won a total of nearly $50,000 in grants to help repair, restore and preserve churches more than a century old, officials said.

The grants were awarded to congregations in Bay Shore, Amityville, Bellport and Huntington by the New York Landmarks Conservancy, a private nonprofit organization. They were among 16 grants totaling $321,000 awarded to 15 historic religious properties across the state.

The Long Island locations are Bay Shore United Methodist Church, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Amityville, Bellport United Methodist Church and Ketewamoke DAR Hall in Huntington, which was once the First Universalist Church.

Bay Shore Church will receive $16,000 to help fund the restoration of a tower, while Amityville Church will receive $15,000 to help replace cedar shingles throughout the complex. The Bellport Church will receive $14,000 to fund the restoration of a bell tower as well as project management costs.

Ketewamoke DAR Hall in Huntington will receive $4,000 to help fund masonry repointing as well as foundation, roof drainage and carpentry repairs.

Part of the conservation funding comes from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation, the group said.

“Our grants support the preservation of these iconic buildings, which are important anchors for their members and communities,” Preservation Chair Peg Breen said in a statement. “These 15 congregations reach nearly 140,000 people in their areas with programs that address food insecurity, addiction and social isolation, and serve as venues for important arts and cultural activities.

Places of worship must complete an application to apply for grants.

Bay Shore United Methodist Church includes an “1893 transitional Romanesque Revival and Queen Anne style church with an auditorium plan,” the conservancy said. The church helps about 3,000 people in addition to its regular members through activities including a weekly soup kitchen, two AA and NA groups, a Head Start program, a thrift store and Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, the conservancy said .

Pastor Daehyun (Daniel) Park said the church tower was damaged by a storm and the grant would help repair it.

“We prayed for the grant and thank God” that they received the money, Park said. “We are very grateful. This is a wonderful opportunity.

In Amityville, the grant helps fund the replacement of aging cedar shingles throughout the church complex, said Father Randolph Jon Geminder, longtime rector.

The grant, which will cover about a tenth of the cost of the project, is “a huge help and we are very grateful,” he said.

“The shingles actually protect the building and they were curling and splitting. They were very old,” he added. “It was necessary to protect the infrastructure of the building, but it also restores the appearance to how it must have been in 1888 when they finally completed the building.”

He said the church is “the keystone of the Amityville Village Historic District.”

The parish helps approximately 1,700 people in addition to its own members through activities such as the Amityville Women’s Club, Al-Anon, concerts and band rehearsals, an annual fish fry and guild teas. , said the conservation.

The Bellport United Methodist Church “was founded in 1850 and has been in its current building since 1945,” the conservancy said. “The wood-framed, gabled, Greek Revival “meeting house” style church is an excellent, well-preserved example of the mid-19th century wood-frame churches found throughout Long Island.

This church houses a preschool, thrift store, 12-step meetings, Boy Scout troops, dance and music classes and a quilting group, the conservancy said.

Huntington Hall was built as the first Universalist Society in 1837, the group said. The Ketewamoke Daughters of the American Revolution have used the building as a chapter house since 1914. The building is used for activities such as food drives, collections for the USMC Toys for Tots program, school supply collections, books and a scholarship program. .