From the Pastor’s Desk

From The Pastor

Last Sunday, I shared a picture of my family sitting together in church, and I received quite a few questions afterward: “Was that really your family?”

Yes... it was!

The picture was pieced together from several different photographs of my mom and dad, my sister, and me from a looooong time ago. While we were never actually sitting together in that exact photograph, seeing us together like that brought back some wonderful memories of the church where so much of my faith story began. It also helped tell the story behind Week 1 of The Altogether Christian as we considered what it means to love God with all our heart.



This week, I’m writing to you from Kansas City, Missouri, where I am attending the Leadership Institute at the Church of the Resurrection. It’s been a full few days of learning, listening, worshiping, and gathering ideas I’m excited to bring home with me to First Church.

And I’ll be home Sunday as we continue The Altogether Christian with Week 2: With All Your Soul.

What exactly do we mean when we talk about our soul? Is it some spiritual piece of us tucked away inside our bodies—or does Scripture give us a much bigger picture?



From the breath of God in Genesis to the deep thirst of Psalm 42 to Mary declaring, “My soul magnifies the Lord,” we’ll discover a soul breathed into life by God, longing for God, and able to make God visible through the way we live.

The almost Christian admires the Lord.

The altogether Christian magnifies the Lord.

I look forward to worshiping with you on Sunday!

Pastor Scott

This Sunday’s Prelude, “Breathe on Me, Breath of God” was written by Edwin Hatch in 1878, and at its heart, it’s a simple prayer asking God to breathe His life and Spirit into us. That connects beautifully with Sunday’s scriptures. In Genesis, we’re reminded that God breathed life into us; in Psalm 42, we hear the deep longing of a soul that thirsts for God; and in Luke 1, Mary responds to God with a heart full of praise. This hymn invites us to do the same—to come before God with all our soul and simply ask Him to breathe new life into us.

MDS Weekly Update

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VPK Learning Fun! 

Building, Creating & Learning in VPK!

This week in Ms. Angela and Ms. Audrey’s VPK class, our young learners explored the exciting world of architecture and building! They experimented with blocks, magnetic tiles, LEGOs, and Play-Doh while learning about different shapes, sizes, structures, and what goes into building a house. The children took on a building structure challenge using pictures, toys, and measuring tools. They also explored the oval shape and practiced counting and comparing sizes. In literacy, the letter of the week was L! The children practiced building sentences, identifying how many words are in a sentence, and listening for ending sounds in words. They also focused on the number 4 through hands-on activities. Some of their favorite books this week included When I Build with Blocks, If I Built a House, Iggy Peck, Architect, Architecture Shapes, and Look at That Building!

It was a wonderful week of building, problem-solving, language, math, and creativity!

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A Week of Learning in Mrs. Ledbetter’s Class! 

Learning & Growing in Mrs. Ledbetter’s Class!

This week, our three-year-olds had fun reviewing their letters A, B, and C and numbers 0, 1, 2, and 3! Bingo was a fun way to practice number recognition while learning through play. The children also worked on their fine motor skills with lots of cutting practice. They enjoyed a fun Three Little Pigs story and created adorable pig artwork while practicing story sequencing and recalling what happened first, next, and last.

It was a fun week filled with learning, creativity, and hands-on activities!  

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Colorful Fun in Ms. Margie’s Two-Year-Old Class! 

All About Apples in Ms. Margie’s Class!

This week was all about apples in Ms. Margie’s class! Our little learners had so much fun creating tissue paper apples and making adorable apple print art. They also enjoyed reading their favorite book, Apples on Top!

Apple tasting was a big hit, too! The children had fun trying different apples and discovering that red apples were their favorite!

It was a fun-filled week of learning, creating, tasting, and celebrating apples!

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Friendship Fun in Ms. Evie’s Toddler Classroom! 

Learning Through Play in Ms. Evie’s Toddler Class!

This week in Ms. Evie’s toddler class, they focused on building fine motor skills through fun, hands-on activities! The children practiced peeling and placing stickers along lines, strengthening those little fingers and hand-eye coordination. Water pouring was a splashy favorite, and everyone loved popping bubbles! They played Simon Says to practice listening and following directions, enjoyed music and movement, and had a fun visit to the library.

It was a wonderful week filled with learning, exploring, and lots of smiles! 

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Friendship Fun in Ms. Miha's Class! 

A Fun Week in Ms. Miha’s Toddler Class!

Our toddlers had a busy week filled with hands-on learning and fun! They worked on fine motor skills with a fun sticker activity, carefully peeling and placing stickers along the lines. Water pouring gave them a chance to practice coordination while having some splashy fun! The children also enjoyed bubbles, music and movement, and a lively game of Simon Says as they practiced listening and following directions. A visit to the library added even more opportunities to explore and enjoy books together.

What a wonderful week of learning, playing, and growing together! 

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Soccer Shots!

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Meal Packing at Meals of Hope

September 24, 2026

We want to wish a very Happy Birthday to our District Superintendent in Cuba, Yanel “Pepe” Miranda!

Pepe’s faithful leadership, dedication, and love for the church continue to be a blessing to the churches and communities he serves.

Please join us in celebrating Pepe today and in praying that God will bless him with joy, strength, good health, and many more years of faithful ministry.

¡Feliz cumpleaños, Pepe! 🎉🎂

May God richly bless you today and throughout the year ahead.

UMW Luncheon September 15, 2026 at Ridgway

UMW kicked off the new season with a lunch gathering at Ridgway. Everyone enjoyed catching up. The next meeting will be October 6, 2026 at 10am in the Parlor.

Every week, you can donate altar flowers for our Sunday worship and dedicate them to the memory of someone who was special to you or to honor someone who presently needs recognition! The cost is $40. You can arrange to purchase flowers for a dedication by signing up in the church lobby or by sending an email to Karen in the church office. You can either pick up your flowers after church or donate them to an organization in our community, bringing a ray of sunshine to workers and volunteers.

There are many open dates to donate flowers!

See the signup sheets in the foyer.

Thank you to Ken and Kay Craynon for faithfully delivering flowers to Physician's Regional Hopsital.

Volunteers!

At First United Methodist Church, we invite you to become a cherished part of our vibrant community by volunteering for our Sunday worship services. We are all called into service to God and have unique talents and gifts that can help create a truly special worship experience, as many hands working together bring our services to life. Each week, we have individuals read scriptures, light candles, take up the offering, and greet attendees. Additionally, we hold monthly communion and anointing services, where your support is invaluable. We would be thrilled to have you join our team and contribute to the uplifting moments that connect and inspire our community. Please get in touch with Pastor Scott or Judy Margrey if you would like to be a part of this team.

Come be part of our team of greeters, ushers, acolytes, and scripture readers. Eileen Hung and Tyler Castrillo bring the light of Jesus into the worship service. 

Please let us know if you or a loved one is in the hospital so Pastor Scott can visit and pray with you and your family.

We are always in prayer for our church family, those around the world living in poverty, our leaders, and our country. Please join us in prayer.

Prayer Requests

From our FUMC Church Family



Intercessory prayer is a blessing God has given us to pray for others. If you have a prayer request for someone that we can pray for specifically, or even if you have a private prayer that you do not want published below, email us and we will pray for that person and that need privately: pastor@fumcnaples.org

• Charlotte Schrand (MDS 2 year class member)
• Charles Atwood (member)
• Paul Breelke (brother of Lynda Hurd)
• Mark Humphries (son of Jean Humphries)
• Paul Peterson (friend of Tom Bach)
• Ingo Zacher (cousin of Wendy McKee)
• Mark A. Frederick (Barrie Conley's son)
• Mason Gomez (US Army deployment; son of one of our vendors)
• Tom Bower (friend of Amy Ehler)
• Jody Woods (friend of Amy and Pastor Scott)
• Devyn Morones (daughter of Amy and Pastor Scott)
• Sharon Caliguri (friend of Amy and Pastor Scott)
• Emma Wolf (friend of Amy and Pastor Scott)
• Christine Ortega (friend of Karen LaCorte)
• Mary Lou Riccio (member)
• Claire Mac Turk (daughter in law of John & Mary Lou Riccio)
• George Japak (Mark Japak's brother)
• Gene Eenigenburg (friend of Norine Tempelman)
• Gail Svensson (friend of Norine Tempelman)
• Jean Miller (daughter of David and Dottie Brennan)
• Kaitlyn Mann (daughter of David and Dottie Brennan)
• Charles Atwood (member)
• Joseph Courtez (father of Courtney Williams)
• Jill Stephen (mother of Brooke Stephen)
• Jean Smith (friend of Marie Evans)
• Ron ReBell (brother of Marie Evans)
• Elena Lerdon
• Maria Cedillo Toma
• Will Carpenter (brother-in-law of Al Johnson)
• Evelyn Johnson (sister-in-law of Al Johnson)
• Rosa Fogle (family of Thelma and Al Johnson)
• Cathy (friend of Gina Holsinger)
• Chiharu Grossman (daughter-in-law of Debbie Grossman)
• Peace in our country
• Jake Powell
• John Mayeux (former member)
• Christy Gifford (niece of Judy Margrey)
• Marilyn Kaye
• Teresa Toma Manoquin
• Nicole McNamara
• Susan Tarantino (friend of Pam Kennedy)
• Family of Lisa Rich Eastman (bereavement)
• Slavka Pehar (friend of Pat Hamann)
• Jessica Rich (friend of Pat Hamann)
• Ross (cancer)
• Julia Barnard
• Paul Burfoot (son-in-law of Lee Kraus)
• Emily Cundra (granddaughter of Gail Jaworsky)
• Jane Briscoe (daughter of Betsy Ard)
• Chris and Christine Grimshaw (members)
• LeeAnne Merrifield (daughter of Jim Merrifield)
• Family of Valya Staruchin, Januk, Orysia, and family, Irina and family (three families of the Jaworsky's in Ukraine)
• All the many unspoken requests and needs of our congregation and their loved ones.

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We are available to you! Our church office is open Monday-Friday, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. After hours, for pastoral emergencies, call the office, and you will hear how to contact Pastor Scott, who will respond to all pastoral emergencies. 

Call the church office: (239) 262-1033

Please email us: admin@fumcnaples.org or

Mail contributions to:

First United Methodist Church, 388 First Ave S, Naples, FL 34102