From the Pastor’s Desk

Dear Church Family

Grace and peace to you as we journey together through this sacred season.



Last Sunday was a beautiful time of worship and community. We give thanks for the joy of welcoming Diane Jedlinski into membership—what a blessing it is to grow together in faith and fellowship!

Diane Jedlinski with her supporting fellow sopranos

Gail MacKenzie brings us the Word of God

As we continue through Holy Week, we invite you to journey with us to the cross at our Maundy Thursday service, a sacred time to remember the Last Supper and Christ’s commandment to love one another. We will also gather for our Good Friday service, a meaningful time of reflection on Christ’s sacrifice and love. Both services start at 5:30 pm

Sunday, we celebrate the glorious resurrection of Easter morning! Come prepared for a joyful and spirit-filled service as we gather to worship our risen Savior. We will share in baptism and communion, be uplifted by our bell choir and special music, and celebrate the new life we have in Christ.

We also invite you to participate in our Flowering Cross tradition—please bring flowers to help transform the cross into a beautiful symbol of resurrection and hope.

Additionally, we are excited to share an opportunity for a special trip to England, where we will trace John Wesley's steps and deepen our understanding of our faith heritage. Click the button below to see more details!

Let us come together with hearts full of gratitude and expectation as we proclaim: He is risen!

We look forward to worshiping with you.

In Christ’s love,



Pastor Scott

The music of Holy Week draws the church into one of the most solemn and reflective times of the year. On Maundy Thursday, the service takes on an intimate and reverent tone as we remember Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples, with the choir offering Is It I, Lord? as a prayerful moment of reflection. Good Friday deepens that stillness and sense of grief through musical responses that bear witness to the weight of the cross and the depth of Christ’s sacrifice. Yet even in the silence and darkness, the music gently turns our hearts toward Easter morning, when sorrow gives way to joy and resurrection hope breaks through. We will rejoice as our handbell choir rings Christ the Lord Is Risen Today, the choir sings the anthem The Resurrection and the Life, and the offertory, The Nightingale, features a flute duet with Steve and Elizabeth Parker. We conclude the Easter celebration with our closing hymn, Thine Be the Glory, lifting our voices in a final, triumphant proclamation of the risen Christ. Don’t rush out—the postlude will send us forth with joy, carrying the celebration into the world.

MDS Weekly Update

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Ms. Evie’s Toddler Class:

It was a joyful and exciting week in Ms. Evie’s class as they celebrated all things, Easter!

The children had a wonderful time getting creative by making Easter bunnies and decorating them during art. They also practiced early learning skills by sorting and counting Easter eggs in the classroom.

Throughout the week, they sang fun Easter songs and enjoyed reading lots of Easter stories, which the children loved! To end their week, they had a very special Easter egg hunt and celebration, where the families joined in the fun.

It was such a memorable experience for everyone! It was a fantastic week full of learning, creativity, and celebration. 

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Ms. Margie’s Two-Year Class:

This week the class had so much fun exploring the exciting world of bugs!

They kicked off their week by creating adorable footprint ladybugs, turning tiny feet into cute little critters. The children also enjoyed making fun bee headbands, buzzing around the classroom with big smiles.

On Wednesday, they focused on butterflies. The class made beautiful, colorful coffee filter butterflies, using their creativity to design unique patterns. They read the beloved story, “The Very Hungry Caterpilliar, which was a big hit! After the story, the children created their own egg carton caterpillars, bringing the story to life.

Another favorite activity was making fingerprint bug puppets. The children loved using paint to create tiny bugs and then turning them into playful puppets for imaginative fun. It was a joyful and engaging week full of hands-on learning, creativity, and discovery.

They had so much fun learning all about bugs!

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Mrs. Ledbetter’s Three-Year Class:

This week the class was full of learning and fun!

The letter of the week was X. The children worked hard on recognizing the letter X and practiced writing it through a variety of engaging activities. They also explored numerical order, practicing “what comes next” with numbers through fun, interactive learning experiences.

On Wednesday, the class enjoyed a special field trip to the library, where they enjoyed walking together and Ms. Jenn’s story time.

On Thursday, the class had an exciting egg hunt, which brought lots of smiles and laughter.

It was truly a wonderful week of learning, exploration, and fun. 

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Ms. Angela & Ms. Audrey’s VPK Class:

It was another fun and engaging week in VPK!

This week, the children reviewed all the letters A through Z, with a special focus on letter X. They practiced in a variety of hands-on activities to help them recognize and practice this letter.

In math, they reviewed numbers 1 though 30, and the children enjoyed working on a variety of number activities to strengthen their counting and number recognition skills. They also continued their beginning sound review, helping students build their early reading skills. In addition, the class was introduced to simple addition, and the children did an excellent job getting started on this new concept!

During literacy time, the class worked on nursery rhymes, focusing on the onset and rhyme activities to support phonological awareness.

To wrap up the week, they had a wonderful Easter egg hunt and classroom celebration.

It was a fun and productive week of learning in VPK!

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Special Visitor for MDS:

Officer Perry with the City of Naples Police Department came to visit us, along with Max, a Crisis Care K-9 and emotional support dog.

The children were thrilled to meet Max and learn about the important work he does. Officer Perry showed the children some of the amazing tricks Max could do, and the children loved watching him in action!

They also had the opportunity to pet Max and give hugs. This was such a fun and meaningful experience for the children, helping them learn about community helpers while enjoying a special visit from a very gentle and friendly dog.

We are so grateful for this wonderful experience! 

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Save the Date

MDS Spaghetti Dinner

&

Art Showcase

Friday, April 10^th @ 5:00pm

Come and enjoy dinner with your friends and see the MDS children’s artwork on display. We can’t wait to see you there! 😊

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Brunch Bunch

Save the Date!!

Our Brunch Bunch is heading out again, and you’re invited!

Join us on Sunday, April 12, right after worship, as we gather for food, fellowship, and plenty of laughter at Rebecca's (2955 Bayshore Drive, Naples).

This is a great opportunity to connect, meet new friends, and enjoy time together outside of Sunday morning. Whether you’ve come before or this is your first time, there’s always room at the table.

Sign up at the welcome center - come hungry and ready for good company!



Hope to see you there!

A Huge Thank You for Packing Meals of Hope!

We want to extend a warm and heartfelt thank you to every person who came out and helped pack meals for Meals of Hope last Thursday. Your energy, enthusiasm, and willingness to serve truly made a difference.

It was a joy to watch our church family come together, work side-by-side, and accomplish something so meaningful. Thanks to your dedication, we were able to pack a significant number of meals that will provide nourishment and comfort to families in need in our community.

Your act of service is a beautiful expression of Christ’s love in action. It’s times like these that truly show the heart of our church, demonstrating compassion and generosity in tangible ways. The joy and camaraderie that filled the room were inspiring, and the positive impact you've had on our community will be felt for a long time.

We are so incredibly blessed to have such a supportive, service-minded church family.

Thank you, once again, for your time, your hard work, and your willingness to make a difference.

We are grateful to share a meaningful update from our ministry partners in Cuba.

Vincent sends his blessings and shares encouraging news about the ongoing growth of the church. Recently, 68 brothers gathered—an inspiring sign of God’s work and faithfulness in their community. We celebrate this growth and the lives being impacted through their ministry.



Vincent also provided an update on his transportation needs. He has faithfully entrusted $2,500 to the Superintendent to buy a motorcycle, which will significantly support his ministry efforts. The motorcycle has arrived in Havana; however, due to ongoing fuel shortages, it has not yet been delivered over the past two months. We ask for your prayers that this situation will be resolved soon so Vincent can continue his work more effectively.

Thank you for your ongoing prayers, encouragement, and support. God is working in powerful ways, even amid challenges.

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 & Kay Craynon for faithfully delivering flowers to Habitat for Humanity.

Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope.

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. Tyler Castrillo and Judy Margrey 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

• Rob Pleban (member)
• Jean Miller (daughter of David and Dottie Brennan)
• Kaitlyn Mann (daughter of David and Dottie Brennan)
• George Japak (Mark Japak's brother)
• Jean Smith (friend of Marie Evans)
• Bruce Cameron's family (brother-in-law of Chris Butlak)
• Elena Lerdon
• Ron ReBell (brother of Marie Evans)
• Maria Cedillo Toma
• Will Carpenter (brother-in-law of Al Johnson)
• Cathy (friend of Gina Holsinger)
• Loren Galarneau (daughter of Margie Veratti)
• Chiharu Grossman (daughter-in-law of Debbie Grossman)
• Peace in our country
• Jake Powell
• John Mayeux (former member)
• Gail Buckles (sister of Gwen Pleban)
• Christy Gifford (niece of Judy Margrey)
• Marilyn Kaye
• Jupiter Lee (MDS student)
• Teresa Toma Manoquin
• Nicole McNamara
• Susan Tarantino (friend of Pam Kennedy)
• Slavka Pehar (friend of Pat Hamann)
• Jessica Rich (friend of Pat Hamann)
• Ross (cancer)
• Ina Gassett (friend of Norine Tempelman)
• Julia Barnard
• Brad Wood (member)
• Jean Humphries (member)
• Paul Burfoot (son-in-law of Lee Kraus)
• Mary Bach (sister of Tom Bach)
• Emily Cundra (granddaughter of Gail Jaworsky)
• Adrian Hill (friend of the Bach Family)
• Jane Briscoe (daughter of Betsy Ard)
• Lynette Backiewicz (friend of Karen Parry)
• Michael DiGaetono (friend of John Riccio)
• Chris and Christine Grimshaw (members)
• Evelyn Johnson (sister-in-law of Al Johnson)
• 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)
• Rosa Fogle (family of Thelma and Al Johnson)
• All the many unspoken requests and needs of our congregation and their loved ones.

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• The Florida Conference
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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