In-Person and Livestreamed
Worship Service
First United Methodist Church of Naples
Sunday Service 10:15 am
~
21st Sunday after Pentecost
October 25, 2020
|
|
From the Pastor
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
For a church that has been limited in what it can do because of the pandemic, we sure have been active! Individual cards of encouragement went to our local police officers and fire fighters and now we are working on EMS workers. We have encouraged volunteers and staff at numerous organizations by bringing them our altar flowers. We have been actively “filling the table” as we feed hungry families in our neighborhood and put programs together to feed school children in the near future. We have had lots of “Zoom” online leadership business meetings. I am so proud of everyone for learning to do online Zoom meetings and grateful for Michael McKee who has been helping to teach those who have never done online meetings. Our numerous meetings went well this past month. Scroll down for an article about what we accomplished. Now it is time for a break from meetings!
We are even having Bible studies by Zoom, where you can join in even if you are still up north! Adam Hamilton’s “Unafraid” is an appropriate study for right now. Hope you’ll join the fun and grow your faith by scrolling down and signing up. It is not too late to join in.
This Sunday is a special day as we have 3 new members joining the church and another 7 people planning to join next month. If you think you might be interested in learning more about this for yourself, scroll down to the article on New Member Sunday. Next week is All Saints Sunday where we will honor and remember those people we loved (inside and outside of the church) who passed on to glory during the last 12-months. We will light a candle for each one, call out their name and remember them. We will pray for their families and friends who loved them. Send us their names, if you have not already.
Thanks to everyone who has been helping us to have holy and joyful services these last 3 weeks, both in-person and at home, online. Special thanks to all our ushers and greeters, guest pianist/organists, Scripture readers, acolytes and AV team. This week our guest organist/pianist, Oren Hollasch is returning. I hope you will continue to make him feel welcome. Judy Margrey will be our Acolyte, Vanessa Fletcher is our Scripture reader, and we appreciate the hard work of John Mayeux and Bill Parry in the AV room. Remember, RESERVATIONS ARE NO LONGER NECESSARY for attending worship services, until further notice. Scroll down for the link to watch the service, LIVE online Sunday.
Please continue to stay safe. COVID-19 is serious business. Wash your hands often, and show your neighbors you love them by socially distancing and wearing a mask.
I love you and pray for all of you. See you Sunday!
Blessings,
Pastor Nancy
|
|
Sunday's Online Worship Service
For online viewing, click the link below to get into our YouTube livestream service on Sunday morning. We go live with announcement slides at 10:05 and the actual worship service starting at 10:15.
If for some reason, the “LIVE” link below does not work on Sunday morning - Just go to www.youtube.com and in the Search box at the top of the page, type "First UMC Naples" and press enter. On the next screen go down about 4 or 5 topics and you will see "First UMC Naples - Full Sunday Service - 10 25 2020 - Rev Nancy Mayeux". Click on that title or the picture of our church to see the “live” broadcast.
If you miss the live broadcast, we will be sending out a link to watch the recorded version on Sunday afternoon. It takes YouTube a few hours to process the recorded version, so we can't send it until they complete the process. The link we send out Sunday afternoon can be used to watch the recorded version at any time in the future or you can send it to a friend you want to share our service with.
|
|
Life & Faith Lesson
Rev. Nancy Mayeux
What Are You Doing
With God's Grace?
Those of you who grew up with a sibling, probably remember fighting over a privilege or a toy, “It’s mine!” “No, it’s mine!” as some poor toy gets mutilated in a tug-of-war. Very often, it was a toy given lovingly by parents, for both children to share. It was not earned by either one, but was given with love so that each could enjoy it. Yet, righteous claims over whose it really was, destroyed any joy that could have come from sharing the toy. So it is with grown up things in life that are given by our heavenly parent. Everything we have comes from God: our health, our intelligence, our talents, our family, our wealth and toys, jobs, homes, beautiful creation and all that we have - most especially our salvation! They are all given to use through God’s grace. Yes, we played a part in having many of the earthly things in our lives, but only because God allowed for those things to come our way. They are really all God’s things. We can take credit for all of it, and leave God out of the picture, or hoard it all away never sharing and never trusting in God to provide for us when it is needed…..or we can recognize that we would have nothing at all were it not for God, and everything we have is of God. We can think about how God shared with us, like a loving parent, and we can also learn to share with others as God does. God’s grace is abundant. Is your grace abundant too, or does it look like the mutilated toy? We’ll explore more childhood memories on Sunday as we explore living with our heavenly parent. See you at 10:15!
|
|
Treasurer's Corner
A big THANK YOU to everyone who read my message last week and contributed something extra to help us get through this difficult pandemic, which has impacted us in so many ways, including our financial support. For those who missed it last week, we are republishing my message once again.
_______________________
We are open! We recently held our first in-person service, following a six-month closure brought to us by Covid-19. We are now livestreaming (broadcasting) our services for those of you who are participating from the safety of your living rooms. Some of you have yet to make your annual migration from your northern homes, while others are waiting for the “numbers” to drop further. Either way, we are here for you and we will welcome you when you come.
Throughout the closure we have reduced costs to the “bare bones” while the church staff and a few volunteers kept the church functioning. However, much of our operating costs are “fixed” which means that they go on even if the church sanctuary is empty. Last year, we were feeling our normal spring pinch and we asked you for help. During June and July, everyone contributed extra, which set us up for one of the best years we have had in recent times. This year we decided against a special appeal because a lot of you had your own financial problems caused by the pandemic. Had we realized that the pandemic was going to go on and on and on, we might have chosen a difference course. The last several months, donations have fallen to the point where we are more than $100,000 behind last year, and we risk being unable to meet our commitments.
During the year, we applied for and received a loan from the Payroll Protection Plan (PPP). These funds were used to pay our employees for eight weeks during the summer. It is our intention to apply for forgiveness under this program during the next 30 days, but it is unlikely that any of this will arrive before the end of the year.
The bottom line is that we need your help now. Please consider your financial situation and your contributions to your church so far this year and give what you can. You can send a check or click the Online Giving button and follow the instructions or give on Sunday if you are coming to our in-person service. Questions about anything? (203)556-2919 will reach my cell phone and get you an answer or the promise that I will get you an answer.
God Bless you and your Family.
Jeff Currier, Your Treasurer
|
|
Last Sunday's Service
Did you miss worship last week? Click on the link below to view the video of last week's complete online service, with a sermon entitled Speak Lord, Your Servant Is Listening based on 1 Samuel 3:1-10 . Also enjoy beautiful music by Oren Hollasch, Guest Organist/Pianist playing There Is a Happy Land as Music for Meditation. Oren also played our Prelude and Postlude.
|
|
“Unafraid” Online
Bible Study
It’s Not Too Late to Jump In
Sign up now!
Fear. Worry. Anxiety. How do we deal with it? How can we practically live unafraid? You are invited to join us for an online Bible study, Unafraid: Living With Courage and Hope in Uncertain Times. In this five-week book and video-based study, United Methodist Pastor and best-selling author, Adam Hamilton, provides an informed and inspiring message full of practical solutions for dealing with fear. The sessions will feature the latest research, therapeutic insights, Biblical principles and personal experience to untangle the knots of fear and truly embrace Jesus’ prevalent counsel in scripture: “Do not be afraid.”
The study will meet online via Zoom for five consecutive weeks from 6:30-7:30 pm starting on Wednesday, October 21 and ending on November 18. Zoom is an online video-conferencing tool which enables us to meet together online. If you have not used Zoom or have been a part of an online Bible study before, we want to help so you can be a part of this study! One of our church members, Michael McKee, will be guiding participants through Zoom training as needed. To register for the study, please contact Vanessa Fletcher, the study facilitator, at [email protected] or 954-850-2343. The curriculum required for the study is the book, Unafraid: Living With Courage and Hope in Uncertain Times, by Adam Hamilton. The book is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and ChristianBook.com ranging from $13-26. Join us to grow in faith and connect with church family online!
|
|
A Rose Bud for Barbara
The white rosebud on the altar Sunday will be in memory of Barbara Ann Vickers who passed away, last week, on October 18th. Barbara, and her husband John, both sang in the choir and were active members of our church until moving to Cape Coral a couple of years ago. She was loved by everyone here and in her church in Fort Myers, where she will be greatly missed. Please keep her family, especially John, in your prayers. A service will be scheduled at a future date in Fort Myers. Click below to view Barbara’s obituary.
|
|
This Sunday is New Member Sunday!
If you like what is happening at First United Methodist Church, and are thinking you might like to formally become a member of this congregation, I’d love to talk with you about this! Sunday, we will celebrate “New Member Sunday” receiving 3 new members into the congregation. Of course, they would have always been a part of this church family simply by attending (online or in-person) and supporting the church and its programs in some way – but they made the decision to make a more formal commitment and officially become a member. Sunday morning, Vanessa Fletcher will be transferring her membership here from North Naples UMC. Thelma and Alvin Johnson will be joining, from another denomination, through profession of faith. You all know Vanessa as our Director of Discipleship. Thelma and Alvin often attended in-person, before the pandemic, and then online, after our physical doors closed. We are excited they are joining us. Next week, we’ll have photos from the ceremony, and I will tell you more about who they are! If you would like to know more about what it means to be a member here, or what Methodists believe, I would be happy to meet with you (at the church with masks on, online or by phone.) Just call or email me and we can set that up. Hopefully, that will answer some of your questions and help you to make your decision. [email protected]
|
|
Meetings, Meetings, Meetings! “Thank You” for Attending.
For seven months, we did not gather for business meetings, basically putting things on hold, except for our missional ministries and our “Reopening Team” meetings. During the last month, we made up for that by gathering online for many business meetings. SPRC made decisions as a group prior to our Charge Conference, as did Trustees, this past week. The Endowment Team gathered via Zoom to produce new guidelines for the Endowment fund. The Finance Team met via Zoom to see where we are financially, plan for our immediate situation and explore options for the future. They voted unanimously to endorse the Endowment Team’s proposal and compensation plans submitted by SPRC. The Leadership Team also met via Zoom to vote on proposals from SPRC, the Endowment Team, and the Nominations Team (all unanimous). They also approved all the paperwork we submitted to the Charge Conference, including pastor’s annual compensation package, our leaders for first quarter of 2021, inactive members who will be removed, nominations for District positions, and our support of candidates for Certified Lay Servants. All of this was ratified at our annual “Charge Conference” where the Leadership Councils of several churches in our district gathered with our District Superintendent to vote on these issues (each voting individually for our own churches) and a separate “Church Conference” where all full members of the church could vote on adopting new guidelines for our Endowment fund.
Some notable results:
- Everything was voted on unanimously.
- All meetings were via Zoom, online. This was a great accomplishment.
- Almost all present leaders have agreed to stay on through the end of first quarter (March). This gives the Nominations Team more time to interview and propose a new slate of leaders, after 7 months of limited activity. Let us know if there is an area in which you feel gifted and called lead and serve!
- We have new official guidelines for our Endowment.
-
We have approved two candidates from our church to become “Certified Lay Servants” – Cecil Nance and Vanessa Fletcher. They have each taken 4 full days of classes including a basic course and an advanced class in preaching. They must now still be approved by the District Superintendent and the District Committee on Lay Servants, and they will be official! We are almost there.
Thank you to everyone for taking the time to attend all these meetings. It was a time of “catch-up” on many issues, since we had limited activity for so long. We made important decisions. Thanks to Michael McKee for helping so many of us navigate this new way of meeting, online, via Zoom. We will NOT automatically have monthly meetings going forward, for each of our teams. Instead we will only meet if there is a subject that needs to be voted on that requires discussion. Information and reports can be shared via email and some votes can take place via email.
|
|
November 1st is All Saints Sunday
The first Sunday of November, we celebrate All Saints Day. We will be remembering those from our congregation who have passed away in the last year. We are asking you to submit names of people you knew and cared about, from outside of the congregation, who passed away this year, so they may also be included with the church members. We will be honoring and remembering those saints who have gone on before us from Nov 3, 2019 to Nov 1, 2020. In our ceremony, a candle will be lit for each one as their names are called out. Additionally, we will light one large candle to represent our many loved ones who passed away prior to Nov 3, 2019. Please provide us with the names of those you would like included in the ceremony next Sunday. We will need the saint’s full name, your name and your phone number in case we have a question. Please send to Pastor Nancy at [email protected] NOTE: This is a change. Previously, names were to be sent to Vanessa Fletcher, but she will be on vacation that week, and we don’t want your loved one’s name to fall through the cracks.
|
|
Are We Missing Anyone?
These are the names we have so far that will be included in the candle-lighting ceremony next week. If there is anyone else, we should include, please let us know!
|
|
Altar Flower Ministry
Flowers are given this Sunday by Betty Brownson in honor of her grandson going into the Navy Seals.
After worship, the flowers will be donated to Grace Place, to encourage and brighten the week for staff and volunteers. This is one of the two organizations distributing our food donations to feed hungry families, but Grace Place’s food pantry is just a small part of all they do! Next week, we’ll tell you more about this amazing organization and all the ministries they do.
|
|
“Fill the Table” Food Ministry
Food Can Now Be Brought in on Sundays
Thank you for “filling the table” to feed hungry families during this pandemic. Food can now be brought in on Sundays for those who are worshiping in-person. There will be collection boxes outside the sanctuary door as you arrive. Of course, you can continue to bring food on Tuesdays from 12-2 and Thursdays from 4-6. Monetary donations can be made any time online, or by mail.
|
|
November/December Upper Room
Daily Devotional Has Arrived!
The newest edition of the Upper Room, in both small and large print, has arrived. You can pick up a copy in the church office on Tuesdays from 12-2 pm or Thursdays from 4-6pm. They will be on the reception desk counter. You can make a small donation, with your regular offering, to cover our cost to provide this inspiring publication.
|
|
Need Technical Help Getting into an
Online Church Meeting or Bible Study?
During the pandemic, the safest way to attend Bible study or a church meeting is to do it virtually, online. Our church is using Zoom, where you can see each other’s faces by video on your screen. It is the closest thing to being there, and guess what? You don’t have to wear a mask and you can do it right from your living room! If you want some help or free training, then Michael McKee, a tech expert and also a church member, is ready and waiting to help you over the phone, so you still stay safe! He will patiently walk you through it if you’ve never done this before. Just email him or give him a call: Phone: 239-298-3089 or Email: [email protected]
|
|
PLEASE PRAY!
Our awesome God wants to hear from you! Please pray for everyone impacted in some way by COVID-19, fires out west, the hurricanes that have made landfall this season, and those impacted by racism. Pray for those who are isolated in long-term living facilities and for all those who are risking their lives in medical facilities, as first responders, and in the military. Pray also for our sister church in Cuba.
|
|
Urgent Prayer Requests
From our FUMC Church Family
We want to remind you that this section is for “urgent” prayer concerns only: (in the hospital, on Hospice, recovering from COVID-19, recovering from a surgery, receiving radiation or chemotherapy, recent deaths, etc.) If you have a private prayer that you do not want published below, just email me and I will pray for that person and that need privately: [email protected].
-
Felix and Ebby Miranda and 4 daughters (friends of our church)
-
Trenton Rocco (friend of several church members)
-
Sharon Griffith (Jeff Currier's sister)
-
Bob Willard (Brother of Betty Jaekle)
-
Amelie Rider (Attender)
-
Margaret Lofgren (Member)
-
Sheila Strenkert (Karen Carr’s cousin)
-
Jess Rynders (Ashley Garner’s friend)
- All the unspoken requests and needs of our congregation and their loved ones.
Also, Please Pray for…
Our pastor, our church, our bishop, our district superintendent, the community, our country and its leaders, police, fire fighters and other first responders, the sick, our homebound, our MDS preschool children, teachers and parents, our children, youth and college students who have begun classes, and those in military service.
|
|
OFFICE HOURS
Office open by appointment only. Please call to schedule an appointment or let us know if you need us. We will be checking messages regularly.
|
|
First United Methodist Church of Naples
388 1st Ave S.
Naples, FL 34102
(239) 262-1033
|
|
|
|
|
|
|