In-Person and Livestreamed
Worship Service
First United Methodist Church of Naples
Sunday Service 10:15 am
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2nd Sunday after the Epiphany
January 16, 2022
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From the Pastor
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
I pray that you are all staying safe and making every effort to do so. Please keep everyone in prayer who has been infected with COVID and those impacted by it. In particular, please pray for our healthcare workers and first responders, many of whom have been infected. Pray for our children in school. For now, we are continuing with ““strongly recommending” mask-wearing by everyone, and “requiring masks” for those who are unvaccinated, while in worship. We do this to love our neighbor and keep everyone safe. If you are uncomfortable coming to church, you may wish to sit in our “Comfort Zone” where everyone will be wearing a mask (entire East section of sanctuary seating.) Please scroll down to see more about our COVID guidelines.
Many thanks again for your support of this church and its ministries, through prayer, financial support and participation in its ministries through your gifts and talents. You are loved and appreciated.
Please be sure to scroll down to our prayer list near the end of this Eblast. There are many needs in our faith community and your continued prayers are needed!
I look forward to seeing you Sunday!
Love and Blessings,
Pastor Nancy
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IMPORTANT NOTICE!
We have learned that many of you are only getting HALF of your Eblast! You are missing important news and photos, because Gmail and some other email programs are sometimes cutting off the bottom half! This is especially true when we have a very full Eblast with lots of photos. Most of you don’t even know that has happened. How can you know??? After you reach what looks like the end, you may see a little note down at the bottom that says something like: “Click here to view all” or “Click here to continue.” If you don’t click there, you will miss important things, especially our Prayer List, which is down near the bottom. If you read the Eblast and don’t see the Prayer List, then you KNOW you’ve been cut off. Just look for that note & link at the end and click on it to see all that you are missing!
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This Sunday's Online Worship Service
If you aren’t able to make it to in-person worship on Sundays, you can watch it online “live” at 10:15 am or you can watch the “recorded” version anytime that is convenient for you by clicking on the box below. We generally start showing announcement slides at 10:05 as people are coming into the sanctuary and then the actual worship service starts at 10:15.
You can also find this link by going to our web page, our Facebook page, or directly to www.youtube.com In the Search box at the top of the YouTube page, type "First UMC Naples" and press enter. On the next screen go down until you see "First UMC Naples - Sunday Worship - Rev Nancy Mayeux - 01 16 2022". Click on that title, or the picture next to it, to see the “live” broadcast.
Blessings as you watch and participate. Be sure to share the link for live or recorded versions of our service with your friends and family, so they can join you in worship!
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Life & Faith Lesson
Rev Nancy Mayeux
“I am the church!
You are the church!
We are the church together!”
Some of you have surely wondered, “Why do I need to get up early, get dressed and drive to church when I can watch a service on-line or even watch the recorded version later on and just sleep in on Sunday mornings?” It’s because “church” is a whole lot more than listening to a sermon and hearing beautiful music. You’d be missing the “community.” As God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit (each member of the Trinity, in community with the others) we too are made for community. I understand that this pandemic creates unusual circumstances. It is hard to be true community during COVID and some people are not attending in-person because they just don’t feel safe at this time. I am with you on that and understand completely. COVID has taught us that we can find other ways to “be community” even when we are not physically together, such as sending out cards, calling each other and praying for one another. We just need to make that decision to be part of this “family” in some way. Someday, when COVID relaxes its grip on us, we will be able to do more together.
Secular studies show that people are healthier, happier and live longer when they are in community with one another. When it comes to growing spiritually, some people say that they can go it alone and don’t need a church, but that is a hard thing to do without a community of others who are holding you accountable, helping you grow, needing you to serve, challenging you to care for others, praying with and for you, encouraging you and giving structure to your Christian life. Churches are families caring for and supporting one another in this way. The Greek word in the New Testament for this is “koinonia” which means “communion” or “sharing”. We, more often, call it “fellowship.” We can all agree that today’s churches are certainly imperfect, and have a lot to learn from the very early church communities that formed after Pentecost. However, it is here, in community, in church (online or in-person), together with others, where you will learn that God wants you to be an agent of light and life and love that gives people hope, not only for a life to come, but also for this life.
Come Sunday to learn more about how these words of the Apostle’s Creed impact your life: I believe in…the holy catholic church, the communion of saints… What does it mean, that the church is “holy” or “catholic” (not Roman Catholic with a capital “C”)? Who are the saints the creed speaks of? Some of the answers may surprise you! See you at 10:15am on Sunday, either in-person or livestreamed on YouTube. You can always join us through the recorded version.
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Masks Strongly Recommended
COVID Safety Guidelines
For FUMC Worship
We continue to monitor the positivity rate and increasing number of COVID cases in Collier County. Of course, it is much worse in the rest of Florida, around the country and the world. The highly contagious Omicron spreads among even those who are fully vaccinated and boosted. We have several of our church family who were not hospitalized but had to quarantine at home with COVID in the last couple of weeks, though they did not get it at church.
We are hoping not to mandate masks again in worship, but will be ready to respond to make things safer for our congregation. For now, PLEASE wear a mask during the less than one hour you will spend in in-person worship. If you are “unvaccinated” we are requiring masks be worn in our worship service. You are on the honor system. If you are extra concerned about those sitting around you (even with social distancing), the entire East section of the sanctuary seating is now a “Comfort Zone” where everyone sitting there is required to wear a mask. Perhaps those who have been afraid to come to worship might consider coming back and sitting in that section?
We will continue to do social distancing, and we will continue to sing. We are sitting with one row empty between you and your neighbor, and six feet between family groups in a row. Please sit where the ushers ask you to sit. If we fill up too much, we may open the balcony. We are doing staggered departures so that people do not bunch up in the aisle or narthex (lobby), too close to each other, as they are exiting. Please do not leave until an usher has excused your row. Our goal is to love our neighbor and keep everyone as safe as possible in worship. We hope you are doing your best to show love to your neighbor by getting vaccinated and wearing a mask.
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How Can You Support the Ministries of This Church?
Thank you once again for your faithful financial support of your church. Please remember that your financial giving is a form of worship. Your gifts allow us to help people to know Jesus, to grow in their faith and to serve Him as we help those in need.
End-of-year financial statements will be going out soon.
Donations may be brought to worship on Sunday or mailed to:
First United Methodist Church of Naples
388 First Avenue South
Naples, FL 34102
OR you can click on the box below to make an online donation.
If you have any questions regarding the finances of this church, please send an email to our Treasurer, Jeffrey Currier: jeffreylcurrier@gmail.com
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Altar Flower Dedication
This Sunday, we have two altar flower arrangements and dedications:
One arrangement is given by Julie Lang in loving memory of her mother, Norma Clark, who recently passed away. This is to make up for her previous dedication on Jan 2, where the flowers did not arrive in time for worship.
The second arrangement is dedicated by Gwen and Rob Pleban in memory of Chase and Monika & Tim Vincent. The flowers will be delivered this week to the Naples Humane Society in memory of Chase.
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Altar Flower Ministry
Every week, you have the opportunity to purchase Sunday worship altar flowers and dedicate them to the memory of someone who was special to you or to honor someone who presently needs to be recognized! The cost is $30 and can be arranged by sending an email to Jaimie Dandridge at Admin@fumcnaples.org. Then you can either pick up your flowers after church or donate them for us to take to organizations in our community, bringing a ray of sunshine to workers and volunteers. The following dates are open: Feb 6 & 20, and beyond.
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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 "A New Beginning!" which was preached by Rev Nancy Mayeux and based on Matthew 3:1-6, 11-17.
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Thank You for Supporting Our Food Ministries
Thank you for helping to feed hungry families in 2021. Food insecurity has been a major challenge for families throughout the pandemic, and especially now, with food prices soaring. Thank you to those who donated food or made monetary donations that were sent every week to Grace Place or St. Matthew’s House. Thank you to the MANY people who joined us in packing food for families. The food was distributed at one of the food pantries covered by our ministry partner, Meals of Hope. We started in mid-December, 2020 and have so far packed 170,000 meals for families in need! We plan to continue in 2022 and hope that you will join us! This is a great way to be Jesus’ hands and feet in the world and show the love of Christ to others.
How can you help????
1. Bring in food or financial contributions earmarked for Grace Place or St. Matthew’s House which will help support their food pantries.
2. Volunteer to come help pack food for 1.5 hours on an upcoming packing day. To sign up, contact Wendy McKee, our food-packing coordinator, at WendyMckee3@gmail.com. She will schedule you. We are happy to take first-timers and we will show you how it’s done. You’ve seen photos in past Eblasts of how we are set up. It’s easy and fun and a chance to socialize with others. We wear masks and take precautions. Our groups are small. See you soon!
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Need to Reach Us? Here’s How!
We are available to you! Our church office is now open Monday-Thursday, 9:00am to 2:00pm. Food can be dropped off during office hours or on Sundays when you come to worship. The church phone will be answered during office hours. For pastoral emergencies, when the office is closed, just call the office and you will hear the Pastor’s personal cell number listed on the message you hear. The pastor is off on Mondays, as her Sabbath day, but will respond to pastoral emergencies.
Call the church office: (239) 262-1033
Mail contributions to:
First United Methodist Church, 388 First Ave S, Naples FL 34102
Make online donations by clicking the link below:
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Please Pray!
Please pray for your church, its ministries and everyone in your church family. They have many needs, some of which have been told to me in private and do not appear on the list below, but God knows the needs before we even speak or write them. Just pray for the names below and for the “unspoken prayers”. Please scroll down to the Special Prayer List which includes prayers for our denomination, our community, our country and the world. We update that every couple of weeks. As always, please be sure to let me know if I can be praying for anything in particular for you.
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 surgery, receiving radiation or chemotherapy for cancer, 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: pastor@fumcnaples.org.
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Mike Rybka (Brother-in-law of Judy Stewart)
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Lidia Rodriguez (daughter of Pastor Luis Rodriguez of our sister church in Cuba)
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Sam (brother-in-law of Karen Bach)
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Michael Schoonover (Son of Jerry and Barbara Skiba)
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Jerry Skiba (Member)
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Cindy (Daughter of Pat Schanke)
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William Johnson (Brother of Al Johnson)
- John Campbell (Brother-in-law of John Mayeux)
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Jay Myatt (Friend of Al Johnson)
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Carey Tucker (Friend of Al & Thelma Johnson)
- Ann Boren (Member)
- Paul Brown (Cousin of Dick Evans)
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Joseph Halizak (Friend of Marie and Dick Evans)
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Carole Emmott (Friend of Judy Margrey)
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Karen Kirk (Cousin of Marie Evans)
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Rosa Fogle (Family of Thelma and Al Johnson)
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All the many unspoken requests and needs of our congregation and their loved ones.
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Special Prayer List
(Updated Jan 1)
You are surely praying for the needs of your immediate family and circle of friends. Hopefully, you are also praying for the urgent needs of your faith family at First United Methodist Church (above).
Wondering what else to pray for each day? Here are some suggestions!
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Our MDS Children Have Fun Learning
The VPK children are learning about the artist Vincent van Gogh. The children did a replica of his “Sunflowers”, the title of two series of still life paintings by the Dutch artist. The children have studied several famous artists already. They are also enjoying the playground in this wonderful weather.
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OFFICE HOURS
Office is open Monday – Thursday, 9:00am – 2:00pm. Outside of office hours, please call the church office and leave a message. For pastoral emergencies, you will be given a number, in the message, on how to reach the pastor.
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First United Methodist Church of Naples
388 1st Ave S
Naples, FL 34102
(239) 262-1033
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