Worship at 9 and 11 a.m.

Sunday, April 14, 2024.

Join us on Sunday as Rev. Dr. Mark Williams will be preaching his sermon titled Heaven Embodied, based on Luke 24: 36-48.

Join in person or online!

If you are a full or associate member of NUCC, please make plans to attend a Special Church Meeting of the membership on Sunday, April 21, 2024, at 12:15 p.m., immediately after the second service in the Sanctuary. The membership will be voting to authorize NUCC to enter into a long-term lease of that portion of the church campus formerly used for the operation of Precious Cargo Academy to a third-party tenant for the purposes of operating a child daycare and/or preschool.

A letter was sent to the membership by email on April 2 with more specifics and with a Zoom webinar link for those members unable to attend in person. We must have a quorum to approve this important action for the church.

If you are unable to attend in person or by Zoom, please fill out the proxy form which was sent with the April 2 email and turn it into the church office before Sunday, April 21. The Deacons will also have proxy forms available on Sunday mornings and will take your completed proxy.

A town hall meeting will be held at 12:15 p.m. on Sunday, April 14 in Nelson 207, where church leadership will be available to answer NUCC members' questions about the potential leasing of the former Precious Cargo Academy portion of our campus and the vote to be taken on that topic at the April 21st Special Church Meeting. A separate email was sent to NUCC members this week with Zoom credentials for this meeting.

Many thanks to all who have supported the 2024 stewardship drive thus far. Because of your generosity, we Can be in ministry! With your help, we Can reach our goal of 2.15 million. Rev. Williams will now update the congregation monthly as to our stewardship progress. If you have not submitted an estimate of giving form for this year, kindly do so by using the form provided in the pews or using our online form. If you are a new member or a frequent visitor, help put us over the top by submitting an estimate of giving ASAP. And if you’re a current member who has already submitted an estimate and would like to reconsider your initial estimate, kindly submit a new estimate of giving form so that we can update our records. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Naples UCC Membership and Growth Committee has launched our new website. While our web address will remain the same, NaplesUCC.org, there are many new user-friendly features we invite you to explore.

But why stop there?

Invite your friends and neighbors to know about all the exciting events and programs underway here at NUCC! Simply suggest they visit us online! It’s an easy way to be “Intentionally invitational and Welcoming”. We thank you for your user patience as our technical team continues to roll-out updates.

Nursery childcare for infants through 4 years old is available each Sunday morning beginning at 8:30 a.m. in Nelson Hall room 203 (the building across the Gathering Place). Please sign in with our nursery staff. Our current space located next to the sanctuary is still available to you as a Wiggle Room. Feel free to utilize that space if you wish to stay with your child. 

Sunday, April 14, 3 p.m., Sanctuary

Join us for a piano performance by Jodie DeSalvo and Dr. Alexandra Carlson on Sunday, April 14 at 3 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Tickets are $30 per person. Save the date and please contact our church office for more information. 

April 16, and 23, 12:30 p.m., N-104 

Bring a bagged lunch and join us for a discussion of the book, Climate Church, Climate World, facilitated by Rev. Angela Wells-Bean. This timely conversation will address the critical role that faith communities have to play in combatting climate change. An event sponsored by the Environment Subcommittee. The author Jim Antal will join the discussion via Zoom on April 23. Please sign up in the Gathering Place or contact the church office at info@naplesucc.org. Books are available for purchase in the church office for $30.00. We hope you can join us!

Our Caregivers Support Group will meet Friday, April 19 at 2 p.m. in N-101. All are welcome! For more information, please reach out to Joan Millon at joanmillon6@gmail.com. We hope to see you there!

We have numerous roof repairs which will be ongoing for the next few weeks. These were much needed and will help protect our buildings during the rainy season. We are so grateful for the generous gifts that were able to make these repairs possible.

Our church sends cards to each couple who has celebrated over 50 years of marriage on the occasion of their anniversary. The current church member who does this is ready to step down from the job, so we need a new card writer! Might that be you? You can write cards from anywhere, and all supplies are funded by the church. You need to be able to use email. Please be in touch with Pastor Angela at Angela@NaplesUCC.org if this is a ministry you’d be willing to help with. Thank you!

Sunday, April 14, Between Services, N-207

Intersections, led by Rich Kirschner will be held in Nelson Hall Room 207, following the 9 a.m. Service. We hope to see you there!

Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m., N-101 and Zoom

All men are invited to be part of the weekly men’s ministry group here at NUCC. This Wednesday, they’re beginning a new book Jesus and the Powers by N.T. Wright. Come for coffee, donuts, and stimulating conversation. The group is organized by Rich Kirschner, please email him at rdkirschner@gmail.com for the Zoom link. 

On Sunday, April 28 we will have Joining Sunday, a wonderful opportunity for those interested in becoming a member of NUCC. You may join as a full member or associate member (for those who wish to maintain their membership in a northern church). You may join in a private ceremony or publicly during the Sunday services.

If you are interested in joining or have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our Membership Coordinator, Chelsea Godwin, at

Chelsea@naplesucc.org or by calling our church office at (239)261-5469.

You may also sign up Sunday in the Gathering Place following services.

Monday, April 22 at 2 p.m., N-104 and Zoom

The Naples UCC Book Club will discuss Tom Lake, a novel by Ann Patchett. Tom Lake is a meditation on youthful love, married love, and the lives parents have led before their children were born. Both hopeful and elegiac, it explores what it means to be happy even when the world is falling apart. It is a gentle read, sharing the joy and extraordinary in the ordinary of being together on a family cherry farm in Michigan. As in all of her novels, Ann Patchett combines compelling narrative artistry with piercing insights into family dynamics. This novel is about storytelling at its best, reminding the reader that everyone has a story to share, as ordinary as their life may seem. The result is a rich and luminous story, told with profound intelligence and emotional subtlety. Ann Patchett has had a life-long fascination with the play Our Town, by Thornton Wilder and while not necessary to read the play in advance of this book, you’ll certainly want to afterwards if you haven’t already. The discussion of Tom Lake will be facilitated by Heather English. Newcomers are always welcome, even if you haven’t read the book!

Monday, April 15^th at 5 p.m. in N-207. Cost is $15.

Enjoy an evening of music, fun and prizes with a DJ. Sing and dance to the songs you love. Bring your own beverage and snacks. Sign up in the Gathering Place or by contacting the church office.

Thursday, April 18, 10:30 a.m., in N-104 & ZOOM

What is your life story and what does it really say about you? Are you a heroine, a victim, a warrior queen, a caretaker, a believer? How you adapt that story to the changes in your life over time matters a great deal. Come to discuss with others how we are able to revise, rethink and rewrite our personal narrative as things change, lurch or go wrong in our lives. Please bring a small black marker and a highlighter, whatever color is your favorite! You may sign up with Chelsea Godwin in the Gathering Place following service, or by calling our church office at (239)261-5469. 

If you're here in Naples for the season and are part of a church "up north" as well, we'd love to have you become an associate member of Naples UCC. You can be a member of Naples UCC and your church up north. In fact, as an associate member, you will have the same voting and participation privileges as any other member of our church family. To become an associate member, sign up today in the Gathering Place.

Join members and friends for fellowship, prayer, and walking in nature. The Walk and Wonder group eagerly welcomes family members, friends, and especially newcomers to the NUCC community. On Wednesday, April 24, enjoy a walk along Seagate Beach and the boardwalk that leads to the Naples Grande. Meet in the church parking lot at 8:30 a.m. Anticipate our return to church by 10:00 a.m. Contact Merrill Noble at mwnoble56@gmail.com

if you have questions, plan to attend for the first time.

Sunday, April 14, Noon, N-104

Our next Prospective Member Luncheon will occur on April 14 following the 11:00 a.m. Service, in Nelson Hall, room 104. This is an opportunity to meet our clergy, hear about our theology, and ask any questions you may have. Our seasonal visitors are especially welcome and we have a category of membership, Associate Member, which allows for full membership privileges here while recognizing your commitment as a member of your northern church!

Walk-ins are most welcome! You may also get in touch with our Membership Coordinator, Chelsea Godwin, at Chelsea@NaplesUCC.org or by calling our church office at (239)261-5469.

On Sunday, April 28 we will have Joining Sunday,

a wonderful opportunity for those interested in becoming a member of NUCC. You may join as a full member or associate member (for those who wish to maintain their membership in a northern church). You may join in a private ceremony or publicly during the Sunday services.

If you are interested in joining or have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our Membership Coordinator, Chelsea Godwin, at

Chelsea@naplesucc.org or by calling our church office at (239)261-5469.

You may also sign up Sunday in the Gathering Place following services.

Saturday, April 20 at 1 p.m., Webinar

The UCC’s second annual Earth Day Summit webinar is on Apr 20, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. The summit will feature celebrated author and activist Bill McKibben delivering the Jim Antal Keynote Lecture with the title, “Energy from Heaven or Energy from Hell?” Additionally, a panel of award-winning activists will speak about the multi-national struggle against the pollution of Formosa Plastics, one of the world’s largest plastics producers. It is free to attend, here is the link to register: tinyurl.com/EarthDaySummit Even if one cannot make the event at its scheduled time, all those who register will receive a link to a recording of the event. 

After the HUGE success of our post pandemic reboot of NUCC Baby Boomer’s Potluck, we decided we gotta do it again! Please put Friday, April 19 at 5 p.m. on your calendar. Fun, Food, and Fellowship; including music and trivia.

Our hosts this month are Carolyn & Dennis Kois. Please RSVP to Carolyn...608-219-0812 or johnsonkois@icloud.com. You may also sign up in the gathering place. You are invited to bring a dish to share & BYOB.

PARKSHORE LANDINGS

305 Parkshore Dr Pool House 

Sunday, April 21 • 9 and 11 a.m.

Celebrating Earth Day!

Rev. Angela Wells-Bean, preaching

Miguel Coates, clarinet

Stella Richardson Heck, soloist

Sanctuary Choir

View the online calendar for NUCC here.

It is with great joy that the Board of Mission and Outreach shares the upcoming May 18 marriage of Olena Chamata, to Andrew Nesteruk, another Ukrainian Refugee. Olena and her son, Mischa, were embraced by our congregation in October of 2022, when they arrived in the United States as a widowed mother and son. We wish Olena and Andrew God’s love for their impending marriage and their new family.

Our NUCC volunteers, who give so generously of their time and talent to make affordable homeownership happen, were recently honored by Habitat Collier for their fine work and dedication. Habitat for Humanity, a long-time mission partner of NUCC, seeks to put God’s love into action and brings people together to build homes, communities and hope. The Board of Mission and Outreach thanks our wonderful volunteers for supporting one of NUCC’s core values of being a mission-driven church. Watch for more volunteer opportunities in the fall.

The Bargain Box will be holding a focused donation drive on the last Sunday of every month. This month it will be on Sunday, April 28 and we are looking for gently used purses, wallets and totes. A table will be set up under the portico and donations should be dropped off before and after both services. You may reach out to Mary Robinson at 239-298-3496, if you have any questions. Thank you for your support of the Bargain Box!

Tuesday, April 16, 2 p.m., Parlor

Join with other church members to knit or crochet prayer shawls. The group meets on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month in the Parlor from 2-3 p.m. Please bring your own supplies. If you have questions, contact Evlyn Bickford at (239)293-3965. These shawls are given to members of our congregation through our various caring ministries. Thank you to all our knitters who create beautiful shawls which help us share God’s love with one another.

Play Mahjong or want to learn? Join Mahjong on Mondays from 1 - 3 p.m. in N-104. Free and all are welcome!

Jackie Freese passed away on Wednesday, April 10, and we extend our deep condolences to her loved ones. A celebration of life is scheduled for Jackie on Saturday, April 13 at 2 p.m. on the top floor of Tower Pointe at Arbor Trace.

Mission Statement: To love God and all our neighbors as God loves us.

Open and Affirming • Mission-Driven • Powerful Worship • Continuing Generosity

Caring Ministry• Hospitable Fellowship