In-Person and Livestreamed Worship Service First United Methodist Church of Naples Sunday Service 10:15 am ~ 2nd Sunday of Advent Communion Sunday December 5, 2021

From the Pastor Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, Christmas is coming to First United Methodist Church. How can you help make it special? 1. We are looking for some volunteers right away to help us address Christmas cards in the office. Should be a fun way to spend a morning or an afternoon with others. Please call Jaimie Dandridge in the church office if you are interested. 2. Mark your Christmas Eve times of 5:00 and 6:30 on your calendar. If you are still in town, come to worship and bring a friend or neighbor! 3. Volunteer to be a greeter during Advent and especially during one of the two Christmas Eve candlelight services. We need you! Let’s make our church welcoming and loving. 4. Make an extra end-of-year donation to your church in honor of the Christ child. It’s his birthday! 5. Order poinsettias to make our sanctuary festive on Christmas Eve (even if you will be out of town.) Extras not picked up after the service will be donated. 6. It’s Advent. Come to one of the two Advent Bible studies. You can jump in any time and attend even just one session, meet others and have fun learning new things. Just scroll down to learn more about the two groups and what Advent is. 7. Dedicate our altar flowers one Sunday in December to honor someone living or remember someone who meant a lot to you. No one signed up for today or any Sunday in December or January.   A reminder to all, that masks are now optional in worship if you are vaccinated, although still required if you are unvaccinated. You are on the honor system. We have a “Comfort Zone” in the last two rows of the east side of sanctuary seating. Here, masks are required for everyone in that section, for those who feel safer around others who are masked. We are still social distancing. Scroll down for more details on our COVID safety protocols.   A reminder that our office is open Monday – Thursday, from 9:00am to 2:00pm.   I look forward to seeing you Sunday! Love and Blessings, Pastor Nancy pastor@fumcnaples.org

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!

 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 - 12 05 2021". 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!

Click here to watch THIS Sunday's service

Life & Faith Lesson Rev Nancy Mayeux   Cast Out Fear with Hope   Amazon and other online stores often have a “Cart” where you put down all the things you are definitely going to buy. You are on your way to the cashier with your cart, just like in the brick and mortar store when you shop there. Those same online stores usually also have a “wish list” where you put down things you would love to have someday.” Maybe right now, there is not enough money because there are other priorities that are more important, but it still feels good to list that special something as your “wish”. It seems more concrete. You hope that maybe one day, you can actually move that to your cart and then buy it. Your “hope” is simply a “wish”.   Are all hopes simply wishes, or is there more to them?   People often “hope” they will get the Christmas gifts they want or perhaps, up north, they “hope” it will snow for Christmas. These are indeed “wishes.” But these are very different than the hope one longs for when they walk through the dark valleys of tough times in life (grief, health issues, loss of independence, loss of job, divorce, memory issues, loss of independence or unexpected major life changes).  Those situations require more than a wish. They require “hope.” In the book, Almost Christmas: A Wesleyan Advent Experience, we learn that sometimes our fear blocks us from truly embodying hope. Hope is all around us in the world, but often we can’t see it because of our fears. We can’t do this on our own. Jesus offers the ultimate hope for each of us and we need to be willing to seek Him out and seek out community, so that we can walk alongside one another in a community of hope.   In the story of Jesus birth, how did Mary, Zachariah, Joseph and the others overcome their fears to experience the true hope that was already in the world. Why is the most common exclamation in the story, the one spoken by angels: “Fear Not”?   What’s the difference between an “almost hope” and an “altogether hope”? Which one would you like to have and how can that happen for you and the people God sends you to help?  Come find out on Sunday at 10:15 at our in-person worship, or join us online through YouTube, livestreamed or recorded.   Scripture: Hebrews 10:19-25

Our COVID Safety Guidelines For FUMC Worship    In recent weeks, because the number of COVID cases has decreased dramatically in Collier County, we adjusted our COVID protocols for worship services. As long as the numbers stay down in our area, masks will continue to remain “optional.” We request that those who are unvaccinated, continue to wear a mask, and those who are vaccinated, choose to wear or not wear a mask, based on your comfort level. We have a “comfort zone” on the east side of the sanctuary seating (back two rows), where everyone seated there must wear a mask. This way, those who are immunocompromised, or those who are just uncomfortable sitting near maskless people, will feel safe.  Outside of the mask policy, nothing else has changed. 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. 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.

Treasurer’s Corner    By now, each of you should have received a statement listing your contributions for the year-to-date. The purpose of this statement is as follows: 1.     Is the statement correct? Please check the dates, amounts and address. We pride ourselves on sending out statements that are accurate, but we are human, and we do make an occasional mistake. If you find an error, please contact Jeff Currier at (203) 556-2919 or email me at jeffreylcurrier@gmail.com 2.    Look at the total amount given. If you filled out a Giving Goal card earlier this year, will you be able to contribute the amount you estimated? Are you having a better year than you expected? Can you give more? Your “Giving” Is a Form of Worship    Thank you for continuing to support this church and its ministries through congregational giving. 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.   Donations may be brought to worship on Sunday or mailed to:  First United Methodist Church of Naples 388 First Avenue S 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

Click Here to Give Online

It's the Second Week of Advent During the four weeks prior to Christmas, we spend time together as Christians, each of us anticipating the announcement of the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ, in Bethlehem and in our hearts. Every Sunday we will gather around the Advent wreath, symbolically preparing to receive our Savior, as we light a new candle representing a different aspect of this hope and waiting. With each candle, the foggy blanket of sin that covers us begins to dissipate and the light of our Lord grows clearer and stronger in our hearts and souls. This custom began in Germany a few centuries ago and is now celebrated by Christians throughout the world as a way to symbolically prepare and anticipate the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the Eternal Light. Each week, a different family in the church will light the candles. Click below for more about what all the symbolism means!

What Is Advent? - Click Here

Worship Greeters Needed!   We are in great need of volunteer greeters! We want to make people feel welcome and loved when they come to worship. Hopefully newcomers will come back. It would be great if they received a warm word of welcome with a smile at the door. Won’t you help us to be a welcoming church??? Every Sunday: Choose one or two Sundays a month that you can come and warmly welcome people at the door. Help them to feel loved and welcome. We also need 3 people at the end of the service to hold the offering plates at the three exit doors. Some people may not give if it is not made easy for them—especially visitors.  Christmas Eve, December 24th. Choose one or both services to help welcome people, give out electric candles, and take an offering at the door at the end of the service. Most of our regulars will be out of town so we are desperate for volunteers for Christmas Eve. You can come greet and attend for the first service and just stay for the beginning of the second service if you like. Here are the worship times.    5:00 pm Family Candlelight Worship Service 6:30 pm Traditional Candlelight Worship Service

Christmas Eve Is Coming!   Christmas Eve, December 24th, is right around the corner! We will have two in-person worship services on that night:   5:00 pm Family Candlelight Worship Service 6:30 pm Traditional Candlelight Worship Service   Worship will be a little different than you remember for previous Christmas Eve services, but despite the pandemic, we know that God will help us to still make it holy! We will need two services to accommodate everyone who wants to come, yet still keep people socially distanced. We are hoping we can fit in all our regular attenders and the many guests who join us on Christmas Eve. Please mark your calendar!  Volunteers are needed to help with both services. We WILL have an organist for both services.

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: Dec 12th and beyond.    Flowers from last Sunday’s service were given to Providence House, a faith-based transitional housing and self-sufficiency program for motivated women with young children who are homeless or at risk of being homeless. Providence House has eight apartment homes on the property for mothers with legal custody of one to four children age 10 and under. There are specific requirements applicants must meet in order to be accepted into the programs offered by Providence House and they also require budgeting, debt reduction and personal accountability. Providence House receives no government funding and relies on the generosity of local individuals, faith communities, civic groups, clubs and organizations, as well as our local business community for financial assistance. They were so pleased to receive our beautiful flowers as a thank you for the work they do in sustaining a family’s commitment to work toward self-sufficiency.

Let’s Decorate Our Sanctuary with Poinsettias! Purchase and Dedicate One Today   Every Christmas Eve we decorate our sanctuary with poinsettias. These are dedicated in honor or in memory of someone special. We will publish the list of all those honored and remembered in a special Eblast right before Christmas Eve and give out the list at worship the Sunday before Christmas. The cost of each poinsettia is $10.00. You can take them home on Christmas Eve or leave them at the church for us to donate them. Thanks for helping to make our chancel area beautiful on Christmas Eve. Please print, fill out, and mail in one of the forms from the link below, or simply send your info in and email to Jaimie Dandridge at Admin@fumcnaples.org   Your name (person/s purchasing the poinsettias) Who is it dedicated to? Is it in memory of someone deceased or in honor of someone still living? Your phone number   You can send your check with the form for the number of poinsettias you have purchased or you can leave your donation in the offering plate, clearly marking what it is for.

Click for Order Form

Two New 4-week Advent Small Group Bible Studies Have Started!   It's Not Too Late to Join In   We now have two great opportunities for fellowship and learning through small group Bible studies: one online and the other in-person. You can jump in any time to attend even just one class! Our Advent sermon series is based on one of the books we are studying!  If you think you might be interested, please call or email Jaimie Dandridge in the church office to let her know: call at 239-262-1033 or email her at: admin@fumcnaples.org .   1.     10:30 am Wednesday mornings on the church campus. Wendy McKee is leading this in-person study, that ends on Dec 22. We will stay socially distanced, but still have a great time learning together. The study is based on a great new book, The Heart that Grew Three Sizes: Finding Faith in the Story of the Grinch, by Rev. Matt Rawle. Come join us!   2.    Online, 7:00 PM Bible study on Zoom, Monday evenings, for those who still want to learn through the safety, comfort and convenience of their homes. So many of us made friends on last year’s Zoom studies. Our friends who are up north can join in too! Thelma Johnson, a co-leader of our Zoom study last year, is facilitating again this year! The study is based on a wonderful new book, Almost Christmas: A Wesleyan Advent Experience, by Magrey R. deVega, Matt Rawle, Ingrid McIntyre, April Casperson. I hope you’ll be excited to hear that our Advent sermon series is based on this book, and it would be so great to have you be a part of the Bible study!

Almost Christmas: A Wesleyan Advent Experience   Here's a preview of what you'll learn at this online Zoom Bible study: In 1741, John Wesley (founder of Methodism) preached his famous sermon titled “The Almost Christian” in which he encouraged people to follow Christ wholeheartedly. We should not be satisfied with being almost Christian but rather strive towards being altogether a Christian.  In Almost Christmas: A Wesleyan Advent Experience, author and pastor Magrey deVega leads a group of authors to explore how we can make the same commitment to Christ during Advent, connecting our Wesleyan heritage with the traditional Advent themes of Love, Hope, Joy, and Peace. The authors break down the barriers that prevent us from experiencing an “altogether” love, hope, joy, and peace in Christ in our lives and in the world around us. They demonstrate the promises God offers to us that makes those longings a reality, inviting us to claim those promises for ourselves this Advent and celebrate an altogether Christmas. Come join us in doing that together!

The Heart that Grew Three Sizes: Finding Faith in the Story of the Grinch   Here's a preview of what you'll learn at the in-person Bible study: We don't know why the Grinch hated Christmas. We just know he did. If we're being honest, there's probably something within the Christmas season celebration that awakens a Grinch within all of us. Maybe the gift we unwrap was all wrong, or memories that were supposed to be joyful never were. When everything seems wrong in the world, even joyful celebrations are much too loud. In his new Advent study, Matt Rawle explores the faith themes in the Christmas classic, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", including how did the Grinch's heart grow three sizes come Christmas morning? How did Christmas save the Grinch? Could it be that the very thing we think we hate, is the one thing that changes our life? Rediscover and reinvigorate your Christian faith this Advent and Christmas season and look at this familiar classic through the lens of faith.

United Methodist Women Christmas Luncheon Saturday, December 11 at 11:30 am Pam McDonnell’s House  3265 Regatta Road, 34103 A ham will be provided. Please bring a dish to share. No need to RSVP but there will be a sign-up sheet at a table outside the sanctuary door, to let the UMW know what dish you plan to bring.

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 Peace on Earth which was preached by Rev Nancy Mayeux and based on Ephesians 4:1-6, 25-32

Last Week's Worship Service

Upcoming Charge Conference – Dec 14 at 6pm   We will hold an online “Charge Conference” (Leadership only attending) to vote on a new structure for the leadership of our church and candidates presented by Nominations team. Separate Leadership Meetings and a church-wide Town Hall Meeting, will have given everyone a chance to share their views and ask questions prior to the Charge Conference. More information will be provided on this topic shortly. The meeting will be on Tuesday, December 14, at 6:00 pm via Zoom. Leaders will be provided with an invitation and a link. Other Upcoming Meetings for Leaders & Congregation Dec 7 (Tuesday) In-person at 5:30 for Leadership Council to discuss ideas and options for new leadership structure at FUMC Dec 8 (Wednesday) In-person at 6:00 for SPRC. Topics will be sent to members directly Dec 9 (Thursday) In-person at 5:30 for Nominations Team to discuss potential leaders for 2022. Dec 12 (Sunday) Town hall, right after the worship service, to provide info, answer questions and receive feedback about new leadership structure

Food Now Especially Needed for Grace Place and St. Matthew’s House   THANK YOU to everyone who has been supporting our food ministry! Your help is now especially needed. With food prices escalating, many families are struggling to put much on the table. We continue partnering with St. Matthew’s House and Grace Place. There are many people in our community who are struggling to feed their families and YOU can make a difference in the lives of hungry people in our community! You can bring in food during office hours, or on Sunday mornings. You can also make monetary donations to the church, earmarked “Food Ministry”, and it will go towards food for one of our two partners in ministry.

We’ve Packed 170,000 Meals So Far! Come Join us!   If you are looking for a way to “serve” missionally, sharing the love of Christ in the world, then come join us in packing food for hungry families! It’s something we can do even during COVID. We will be packing food in Barton Hall every other week. Please remember, that with food prices escalating, more families are struggling. This becomes an increasingly important ministry!   Come join the fun! It is 1.5 to 2 hours of work and you will make a difference in the lives of many. Everyone will be wearing masks and socially distancing. If you’d like to help pack one week, please email Wendy McKee at:  WendyMcKee3@gmail.com.  It’s easy and fun. It’s a chance to socialize and make new friends.

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 Email us: Pastor admin@fumcnaples.org  or Mail contributions to: First United Methodist Church, 388 First Ave S, Naples FL 34102 Make online donations by clicking the link below:

Click Here to Give Online

Please Pray!   Hope you have been praying this past week. God loves your prayers because you are spending time with God when you do that – even if it’s just to ask for “help”, but certainly also for your prayers of “thanks” for your many blessings. Remember that prayer is powerful! Prayer not only changes circumstances, but also impacts how we look at and handle the difficult situations in our lives. When I look at the phone calls, emails and text messages I receive, I can tell you that there are many people in our congregation who are going through very tough times right now, and we can pray for them – for courage, strength and peace as they maneuver through challenging times. Some are on the prayer list and some are not, so just pray for all the needs of our faith family, including those that remain unspoken. Also scroll down to the link for “Special Prayer Needs” which we update every couple of weeks. This covers prayer needs of our community, nation, and world. Also, always let me know if I can be praying for anything for you as well. 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.   Ann Boren (Member) Paul Brown (cousin of Dick Evans) Abigail Joy - struggling newborn (Family of Lisa Passeri) Joseph Halizak (Friend of Marie and Dick Evans) Terri Rodriguez and husband, Pastor Sam (Friends of Pastor Nancy) Carole Emmott (Friend of Judy Margrey) Karen Kirk (Cousin of Marie Evans) Rosa Fogle (Family of Thelma and Al Johnson) All the many unspoken requests and needs of our congregation and their loved ones.

Special Prayer List      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!

Click here for Special Prayer Needs

Blessings to our Methodist Day School   Our MDS children are enjoying school and learning so much!  Please always keep the children, their teachers, and their families in prayer.

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.

First United Methodist Church of Naples 388 1st Ave S Naples, FL 34102 (239) 262-1033 www.fumcnaples.org

God Bless You!