In-Person and Livestreamed

Worship Service


First United Methodist Church of Naples

Sunday Service 10:15 am

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3rd Sunday after the Epiphany

Anointing & Healing Sunday

January 22, 2023

From the Pastor


Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,


You have all been in my prayers this past week. I hope that you have kept your brothers and sisters in Christ in prayer as well. A lot of prayers are needed for our church family and their loved ones, as there have been heart surgeries and procedures, strokes, COVID and cancer impacting lives of a number of people. Please pray. God knows who they are.

 

I wanted to remind you that you can purchase and dedicate our altar flowers in memory or in honor of someone special. The cost is $40 and they will bless us throughout the worship service. Then you can either take them home to enjoy or donate them for us to bring to a local organization to brighten the week of the staff and volunteers. All future dates are presently open. Scroll down for more info.

 

Tomorrow is anointing and healing Sunday, so if you are watching from home, please have on hand some oil (olive oil, cooking oil, baby oil, etc.) The words will be on your screen or you can download the liturgy further down in this Eblast.

 

I hope you all enjoyed Karen Click whose music was marvelous last Sunday. She is truly using God’s gift of music to glorify God, and helped us worship and praise him on Sunday. She will be with us another couple of Sundays. Please continue to pray for a permanent organist, pianist, choir director.

 

Lastly, I’d like for you to be thinking of how you can use your God-given talents and your many years of valuable experiences to serve God through our church. When the work is spread amongst many, the jobs get easier and take less time. Also, when no one else steps forward, your pastor often steps in to fill the void until we find someone. I’d much rather focus on preaching than finances or campus repairs. Please consider that we are looking for a new Treasurer. Note that accounting or bookkeeping experience is not critical or required, but would be helpful. If you have an interest and feel your background, knowledge and skills would be helpful in this role (or want to know more about it) please talk to me. Also, we need a few people to help supervise projects on our campus facilities or actually do the fixing if you have the expertise. If you would like to be involved with our Trustee projects, please let me know that too. 

 

Please remember to scroll down to the prayer list near the bottom, so you can be praying this week for the many needs of your church family and others.  See you all tomorrow!


Love and Blessings,

Pastor Nancy

pastor@fumcnaples.org

IMPORTANT NOTICE! DID YOU KNOW?

 

Did you know that you may not be getting a portion of your Eblast because Gmail and some other email programs are cutting off the bottom? You may be missing important articles, photos and our Prayer List! How to find out? If you get to the bottom and have not seen the Prayer List or our MDS Preschool photos, then you know there has been a cut-off. 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.” Press that and you will see what you are missing that has been cut-off!

 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 10:00 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 22 2023". 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



Never Lost Forever

 

Have you ever gotten lost? If you have, you probably remember vividly that feeling of panic – where nothing looks familiar, and your heart begins to pound? 

--Perhaps it was in the woods where all the paths now seem the same and you can’t remember which one’s you’ve been on and there is no one to ask for help. 

--Maybe it was at a fair or festival with lots of people, but you were a kid and didn’t know who to trust to ask for help?

--Maybe it was before the days of GPS and you got lost driving on some country road, and the directions someone gave you didn't seem to match where you were. You felt hopelessly lost with no one to ask.

 

Be thinking of some of your experiences before you hear the sermon tomorrow, and I will share one of mine with you. I think we can all agree that being lost is not a pleasant experience. In fact, it can be deadly if you are lost in the mountains or wilderness. It can be eternally deadly if you get lost spiritually. So many of us slip in our faith, as we get enticed by the world and its values, and then we find ourselves in strange territory, lost and unable to easily find our way back. There are others who have always been spiritually lost, and they have no idea that they even are. They don’t know what great things await them if they follow Jesus’ leading out of the wilderness. 

 

The big thing that Jesus wants you to know is that no matter how lost you are (a lifetime of wandering or just a slip in your faith) he will not stop seeking you until he helps you find your way. No one is ever too lost to find their way to Jesus and new life - eternal life. Jesus tells us that each time this happens, “joy breaks out in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who changes both heart and life.”

 

Jesus wanted so much for people to understand this fact that he told a parable about it—and not just one, but three in a row, to be sure the point was clear. Click on the link below for the Scriptures and give some thought to them before worship tomorrow. Do you know someone who is lost and needs to be found? Can you do anything to help make that happen? Are you feeling lost lately, spiritually? Come tomorrow to learn more. See you at 10:15 in-person, or join us online on our YouTube channel – scroll down for more info.

 

Scripture: Luke 15:1-32

Anointing & Healing Service

 

This Sunday, our service includes a time of anointing and healing. It is a special time for all of us to pray for each other, and loved ones who need healing from brokenness (spiritual, physical, emotional, economic, relationships, memory or grief). If you are home, you can provide your own oil wherever you are watching this service (olive oil, cooking oil, suntan oil or baby oil) and your spouse or family members can anoint each other or you can anoint yourself while I do the liturgy. To make your participation even more interactive, if you're watching from home, you may want to read from the liturgy from the United Methodist Book of Worship that we normally use by clicking on the link below, and printing it out to use on Sunday morning. If you don’t have a printer, it will be on the screen during the worship service.

Liturgy for Anointing & Healing

Altar Flower Dedication

 

Our altar flowers this week are given by Eileen Hung and dedicated to Nancy Hung.

 

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 $40. All future dates are presently open. Purchase and dedication 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.

Men’s Group Breakfast

 

Our Men’s Group had a great time of fellowship at Lu Lu’s Kitchen this past week. St. Matthews volunteer coordinator, Crystal Thomsen, spoke to the group about the many volunteer opportunities at St. Matthews House. The men would like to do a project together but have not yet decided what that will be. We hope you will join us next month and bring a friend! Open to all men in the congregation

Brunch Bunch is Back!

 

With many of our seasonal people back, we are able to also bring back our Brunch Bunch. We are going to start with gathering at a local restaurant for brunch, after church, every two weeks. Our first Brunch Bunch gathering will be on January 29 at Ridgway Bar & Grill in Old Naples at 1300 3rd St S , Naples, FL 34102. You will find a sign-up sheet in the narthex (church lobby). You can also sign up by emailing Chaplain Scott Ehler (discipleship@Fumcnaples.org) or calling the church office. We need to give our headcount to the restaurant by Wednesday Jan 25. This is a great way to meet new people!

Sanctuary Roof Progress

 

The Spanish clay tiles are finally on our sanctuary roof! They will hopefully be installed this week and our beautiful red roof will be complete again. Thank you, once again, for everyone who helped to pay for our large deductible for that roof, and the Florida Conference finally coming through with the funds for the balance. 

THANK YOU!

Your Giving Is a Form of Worship

 

Your incredible generosity is allowing our church to do ministry that will change lives. We hope that you will continue to give of your time, your talents and your prayers, in addition to your financial giving, and that you find joy in your giving!

 

These are some of the categories that you may wish to give towards:

  • “General Operating Budget” which funds our regular ministry programs and our costs to keep staff and buildings going.
  • “Hurricane Ian Disaster Relief” efforts through the Florida Conference
  • “Capital Expenses” This includes roof replacements and other capital needs on our campus. 
  • “Ukraine Relief” for the people of Ukraine who are enduring tremendous hardships
  • “Food Ministry” funds will go to St. Matthews and Grace Place food banks

Just indicate on your checks where you want your donation to go.

 

Your past and future gifts allow us to help people to know Jesus, to grow in their faith, and to serve Him as we help those in need.  Your donations may be brought to worship on Sunday or mailed/delivered to the address below:

  

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 Finance Chairperson, Tom Bach: tom.j.bach@gmail.com

Click Here to Give Online

Last Week's Worship Service

 

Did you miss worship last week? Click on the link below to view the video of last week's service entitled, I Belong, which was preached by Rev Nancy Mayeux and based on Ephesians 4:1-16.

Click for Last Week's Worship Service

We’ve Packed 290,000 Meals!

Help Feed Hungry People in our Community

 

Thank you for helping to feed hungry families. Food insecurity has been a major challenge for families throughout the pandemic, and especially now, with food prices soaring. During the last 2 years, we have packed 290,000 meals for families in need! Help us be Jesus’ hands and feet in the world and show the love of Christ to others by participating:

 

  1. Bring in food or financial contributions earmarked for “Food Ministry” and we will deliver to either Grace Place or St. Matthew’s House for 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. It’s lots of fun!

Need to Reach Us? Here’s How!



We are available to you! Our church office is 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: 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!

  

This week, many in our congregation and their loved ones have dealt with heart surgeries and other heart issues, COVID and cancer, so even though the details don’t show up in our prayer list below, please know there are serious needs that need prayer. My own health is improving daily so I am praising God for answered prayers. In knowing what else to pray for, I suggest you just turn on the news, as depressing as it can be these days, and you will find plenty to pray for.


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.



  • Mary Lou Riccio (Member)
  • Ken Craynon (Member)
  • Judy and Jeff Currier (Members)
  • Leanna Kindberg (Mother of Margie Veratti, Sunday School teacher)
  • Trace and Victoria Hance (Wendy Moyer’s family)
  • Larry Croy (Friend of Bill Parry)
  • Peter Schmitz (Friend of Karen Parry)
  • Russ and Lisa Warren (Friends of Gwen Pleban)
  • Jenny Swartwout (One of our MDS preschool moms)
  • Baby Theresa Grace (Great granddaughter of Pat Schanke)
  • Larry Ledbetter (Spouse of MDS teacher, Cathy Ledbetter)
  • Michael Poka (MDS Preschool parent)
  • William Johnson (Brother of Al Johnson)
  • Chris Grimshaw (Member and husband of Christine Grimshaw)
  • David Siefer (Cousin of Rob Pleban
  • Linda Mills (Sister of Judy Margrey)
  • Jane Dawkins (Friend of Thelma Johnson)
  • Lidia Rodriguez (Pastor's daughter of our sister-church in Cuba)
  • Baby Abby Joy and parents (Family of Lisa Passeri)
  • Sue ReBell (Sister-in-law of Marie and Dick Evans)
  • Beth Tatman (Friend of the Mayeux family)
  • Norman Lambert (Requested by Judy Margrey and Leo Poisson)
  • Wendy Moyer (Member)
  • Diane Langley (Friend of Norine Tempelman)
  • Family of Valya Staruchin, Januk, Orysia and family, Irina and family (Three families of the Jaworsky's in Ukraine)
  • Glenn (Friend of the Emory’s)
  • Sam (brother-in-law of Karen Bach)
  • Ann Boren (Member
  • 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 

(Updated December 23) 

 

 Wondering what else to pray for each day? Here are some suggestions!

Click here for Special Prayer Needs

Learning Opportunities at MDS

 

Our Methodist Day School preschoolers had fun learning this week. They did alphabet phonics activities, and had a spelling test with the “at” family of words where they did amazingly. They practice writing their names every day when they sign in. The younger children worked on their fine motor skills and the older children learned about Martin Luther King and his speech, telling the world, “I have a dream.” Of course, they all enjoy going outside to play.

CHURCH OFFICE HOURS


Church 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
God Bless You!