Worship at 9 and 11 a.m.

Sixth Sunday of Lent | Palm Sunday, March 24, 2024.

Join us on Sunday as Rev. Dr. Mark Williams will be preaching his sermon titled The Donkey King, based on Mark 11: 1-11.

Join in person or online!

Easter Egg Hunt immediately following the 9 a.m. service

Last week, the Naples UCC Membership and Growth Committee launched our new website right in time for Holy Week and Easter! Our web address will be exactly the same, NaplesUCC.org. As our technical team continues to update our new site, we ask for your user patience. Thank you!

The Easter Flower Offering will be combined with the traditional Easter Offering this year. The funds will be used to support refugee relief in Southwest Florida. If you want to support our Easter Flower Offering, please fill out a flower order form in the Narthex. They need to be returned by Sunday, March 24th. 

All flower dedications will be printed in the bulletin on Easter Sunday. We are currently supporting a Ukrainian family, Olena and her son, Mischa. Your generous support will allow us to replenish our refugee support fund so that we can help sponsor another refugee family in Southwest Florida. Thank you for your support!

Olena Chamata, a Ukrainian refugee, and her son, Misha, have received NUCC support since October 2022. On March 13, the Board of Mission and Outreach members enjoyed a special homemade berry cake prepared by Olena as an expression of her thanks. 

In addition, she wrote a letter to the NUCC congregation.

“Dear Church Members,

I extend my deepest gratitude to the church for the financial assistance, moral support and caring thoughts extended to me and Misha. Your unwavering support has been a source of strength during challenging times, and we are truly blessed to have such a compassionate community around us. Be protected by God!

Sincerely, Olena Chamata”

Special thanks to the Refugee Subcommittee and its chairs, Barb Bachman and Bob Norland, for their dedicated commitment to helping the Chamata family succeed in the U.S.

Thursday, April 11, at 10:00 am

Grace Place is offering a public tour of their campus. No need to signup – Just show up! The campus is located at 4300 21st Ave. SW in Golden Gate.

Join NUCC volunteers from 12:00-2:30 to help at the Grace Place Food Pantry. Volunteers help set up and distribute canned and fresh food to the clients. You may sign up in The Gathering Place or call the church office. Grace Place currently serves 300 families weekly. To learn more about our mission partner, visit their website at https://graceplacenaples.org

Church members had a wonderful visit to Youth Haven, one of our church's mission partners. Stay tuned for more opportunities to connect with our church mission partners!

Our Caregivers Support Group meets TODAY, Friday, March 22nd in N-101 at 2 p.m. All are welcome. For more information, please contact Joan Millon at joanmillon6@gmail.com.

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.

Join us this Sunday, March 24 between our 9 and 11 a.m service. Rich Kirschner will interview longtime member Roberta Buckley on the history and growth of our church. All are welcome!

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. 

Saturday, April 6 at 8 a.m.

Naples UCC will hold a Build Day with Habitat for Humanity of Collier County from 8 a.m. to noon. Our team will help build homes in The Whitaker Woods Project, at 5825 Whitaker Road, Naples, directly across from Youth Haven. Work begins promptly at 8 a.m. Volunteers are encouraged to drive directly to the site or pair up for carpooling. If you are interested please sign up in the Gathering Place after the service and register to participate at: tinyurl.com/NUCCbuild. When you register online, you will receive a confirmation with the site location and other details. If you do not sign up online, you will need to fill out a paper waiver when you arrive at the site. Join us for a fun day of service!



April 2, 9, 16, and 23 at 12:30 p.m. in 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. Books are available for purchase in the church office for $30.00. Please sign up in the Gathering Place or contact the church office at info@NaplesUCC.org. 



The long-range planning committee is looking for assistance in memorializing the storied history of Naples UCC. For as we embark on the future, we would indeed be wise not to lose sight of our past! If you love history or have a background in preservation, curation, or even just a love for scrapbooking—We could use your help. If interested, contact NUCC Vice Moderator Carole Fay: carole.fay@gmail.com

On Palm Sunday, March 24, we will have Joining Sunday for those interested in becoming a member of NUCC. What a wonderful opportunity to join during Holy Week! 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 before the 9:00 a.m. service or publicly during the 9:00 a.m. service. No joining will occur during the 11:00 a.m. service today. 

If you are interested in joining, 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 see Chelsea in the Gathering Place following our Sunday services!

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.

In recent weeks, as per our NUCC bylaws, a support team has been established for our newly installed Senior Minister Mark Williams! On the team: Kathy Book (Chair), Jeff Cutts, Bob Brown and Ronnie Bellone. We look forward to having our first meeting in April. If you'd like to be in touch with our team, kindly email us: MWpastorsupport@naplesucc.org

Monday, March 25 at 2:00 p.m. in N-207

One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin. 

Fiercely alive, disarmingly funny and brimming with tenderness, the debut novel by Marianne Cronin, The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot unwraps the extraordinary gift of life even when it is about to be taken away, and revels in our infinite capacity for friendship and love when we need them most. The March meeting begins with the book selection process for next season (Oct-April)

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, March 27, enjoy a walk along the Pelican Bay Berm beginning at the Naples Grande to the Butterfly Garden near the Commons Tram station. If time allows, we will walk the boardwalk down to South Beach. 

Meet in the church parking lot at 8:30 am. Anticipate our return to church by 10:00. Contact Merrill Noble at mwnoble56@gmail.com if you have questions or plan to attend for the first time.

Gulf Shore Association of Condominiums is having a community forum on Tuesday, March 26 from 9 - 10:30 am, with moderator and Naples City Council Member, Ray Christman. GSAC has extended an invitation for Naples UCC members who wish to attend. You may register at GSACNaples.org

Senior Minister Mark Williams is teaching a 12-week Bible Study on Ecclesiastes every Wednesday at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. in room N-207. Bring your favorite Bible of any translation. A simple handout with discussion questions will be distributed each session or can be printed here.

Never been to a Bible Study before? No problem. The discussions will be open to all interpretations, respectful of all opinions, and never dogmatic. Can’t make all the sessions? No problem. Each Wednesday the discussions will be unique. Hop in whenever you can!

Does life on earth really have meaning? Who is in control? What does it take to discover satisfaction and be content in this life? How is life lived wisely? The Book of Ecclesiastes encourages us to wrestle with these “big” questions.

Join us on March 31 at 9 and 11 a.m.

Sunrise Service

Rev. Angela Wells-Bean, preaching

Clam Pass at 7:00 a.m.

Easter Sunday Service

Rev. Dr. Mark Williams, Preaching

Sanctuary at 9:00 and 11:00 a.m.

Brass quintet, percussion, timpani

Sanctuary Choir

Join us for our final Lenten Midweek Meditation this Wednesday, March 27th at noon. Each week, we explored one of The Six “S” Disciplines of Our Faith: Study, Silence, Submission, Secrecy, Sacrifice, and Service. Rev. Angela Wells-Bean will offer the final meditation on March 27th, the “S” theme is SERVICE, with music provided by Ryan Little, French horn, and Dr. Alexandra Carlson, piano.

NUCC is the perfect church home for some who have recently moved to Naples or others who are searching for a new church home. Research shows that most people join a church because of a personal contact with a church member. What are the most important factors in a prospective member's search? The quality of the sermons and feeling welcomed by the clergy and church members - which is why the Membership and Growth Committee is continuing its initiative of encouraging all to be "Intentionally Invitational and Welcoming". Everyone is encouraged to invite a friend or neighbor to a service or a church event.

View the online calendar for NUCC here.

The church’s trip with People for Guatemala has been rescheduled! Our group of 10 people is traveling from April 1st - 7th. You can help their efforts by collecting toothbrushes for them to take to Guatemala. The toothbrushes need to be brand new, and they can be for children or adults. Look for a collection bin in the Narthex. We will be collecting them until Friday, March 29th. We are not collecting toothpaste. Thank you for your contributions!

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.

Join us for the All-Church Food Packing Event at Harry Chapin Food Bank. Choose from one of two sessions 8:30-11:30 a.m. or noon-3:00 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month. Sign up in the Gathering place or call the church office.

Sunday, April 7 

Our new mission partner is the Housing Development Corporation. With money provided by proceeds from Bargain Box sales, a church grant was given to their Home Buyers Academy program. This program offers counseling for those seeking homeownership of housing units created through the Collier County Community Land Trust. Affordable housing is a critical priority for Collier County as approximately 50% of renters and 35% of homeowners are cost-burdened. The Home Buyers Academy program helps individuals navigate the road to affordable housing. Meet their Executive Director, Michael Puchalla and learn more about their work. Additional information will be available in the Gathering Place between services. You may also visit their website at FloridaHelp.org.

NUCC Justice Committee and Greater Naples Leadership (GNL) are co-presenting a totally nonpartisan, impartial and informative presentation by Sandy Parker on April 8 from 3 to 5 p.m. in Beverly Hall. It will be live-streamed, but not recorded. So save the date!

Sandy has been keeping Collier residents informed about What’s on the Ballot, for years now. She has presented at the church in the past and is well known as a source of heavily researched, totally nonpartisan information. She has a monthly blog, Sparkers Soapbox, with over 3,000 subscribers,  https://www.sparkers-soapbox.com/, which covers news on local government and community actions.

The summer primary is often overlooked by residents, especially those who will go north for the warm months. But it can be a decisive election for many local offices. Florida will hold its 2024 Primary Elections on August 20. Some races will be decided on that date; winners in others will face off in the General Elections in November. In this presentation, we will review the state and local offices and candidates that will be on the ballot for Collier County voters and give you a jump-start for being a more informed voter. 

This program is open to members of NUCC and GNL.

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.

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

Did you know that water is mentioned over 80 times in various context in the Bible? That is how important water was to authors. Today, it continues to be important in our daily lives. Recently we were issued a warning by the South Florida Water Management District asking residents voluntarily limit lawn watering and to conserve water usage elsewhere.  

Genesis 1:26 New Revised Standard Version says:

Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”

However, we in the church today tend to shy away from God’s more specific call of dominion. This is somewhat understandable. For many of us in this current generation, the word “dominion” has gotten a bad rap: it implies some sort of aggressive or violent destruction.

Justin Holcomb provides some great insights on a more biblical view of dominion, focusing specifically on how it must mirror the dominion of our Creator. Holcomb writes:

Dominion does not mean destruction, but responsibility. It is important to avoid flawed convictions about the right and power of humankind in relation to the rest of the natural world. 

Justin is a bishop, professor, and author. He has written or edited twenty-two books on abuse, theology, and biblical studies. Justin is the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida. The water district anticipates water levels in aquifers will continue to decline without significant rainfall during the current dry season that runs from now until May. The Environment Subcommittee of the Justice Committee believes that water conservation is a social responsibility because water is essential for life, health, ecosystems, and development. Water is a finite and irreplaceable resource that needs to be managed sustainably. Only a small fraction of the water on Earth is fit for consumption, and it is threatened by pollution, overuse, and climate change. 

For this Lent, we are asking the congregation to help protect the environment by reducing our water usage thus conserving a life-giving gift from God. Please take a magnet of suggested ways to reduce your water, they can be found in the church Narthex. May this practice provide you with additional ways to conserve.

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