August 2023 Outreach

August 2023

In the Heart of Naples with the Love of God: we worship, we love, we grow, we serve

TABLE OF CONTENTS

STAFF LISTING 236.262.1311 Phone Extensions

Rev. Rex Childs

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Ministers Rev. Craig Goodrich, Senior Pastor craigg@fpcnaples.org

Finance

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Rev. Rex Childs, Associate Pastor rexc@fpcnaples.org

Facilities

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Missions

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VBS Photos

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Nominating Committee

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Intergenerational CE

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Christian Education Jack Fogelman, Kidz Lab Teacher

Membership

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Audrey Gordon, Childcare Provider

Worship & Music Dr. Brice Gerlach, Director of Music Ministries briceg@fpcnaples.org David Fister, Audio-Visual Technician davidf@fpcnaples.org

2035 2027

2039 2044

Ashley Hancock, Christian Education Assistant ashley.hancock@fpcnaples.org

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Nancy Van Fleet, Director of Children and Youth nancyv@fpcnaples.org

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Office Sandy Knight, Office Assistant/Receptionist sandyk@fpcnaples.org

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Kathleen Law, Director of Publications and Social Media kathleenl@fpcnaples.org 2013 Sharman Pfaus, Executive Office Manager sharmanp@fpcnaples.org

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Susan Pratt, Assistant for Caring Ministries susanp@fpcnaples.org

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Debbie Savage, Director of Finance debbies@fpcnaples.org

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Facilities Lisa Ethier, Custodian lisae@fpcnaples.org

2016

Eduardo Martinez, Maintenance eduardom@fpcnaples.org

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Sandy Poore, Director of Facilities sandyp@fpcnaples.org

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Preschool Ashley Houk, Preschool Director ashleyh@fpcnaples.org Lindsay Clarke, Assistant Preschool Director lindsayc@fpcnaples.org

2009 2038

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Rev. Rex Childs, Associate Pastor, rexc@fpcnaples.org

Greetings members and friends of FPCN.

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have an exciting month ahead of us!

On Sunday, August 6 we’ll have a Back to School Blessing as part of the worship service as we pray for students, parents, teachers and staff. The new school year begins on August 10 when we’ll welcome back our preschool families. We can’t wait for them to see the new flooring! Be sure to check out the photos on page 5.

On August 13, we’ll have a guest preacher that will be familiar to us all – Lisa Lefkow.

She serves as the CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Collier County. Lisa preached for us last year and we are so grateful she has agreed to return.

From August 22 to August 27, the pastors from our partner church in Mantazas, Cuba will be here! Ary and Beidy were last with us before the pandemic, so we are thrilled to welcome them back to Naples. It was a joy to be with them in Cuba earlier this year and we continue to strengthen the bonds of Christian fellowship with their visit to us.

They will meet with the church staff as well as the Session, spend time in our preschool, lead presentations on Cuba throughout the presbytery and be in worship with us on Sunday. They are wonderful servants of God who lead Christ’s church amidst very challenging circumstances.

Also with us on Sunday, August 27, will be the Florida Gulf Coast Chamber Choir.

It’s a real joy to have such talented, young voices in worship and I always look forward to when they circle around the congregation and offer a sung blessing.

Very moving.

Finally, the month wraps up with Craig returning from his sabbatical! Hallelujah!

Craig’s first day back in the office will be Tuesday, August 29. The time sure has flown by, but we pray for his last few weeks to be restful as he prepares to return to us.

Thank you as always for your support and encouragement.

It’s truly a blessing to serve such a loving and caring congregation. I pray God’s blessing upon you wherever you may find yourself this month. We look forward to seeing you around the church soon.

Peace,

FROM THE PULPIT August 6

Back to School Blessing Rev. Rex Childs “Wrestling with God”

August 13 Guest Preacher Lisa Lefkow August 20 Rev. Rex Childs “Dog Food” August 27 Guest Preacher

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Finance

The second quarter of 2023 proved to be as busy as the first quarter of the year as we launched and completed the Narthex Renovation and Summer Projects campaign, where we raised about $250K in order to cover the costs for some necessary and exciting changes to our building. We continued actively using The Saint John’s Bible in a variety of ways, and have worked on enhancing and expanding our ability to be more accessible and better meet the needs of our congregation through technology. We celebrated staff, recognized graduating students, sent Craig off to enjoy a much needed and welldeserved sabbatical, took youth to Montreat, North Carolina for a retreat, and hosted Vacation Bible School for the first time in three years. None of this would have been possible without your financial support, so THANK YOU!

Doug Jensen, Committee Chair, d50.jensen@gmail.com Debbie Savage, Director of Finance, debbies@fpcnaples.org

We have received 248 pledges totaling almost $1.3M. Thank you to all of you who have already fulfilled your 2023 pledge, and a special thank you to all of you who stepped out in faith with us in ‘Growing Together Joyfully’ by increasing your pledges and giving. As you can see from our summary financials below, our budget is based on combined pledged and nonpledged tithes and offerings of $2.1M. We will definitely need to have strong giving for the second half of the year in order to come close to meeting our goal.

We continue to operate with a full church staff, with no turnover, and we continue providing a variety of outreach and caring ministries to address the needs of our congregation near and far. Our total expenses for the first half of 2023 are approximately $160K under budget year to date.

Some of our budgeted expenditures such as Missions’

Outreach, Insurance premiums, and Audit fees will be paid in the third quarter, so this margin will decrease.

At the end of the second quarter, we are facing a $260K operating shortfall. The first half of the budgeted transfer from the Endowment, ($150K) will be reflected in July’s financial summary, which will help us close the gap. We remain confident that God will provide and that we will be able cover the operating expenses with your assistance, which allow us to provide ministry and outreach by working together in the Heart of Naples with the Love of God, where we worship, we love, we grow, and we serve.

Thank you for your generous financial support during the first half of the year and we look forward to your help in achieving our 2023 ‘Growing Together Joyfully’ goal.

Again, thank you for your continued partnership and generosity as we move forward in the second half of the year!

Doug Jensen Finance Committee Chair Debbie Savage Director of Finance

Fran Engelhardt, Committee Chair, engelhardtfran@gmail.com Sandy Poore, Director of Facilities, sandyp@fpcnaples.org

Facilities

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Look what’s happening!

Narthex ceiling and tile floor removal

Building the wall to display The Saint John’s Bible

Air Conditioning vents in the ceiling being updated

Jassimides (Ushers) Ro0m tile floor and ceiling removed

Preschool office with new flooring

Preschool classroom with new flooring

The Wiggle Room and the Narthex entrance to the Sanctuary are closed. You may access the Sanctuary through the doors off the west parking lot (near the church reception area), through the courtyard entrance to Spencer Hall, and through the circular drive at the south end of the Sanctuary. Restrooms will be accessible during the construction.

There are caution signs and caution tape throughout the area.

Please be mindful of the signs for your own safety.

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Rev. Rex Childs, Associate Pastor, rexc@fpcnaples.org Don Grandi, dlgrandi@aol.com

Missions

The windows are in!

A small group travelled to the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance building site on Thursday, July 13. The tour was led by Carleton Cleveland, IFHA Board member. David Fister filmed a short “newscast” with Kathleen Law “news anchor” and Cleve explaining the mission of the IFHA. Visit our website’s Local Mission page to watch the video.

L to R: David Fister, Nancy Van Fleet, Nicholas Stewart, Susan Pratt, Carleton Cleveland, Kathleen Law

LEMONADE STAND

On Sunday, July 16, the Funday School children held a Lemonade Stand fundraiser.

We express our heartfelt gratitude for your support in making our lemonade stand a success. With your generous contributions, we were able to raise an incredible $393 for the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance.

This month we are helping to restock the food

Feed the 5,000 pantry of Grace Place.

Ushers will have a list available as you leave the Sanctuary the first Sunday of August. Food donations will be collected at the 6th Street church entrance on the second Sunday of the month, August 13.

If you prefer, monetary donations can be made online at www.fpcnaples.org/ give or checks may be made payable to "First Presbyterian Church" with the memo marked "Feed the 5,000" and placed in the collection plate.

Suggested items are:

Canned fruit Rice Dried beans Boxed stuffing Tomato sauce

Canned tomatoes Pasta Boxed mac & cheese Canned beans Canned veggies

Peanut butter Jelly Canned tuna, chicken, ham

Roni Haggart, Committee Chair, vhaggat@gmail.com Nancy Van Fleet, Dir. of Children & Youth, nancyv@fpcnaples.org

Vacation Bible School Fun!

Vacation Bible School

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Nominating Committee

Teresa Doane, Committee Co-Chair, twdoane@hotmail.com Janie Brown Casassa, Committee Co-Chair, jbyellowrose@gmail.com

First Presbyterian Church of Naples, Florida Nomination Form for the Position of Ruling ELDER: The Ministry of Governance and Discernment Name of person being nominated: ____________________________________________________ Self Nominated ____ Nominated by: ___________________________________( name of nominator) As there were in Old Testament times elders for the government of the people, so the New Testament church provided persons with particular gifts to share in discernment of God’s Spirit and governance of God’s people. Accordingly, congregations should elect persons of wisdom and maturity of faith, having demonstrated skills in leadership and being compassionate in spirit. Ruling elders are so named not because they “lord it over” the congregation (Matt.20:25), but because they are chosen by the congregation to discern and measure its fidelity to the Word of God, and to strengthen and nurture its faith and life. Ruling elders, together with ministers of the Word and Sacrament, exercise leadership, government, spiritual discernment, and discipline and have responsibilities for the life of a congregation as well as the whole church, including ecumenical relationships. When elected by the congregation, they shall serve faithfully as members of the session. [G-2.03 2019-2021 Book of Order] Why would you/this nominee be a gifted Ruling Elder? (check all that apply) ___Leadership skill ___Mature Christian faith and capable of spiritual discernment ___Effective and clear communication skills ___Actively participates in our worship life ___Actively involved in other church functions ___Openness and willingness to partner and cooperate with other church leaders ___Knowledge/skills in areas of Christian Education, Congregational Care, Facilities, Finance, Membership & Communications, Missions, Personnel, and/or Worship & Music In your own words, please describe why you/your nominee would be a good Elder:

Please return this form by September 1, 2023 to the Nominating Committee c/o Sharman Pfaus via mail to: FPC of Naples, 250 Sixth Street South, Naples, FL 34102 or leave it in the offering basket on Sunday to the attention of Sharman Pfaus.

Teresa Doane, Committee Co-Chair, twdoane@hotmail.com Janie Brown Casassa, Committee Co-Chair, jbyellowrose@gmail.com

Nominating Committee

First Presbyterian Church of Naples, Florida Nomination Form for the Position of DEACON: Ministry of Compassion and Service Name of person being nominated: _________________________________________________ Self Nominated: ____ Nominated by: ___________________________________(name of nominator) The ministry of a deacon as set forth in Scripture is one of compassion, witness and service, sharing in the redeeming love of Jesus Christ for the poor, the hungry, the sick, the lost, the friendless, the oppressed, those burdened by unjust policies or structures or anyone in distress. Persons of spiritual character, honest repute, exemplary lives, brotherly and sisterly love, sincere compassion and sound judgment should be chosen for this ministry. [G-2.02 2019-2021 Book of Order] Why would you/this nominee be a gifted Deacon? (check all that apply) ___Cares for others ___Mature Christian faith ___Can maintain confidences/trustworthy ___Sincere compassion ___Actively involved in worship and other church functions ___Openness and willingness to partner and cooperate with other church leaders in providing ministry ___Willingness to take on assignments and see them through to completion In your own words, please describe why you/your nominee would be a good Deacon:

Please return this form by September 1, 2023 to the Nominating Committee c/o Sharman Pfaus via mail to: FPC of Naples, 250 Sixth Street South, Naples, FL 34102 or leave it in the offering basket on Sunday to the attention of Sharman Pfaus.

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Intergenerational CE

Wednesday Morning Men:

Faith and Fellowship During August we will take a break from our regular format and meet at a local restaurant for breakfast.

If you would like to join the group, or have any questions/comments, please contact Bill Kearney at skearney239@comcast.net.

Roni Haggart, Committee Chair, vhaggart@gmail.com Rev. Rex Childs, Associate Pastor, rexc@fpcnaples.org

HUDDLE A Men’s Bible Discussion Group All men are invited and encouraged to gather with us in the Parlor each Thursday at noon.

Bring a Bible and your lunch!

If unable to attend in person, please join the meeting via Zoom.

Please contact Rex Childs at rexc@fpcnaples.org for Zoom instructions and a link to the meeting.

Thank You To everyone at First Presbyterian Church,

Women’s Ministry Bible Study All women are invited to join us for a weekly Bible Study, currently studying the Letter of James, held on Mondays at 1 p.m. in the Parlor.

Please bring your Bible.

We look to covenant with each other week by week as we delve into God’s Word. For more information contact Janeen McClure at jrmc@airmcclure.com.

I am touched beyond words by your thoughtfulness in thinking of me on my college graduation. It feels like yesterday when I was running around the halls of the Preschool and playing outside on the playground. Now here I stand today, a college graduate of Saint Leo University with a degree in Criminal Justice.

Thank you so much for the thoughtful graduation gifts. The prayer shawl, pebble, and gift card are all perfect; however, remembering me on this special day was so gracious of you.

Many thanks, Meghan Kennedy

(daughter of Preschool teacher, Colleen Kennedy)

Janie Casassa, Committee Chair, jbyellowrose@gmail.com Kathleen Law, Dir. of Publications and Social Media, kathleenl@fpcnaples.org

Membership

August 1 Lisa Ethier Saralene Oldham Garrett Richter

August 24 Forrest Thye Sue Vernia

August 8 Laura Colville Ben Martin Linda Secrest Jan Witman

August 2 Nancy Erdly August 3 Duncan Connell Anne Marie Weber August 4 Augie Ingoglia Lucy Kuhne Russ Richardson Corbin Wyant August 5 Ramona Winger August 6 Brice Gerlach Fred Hoffman JoAnn Luster August 7 Jackie Cusick Jean Kasten

August 10 Sam Allen Ali Claremont Sted Garber Pat Hueter Jeff Rogers August 11 Jerry Perkins Dan Stellema August 12 Pat Bailey Mary Nourse Cal Pratt August 13 Geri Brandt David Brewin Tom Gallant Melanie Jones Gretchen Knoll Cathy Norris Sandy Poore

August 14 Joyce Butts August 15 Nancy Kiningham Michael Mans Karen Martin August 17 Julia Bussell John Jordan August 18 Jolly Birtwistle August 20 William Brock Jane Graham Ann Ryerson Grant Wagner August 21 Pamela Pellerito Marie Simele August 22 Kathleen Maier

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August 26 Barbara Henneman Dee Hook Geoff Wardwell August 27 Judy Fultz Patricia Mac Minn Nancy McLaughlin August 29 George Craig Stephen McClure August 30 Linda Cleveland Terry Hoogenboom Gary Nordbrock John Rader Catherine Willett August 31 Gene Fraley Eileen Malstrom Bob Walkenhorst

In Memoriam

Do you want to know more about our faith, this congregation and how to become a member of our church?

Douglas “Gene” McCree

A Seekers and Joiners class will be held in the Parlor on Sunday, August 20 following the service.

July 9, 2023

Suzanne Rose July 21, 2023

Information packets are available at the exit doors or at the class.

Please register by calling the church office at 239.262.1311 or by e-mailing Sandy Knight at sandyk@fpcnaples.org.

First Presbyterian Church of Naples 250 Sixth Street South Naples, FL 34102 www.fpcnaples.org 239.262.1311

Non-Profit Org. Postage PAID Naples, FL 34102 Permit No. 8

Florida Gulf Coast Chamber Choir Dr. Trent Brown, Director

Sunday, August 27 We welcome the FGCU Chamber Choir during our worship service at 9:30 a.m.