Rev. Craig Goodrich, Senior Pastor,

Greetings Dear FPC Naples family,

There is so much to write about! Not only are we in the heart of Naples, we are in the heart of “the Season.” The town’s population has swelled and the traffic is heavy. The sun is shining most days and our many friends from the north are gracing us with their presence. Worship attendance, now with two services, has increased significantly and all programs and activities are in full swing as you will see in the pages of this Outreach.

Of particular note is the weekend of February 18-19 during which we focused on and dedicated our Heritage Edition of TheSaint John’sBible, the first hand written and illuminated Bible (in seven volumes) since the invention of the printing press. A wonderful gift made possible by the vision and generosity of Jayne and Al Hilde Jr., their sons Tim, Todd and Bret, and the WestWings Family Foundation. Already it is igniting our spiritual imagination.

It is also now the season of Lent. It began on Ash Wednesday with the imposition of ashes on our foreheads made with the sign of the cross and with the words, “from dust to dust. You belong to Christ,” recognizing both our mortality and our hope in Christ.

Of Lent, our Book of Common Worship states:

“The season of Lent is a time for growth in faith-through prayer, spiritual discipline, and self-examination in preparation for the commemoration of the dying and rising of the Lord Jesus Christ. Lent is a period of forty days- like the flood of Genesis, Moses’ sojourn at Sinai, Elijah’s journey to Mount Horeb, Jonah’s call of repentance to Nineveh, and Jesus’ time of testing in the wilderness. The Sundays in Lent are not counted among the forty days, as every Lord’s Day is a celebration of Christ’s resurrection.”

As we travel this Lenten journey together I hope you will engage in your own spiritual practices, that you will join us for worship in person or online, and that you will be filled with the love of God. The apostle Paul puts it better than anybody in his letter to the Ephesians: “I pray that according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith as you are rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:16-19).

May you enjoy and be inspired by what you see and read in these pages, and thanks be to God!

From the heart of Naples with the love of God.

Faithfully and Gratefully,

From The Pulpit

March 5

Women’ sSunday

Nancy Van Fleet

“Living the Questions”

March 12

Rev. Craig Goodrich

“The Water of Life”

March 19

Rev. Rex Childs

March 26

Rev. Craig Goodrich

“A Good Friend”