Carryit Forward
Dear Friends in Christ, North Naples Church ministered to our community for over 25 years before my 1992 appointment. A preschool, the Caring Place already existed. My first year in Naples, I form ulated a vision for the Church. It was based upon my experience as native Floridian: when desirable small towns grow in Florida, they lose their sense of community. They may become bigger, but not necessarily better. I challenged the church to become intentional in being a positive force for good in every facet of the growing community—education, finance, legal, government, the arts, sports, etc. We established three core values: quality, acceptance and integrity. Everything we did should be done to the best of our ability. We would welcome all persons in the name of Christ. Ethics must never be compromised. I didn’t realize this God-inspired vision would result in the church’s rapid growth and 2000 relocation to a much larger campus. Nor did I imagine that the Caring Place would transform into a dynamic independent school, now serving over 500 children and youth. During my 27 years as pastor of North Naples Church, I have sought to carry forward the wonderful values I found when I was appointed. For me, the vision has always been spiritual and relational. I have wanted people to know Jesus’ love and to become his disciples. I have wanted to serve all generations, but focus on reaching young people. 2
Carrying out the vision in a place like Naples meant that every ministry needed to strive for excellence. We would reach people through providing outstanding music and worship, offering compassionate personal ministries, and instituting exceptional programs. The largest outreach to young families became The Village School. For over a quarter of a century, my wife Ginger and I have sought to create quality ministries through the church and school. The focus wasn’t on money, property or buildings. These were necessary to provide the setting for the quality ministries. As Ginger and I step aside, we celebrate that the Village School has recruited an outstanding new leader in Dennis Chapman. Soon, a younger pastor will be appointed to carry it forward. Ginger and I are confident that the future is bright! We believe the church and school will continue to grow not only numerically but in quality. However, we have one concern. We must reduce the debt. I want to set up the best financial situation for my successor and Dennis. By addressing the financial obligations now it will allow the church and school more flexibility to address opportunities anticipated and unanticipated. I am asking everyone to consider the great things from which they have benefited through God’s grace and His everlasting love. I am asking people to consider the great things yet to be accomp lished through the church and school. I am asking people to prayer fully study their resources as we consider the challenge before us. I am asking you to be generous in your commitment. I am asking you to “Carry it Forward.” Blessings! Dr. Ted Sauter, Senior Pastor tsauter@nnumc.org | 239.593.7600 ext. 206
Dear Friends, My family is excited to be a part of The Village School and North Naples Church! It is both organizations’ rich history of continual growth combined with dedicated service to God and the community that brought us here. North Naples Church and The Village School are inextricably linked. The church is the school’s parent organization and the school is the church’s largest mission. Together they are a powerful force for improving the lives of the membership, students, and school families while showing Christ’s love to the Naples community. There is no doubt that ALL of the facilities on the NNC/TVS campus are needed. Between the activities of the church and the school often great cooperation and creativity is needed to find appropriate space for worship services, performances, meetings, classes, chapel sessions, recreational and athletic activities, etc. for adults, children and families. What a great problem to have! It’s my firm belief that our facility utilization must be among the highest in the United Methodist Church. As membership in the church and enrollment at the school increase, so will the difficulty of accommodating all of the necessary and beneficial activities each institution offers. At some point in the future we will be looking to enhance our facilities. Before that can happen we need to greatly reduce or eliminate the capital obligations that have accumulated over the years. The “Carry it Forward” Campaign is intended to do just that. Reducing indebtedness will have a positive effect on the church’s and school’s operating budgets. The carrying costs of current obligations are already significant. If we have to fully amortize them in the form of principal and interest payments over an extended period of time our ability to serve the congregation, students and the greater Naples area will be significantly limited. With God’s blessing and our willingness to step forward in faith together we can ensure that the “Carry it Forward” Campaign will be a great success. With gratitude, Dennis Chapman, Head of School dchapman@tvsnaples.org | 239.593.7686 ext. 222 3
Our
Story
Our journey began in 1963 when Reverend Harry Partham of First Methodist Church in Naples bought five acres of land on Seagate Drive for the expansion of Methodism in Collier County. On November 26, 1966, North Naples Church was born and began meeting at Seagate Elementary School. Two years later, our first church building was built on Seagate Drive. • In 1985, The Caring Place Preschool began as an outreach to families. The Caring Place began out of an aspiration to offer a safe, quality environment to respond to the needs of families with small children.
• In 2004, the Wesley Center was built, which included the Youth Room, Library, upstairs classrooms, and expansion of the Gym, adding 25,000 sq. ft. to our campus. At the same time, we also purchased the 12 acres to the south of the Worship Center for future expansion.
• In 1992, Dr. Ted Sauter became pastor and a period of stabilization, renewal and growth began.
• In 2007, we expanded the Village School which doubled the classrooms and added the Schoolhouse Offices.
• In 1993, Ginger Sauter was named Head of Caring Place Preschool.
• In 2016, the Upper School building was constructed and opened in the fall with a freshmen class of sixteen students.
• In 1996, the church voted 95% in favor of purchasing 23 acres on Goodlette Road where the current church is located. 4
• In 2000, we moved to our new location on Goodlette Road where we had built the Worship Center, Chapel, Caring Place (Pre-K and Nursery) renamed to The Village School, Gym and the elementary classrooms of the Village School.
• In 2018, Ginger Sauter, Head of School of 26 years retired and the new TVS Head of School was named, Dennis Chapman.
Through the
Years
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North Naples
Church
North Naples Church is passionate about showing Christ’s love to the Naples community. We are a United Methodist congregation that has been a part of Naples for 50+ years. Our mission is North Naples Church is a family, inspiring and equipping me to follow Jesus. NNC’s early beginnings at Seagate Elementary began with 86 people. Today, our church has over 2,200 church members a part of our family. Over the course of 27 years under Dr. Ted Sauter’s pastoral leadership, our church has been continually advancing with tremendous growth in membership and ministries. There are currently over 100 ministries with opportunities ranging from children’s to missions. Our church continues to thrive and is recognized as one of the top 100 United Methodist congregations in the nation.
Carrying
it
Forward
This year we will welcome our new senior pastor. In order to carry forward our excellent services, year-round discipleship opportunities and to pave the way for the next pastor to succeed, our current financial obligations must be alleviated. Additional facilities have been added to accommodate our growth. While the intention has been to pay for these facilities as we grow, the pace of our growth has surpassed the current funds to fully cover the cost of new and expanded facilities. Our hope is to eliminate the capital obligations of our campus so that we can look forward to the future opportunities God has for us.
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My husband and I tried out many churches before North Naples Church. Once we found this church, we were so pleased and it was like a void had been filled. When Pastor Ted Sauter arrived in 1992, I thought his sermons were so interesting and you could tell he loved preaching and still does today. This is a wonderful place, everyone is so nice and kind and has been an incredible support system for me.
”
—Connie Chestnut, Member Since 1972
This is a
wonderful
place...
“
We have been attending North Naples Church in the winter for 15 years. The church appealed to us because of Pastor Ted, the music, missions and the emphasis on investing in youth. They are the hope for the future of the church. North Naples is truly a community of faith. Giving is important to us as we have been blessed, but all of the funds belong to God. —Jane & Royce Reynolds, Members Since 2003
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School
The Village
The Village School is the largest mission of North Naples Church. Our investment in Christian education enables us to share the Gospel with the next generation. The mission of The Village School is to provide an environment that EMPOWERS and INSPIRES students to think and CREATE solutions to challenges in an ever-changing world. TVS uses project-based learning in a rigorous academic environment to enable students to work collaboratively, think critically, and problem solve with purpose, while instilling Christian values in their lives.
The Village School began offering education for Kindergarten-2nd Grade and had 37 students enrolled. The school has expanded to teach babies through 11th grade with a total of 505 students. TVS is the first independent STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) School in Collier County. Through the academic rigor of more than 70 courses offered, 38 sports, central focus on 23 Christ Skills and more, TVS is on the cutting edge of true 21st century teaching and learning.
Carrying
it
Forward
In the spring of 2020, TVS will have its first graduating high school class. We aspire to continue in advancing The Village School’s cutting edge STEAM program. In order to keep creating a safe space for students to inquire, design and create content that incorporates all of the STEAM disciplines, it is critical to eliminate our capital debt.
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We feel very fortunate and thankful for the last 10 years our daughter Lauren has attended The Village School and been a part of the North Naples Church family. We have found the right place, at the right time with the right people. —Robynn, Tim and Lauren Tayon
”
“
Ginger Sauter created a school that engages a community of learning in a Christian environment and Pastor Ted Sauter provided the leadership that established the Village School as a ministry of the church. Just as our Lord Jesus Christ was a master of multiple intelligence teaching, the teachers of the Village School are experts at igniting the minds of our children (by adopting a learning platform that is grounded in contemporary neuroscience research).
We have found the right
place...
”
—Dr. Lou Traina
“
North Naples Church and The Village School have been an integral part of our family life ever since we moved to Naples five years ago. We are here most days of the week, whether it is for school drop offs, Cub Scouts, study groups, Upward sports, or the many other events on campus. Being involved is the least we can do to ensure these types of learning, networking and growth opportunities continue to be a positive influence in our family and the community. —Carolyn, Eric, Abby, Will and JJ Homberger
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Carrying
it
Forward
for the Next Generation
When you give to North Naples Church, a child is able to learn how loved they are by God, whether it is on a Sunday morning or throughout the week in the classrooms of The Village School. When we give, we become a part of what God is doing in the next generation and beyond. The Carry it Forward Campaign has been created to carry forward all that God has orchestrated through North Naples Church and The Village School thus far. In addition to our campus mortgage, this created additional debt. Our total mortgage obligation is $9,980,000. Â The completion of a successful campaign will reduce financial stress on the church and school respective operating budgets and lead the way for our growing organizations to have the opportunity for further expansion.
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We invite you to help us alleviate the remaining financial obligation by carrying forward God’s vision to continue reaching the next generation. Every dollar counts and will make a difference in the lives of children and youth in our community.
Every Gift Counts North Naples Church The Village School Remaining Capital Naming Opportunities God has blessed NNC and TVS with a beautiful campus. There are currently 25 naming opportunities available for our church and school buildings. Please consider supporting the Carry it Forward campaign by leaving a legacy through naming a space. If you are interested in any of the naming opportunities, please check the interest box on the enclosed return envelope. All pledge contributors to the Carry it Forward Campaign will be included on a honorary plaque.Â
Facility/Area Upper School Building Upper School Gymnasium Upper School Dining Hall Library & Media Center Administration Wing Church/Upper School Reception Lobby Science Classroom (Large) Science Classroom (Small) Art Studio Upper School Courtyard Strength & Conditioning Center (aka: Training & Weight Room)
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Original Minimum Gift Amount
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Student Classroom 7 Athletic Offices 1 Concession Stand 1 Locker Rooms 2 Science Center Balcony 1 Student Center Mezzanine 1 High School Administrative Meeting Room 1
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3,000,000 1,000,000 $ 150,000 $ 300,000 $ 250,000 $ 200,000 $ 200,000 $ 200,000 $ 100,000 $ 75,000 $ 75,000
$
50,000 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ 25,000 $ $
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PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Naples, FL Permit No. 35
239.593.7600 6000 Goodlette Road N. Naples, Florida 34109
Carry it Forward