T h e F i r s t P r e s b y t e r i a n C h u r c h o f N a p l e s

IN THIS ISSUE

From Rev. Goodrich 2

Music 3

Session 4

Finance 5

Presbyterian Women 6

Missions 6

Congregational Care 8

Calendar 9

Preschool 10

Children and Youth 11

News & Events 12

New Members 15

January 2016

2 Rev. Craig Goodrich, SeniorPastor/Head of Staff craigg@fpcnaples.org

Dear Friends, As we head into the New Year, the year of our Lord 2016, it is a good time to look back with gratitude and forward with hope. As I look back on 2015, I am grateful for the warm

welcome you have extended to Andie and to me (and to many of our visiting family members!) as we have arrived and started to settle here in Naples. I am grateful for our exceptional staff who exhibit an amazing team spirit, creativity and love for our congregation; grateful for elders and deacons who have governed and served so well and compassionately. I am grateful for the extraordinary gift of music and for Sunday morning worship with growing attendance, including more children and youth; grateful for the Presbytery's encouragement and support, and for the welcome of other PCUSA pastors. I am grateful for the wonderful Christmas Eve children's pageant and our inspiring candlelight service and singing "Silent Night" all together by candlelight. I am grateful for our outreach into community and for our letting folks know that we are here "In the Heart of Naples, With the Love of God." As we turn the corner and begin our journey into the New Year, I am hopeful. And I hope you are as well. I am hopeful for the return of many of our members and friends for the Season; hopeful for continued momentum sustained by the Spirit; hopeful for a greater partnership with the Presbytery and our sister churches; hopeful that we might develop more educational opportunities and programs.

The overall preaching theme for the Sundays up until Lent will be "Courage." And we will begin on Sunday, January 3 with the sermon "The Courageous Journey." On January 24 we will kick-off our Stewardship Campaign, led by Duncan Connell and our Generosity Ministry Committee. Our theme will be "Courageous Generosity, A Time for Renewal." Our hope is that 2016 will be a time of "renewal," including the renewal of the financial health of our congregation. I hope also that we will be patient with our expectations and with each other, and vigilant and faithful in our daily walk with God. And finally, I hope and that we will individually and together put down deeper roots into the soil of God's grace at the same time as we grow new branches extending God's love to the community and world through compassionate mission and service. May God grant us courage to follow Jesus Christ and may we know joy in the journey! Happy New Year!

3 Dr. Brice Gerlach, Director of Music Ministries, briceg@fpcnaples.org Music

Daniela Shtereva, violin Alexandra Carlson, piano

Sunday, January 31, 2016 4:00 p.m.

Daniela Shtereva was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, into a family with preserved musical traditions for five generations. She began violin lessons with Elena Doykova and completed her high school studies with Elena Koynova. Shtereva holds a bachelors degree from the National Conservatory of Music in Sofia, an M.M. degree from Louisiana State University and an Artist Diploma from Carnegie Mellon University. Currently, Shtereva performs as a member of the Naples Philharmonic and performs on a violin and a bow generously on loan from her teacher – Cyrus Forough. She joined the Naples Philharmonic in 2008.

Alexandra Carlson earned her Master of Piano Performance and her Doctorate of Musical Arts, cum laude, from the St. Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory. She now performs a wide range of solo, chamber and orchestral works in Russia, Europe and the USA. Since moving to Naples she has performed in The Rachmaninoff Festival, the US-Russia Bridge Project Festival, and the Arts Naples World Festival. She has also appeared with the Naples Philharmonic and in the Sypert Salon Series at Artis—Naples, and in the Guest Artists Recital Series at the Bower School of Music at Florida Gulf Coast University.

These virtuosic artists combine their talents in a concert that will feature Guilllaume Lekeu’s Violin Sonata and Violin Caprices by Niccolo Paganini.

Doors open at 3 p.m. There is no charge for the concert. A free will offering will be taken.

Reception to follow in Spencer Hall.

4 Session Libby Biehl, Clerk of Session, libbykb629@gmail.com

Elders

Class of 2016 Janie Casassa Franklin Ellis

Richard Green Betty Mangos Joanne Slager

Class of 2017 Michael Calyore Barbara Church

Don Grandi Shirley Hagerson

David Weigel

Class of 2018 Libby Biehl

Norman Brown Duncan Connell Keith Gahagan

Janet Root

Deacons

Class of 2016 Florence Calyore Linda Gadkowski Midge Murdock

Gary Root Pat Stevens

Mary Vande Voren Jeanie Weigel

Class of 2017

Bob and Pat Collins Kathy Grandi Nina Howard Jane Long Bill Morgan

Jeanne Perkins Terri Storter

Debbie Warren

Class of 2018 Tom Anderson

Barbara Ann Budd Ben Jones

Marylyn Rustman Dan and Diane Stellema

Dorie Tichenor

Serving First Presbyterian Church of Naples

Ordination and Installation of new Elders and Deacons will take place on Sunday, January 10, 2016 at the 10 a.m. worship service.

5 Finance

Missions

Richard Green, Finance Committee Chair, rgreen@cbcworldwide.com

Endowment Committee

LUNCH and LEARN

Come and learn about managing your money. WOMONEY (women and money) will be given in Spencer Hall on Monday, January 18, from 12-1 p.m., and Monday, January 25, from 12-1 p.m. In this workshop you will be taught by Linda Gadkowski, a fee-only certified planner (practice closed to new clients) with 25 years of experience. You will receive a 25 page workbook covering all aspects of personal financial planning. The second session will be led by Kris Kaltenborn, portfolio manager from Northern Trust Bank, who will be discussing First Church’s endowment investments, estate planning and opportunities for gifting to the church. Bring a bag lunch. Brave men are also welcome. There is no charge for the events. Please contact the church at 239.262.1311 to make a reservation.

Congress passed and made permanent the provision permitting IRA owners 70 1/2 years of age and older to donate as much as $100,000 a year directly to a charity. This counts as part of the owner’s annual required distribution. This also helps reduce higher taxes on Social Security and Medicare because the contribution does not count as income. Example: Required distribution amount is $25,000. With a donation to the church of $10,000, only $15,000 has to be taxed. Please contact Linda Gadkowski 239.775.9901 if you have any questions.

6 Presbyterian Women Joan Gust, PW Moderator, jrwgust@gmail.com

PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN’S GATHERING January 13— Women’s Gathering will take place at noon in Spencer Hall. The program will be our own Betsy Grant, who will demonstrate flower arranging and three lucky

guests will go home with an arrangement. Menu: Egg bake, broccoli, gelatin salad, cake with strawberries. Reservations ($7) will be available in Spencer Hall on Sunday, January 3 and January 10. CIRCLE MEETINGS The third week of the month is Circle meeting week. LOOKING FORWARD January 17—Blanket Sunday (see page 15) February 3—Gathering

HONORARY LIFE MEMBERSHIP AWARDED AT DECEMBER GATHERING Honorary Life Memberships are awarded to individuals by their local church groups to honor members for their commitment to Christ and the mission of the church. This tradition was started in 1912 and the contributions to this fund support the training of women for future leadership in the church.

First Presbyterian Women awarded an Honorary Life Membership to Mary Vande Voren. Mary has been a member for over 10 years and during that time has served as a deacon, Blood Drive Organizer, Red Kettle Bell Ringer Organizer, PW Circle Leader, PW Bible Facilitator

and front office volunteer. Congratulations and Thank you, Mary!

Feed the 5,000

Luke 9:10-17

The Salvation Army is an evangelical, international, Christian church. Its mission is to teach and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, and to meet human needs in His name. Your gift

will help restock the pantry of the Salvation Army. The food drop location is on the Sixth Street entrance of the church. Someone will be there to help you with the bag on the second Sunday of the month. Just as Christ took five loaves and two fish and multiplied them to provide for the 5,000, your gift can do the same. If you

prefer, checks may be made payable to "First Presbyterian Church" with the memo marked "Feed the 5,000." Suggested Items: 2 cans of kidney, pinto, or baked beans 2 cans of tuna, chicken, or ham 1 jar of peanut butter 1 jar of jelly or jam 1 can of fruit 1 can of vegetables 1 box of macaroni and cheese 1 pound of pasta 1 jar pasta sauce 1 pound of rice

Missions Betty Mangos, Mission Committee Chair, cmangosdds@comcast.net

7

Missions

“I will give You thanks in the great congregation; I will praise You among a mighty throng.” (Psalm 35:18, NASB) “When we worship together in a corporate setting at church, prayer meeting or Bible study, that power is multiplied. One can put a thousand to flight, but two can put ten thousand to flight. That’s why it’s so important that we give thanks and worship when we come together in our church services.” It is also why we do great things in mission work together, whether it is with money or time or prayer. Throng means together--a crowd. We go out into the world to do God’s work as one--First Presbyterian Church-- and we not only show the community and the world that we care, we come together as a whole showing that our church cares about hunger and injustice. We stand together and our power is multiplied. We were blessed to have had the Director of World Missions PCUSA, Dr. Hunter Farrell visit us in November. Presbyterians send 168 missionaries into dangerous places to teach, feed, and minister to people who have never been taken care of and who need to hear that Jesus cares about them. We here at FPCN support Presbyterian World Mission Agency and they need our help. This is something we can do when the nightly news horrifies us with stories of injustice. It’s a good time in the history of the world to show people who Jesus is. The quote

so often used--”we talk of the Second Coming--half the world has never heard of the First”. That statement startles me and shows how much we take for granted. Even though I cannot personally do this work, I can help World Missions PCUSA do it. I think that everyone in our church has a heart for mission work. Sometimes it is just a matter of getting hooked up, making the call to volunteer, remembering to write the check, being in touch with others who are out in the field. On January 24, the Missions Committee invites you to browse through the tables in Spencer Hall at our Mission Fair. These are agencies our church supports. There may be volunteer opportunities that you would be interested in. Can you volunteer every week? one time? one hour? Would you like to learn about where our mission donations go? There will be no asking for money--our donation to these agencies are given together as a church from our tithes and offerings or our donations to the Mission Fund. Here our congregation can see where we are investing our money, if who we support is meaningful to us, if we are making a difference. Charitable giving is important to all of us and to our church. Something new! Our very special “Care Bear” is in Spencer Hall. Drop in your change each week so that we can put food in backpacks of needy children at Big Cypress Elementary School.

We are joining Moorings PC on this project providing 5 backpack food packs per week at a cost of approximately $5 each. Our youth will assemble them including a “love note of encouragement” on Tuesday, then the food is discreetly placed by the child’s teacher while they are at recess every Friday. This is something you should know--there are children who get up in the morning to go to school, not from the comfort of their beds or homes. They are homeless, some living in their cars. This small gift provides a little extra food for the weekend for children who are eligible for free breakfast and lunch during the week while they are in school. Check your pockets--do you have some spare change for this worthwhile project? Maybe you would like to “bear” sit some month--it’s easy. And if you would be willing to deliver backpack food to the school, would you call me? We want as many as possible from the congregation to get involved. My number is 239.254.9883. Thank you! God bless us in the New Year. Betty Mangos Chair, Missions Committee

Missions Betty Mangos, Mission Committee Chair, cmangosdds@comcast.net

8 Congregational Care Shirley Hagerson, shagerson@comcast.net

Now the holidays are over and all the family and guests are gone, do you find yourself a little on the lonely side? Would you, a member of the

family or a friend enjoy having a visitor from the Care Visitation Ministry?

We are a ministry who is willing to

provide support and friendship for people who are incapacitated at home or in a care facility. If you would like a visitor please call either Carolyn Smith Bennett at 239.214.0048 or Shirley Hagerson at 239.596.3125.

Someone once said the best Christmas gift is a family all wrapped up in each other. Hopefully your holiday was filled with joyous times shared with friends and family. Hopefully you felt anew the joy of the birth of our Christ. Hopefully your spirits were lifted by the various traditions that come with the celebration of His birth. But for some people, holidays heighten their hollow feeling due to separation from those people they most love. Or maybe illness or other unfortunate circumstances limited their joy. Such sorrow can spill over into one’s faith in the goodness of the Lord. If your holidays bring too much sadness, you might want to contact First Presbyterian’s Stephen Ministry. Stephen Ministry provides one-on-one Christian care to those in need. Lay Stephen Ministers serve as a confidential ear; walking alongside a person experiencing personal troubles, making sure those who are hurting know they can safely share their pain with someone who cares, and praying with them for the Lord’s guidance. After each Sunday service a Stephen Minister is

available in Spencer Hall. You might want to

stop by to look at materials and talk to that

Sunday’s caregiver to find out more about the

ministry.

STEPHEN

MINISTRY

In Memoriam

Robert Lowe

December 18, 2015

Raymond Keegan December 22, 2015

Sandy Poore, Director of Facilities, sandyp@fpcnaples.org Calendar 9

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

January 2016

1 HAPPY

NEW YEAR

2

3

8:30 & 10 a.m. Communion Worship 9:30 a.m. Sunday School 12 p.m. Cumberland Church

4 1 p.m. PW Search Committee

5 7 a.m. Breakfast Bible Study (separate location)

9:30 a.m. Bible Facilitators 11 a.m. Alzheimer’s Support Group 1 p.m. Preschool Happy Feet

6 12 p.m. Preschool Parent Meeting 7 p.m. Choir 7 p.m. Cumberland rehearsal

7 9:30 a.m. Stephen Ministry 12 p.m. Huddle 7 p.m. Cumberland Church

8 9:30 a.m. Cookie Baking 1 p.m. Preschool Happy Feet

9 9 a.m. Dea-con’s Retreat 2 p.m. Mary Martin Memorial Service

10 8:30 & 10 a.m. Worship 9:30 a.m. Sunday School 10 a.m. Installation/Ordination Deacons/Elders 11 a.m. Children’s Choir 12 p.m. Cumberland Church

11 10 a.m. Men’s Club

12 7 a.m. Breakfast Bible Study (separate location)

8 a.m. Facilities Committee 9 a.m. Prayer Shawl Meeting 1 p.m. Worship & Music Committee 1 p.m. Preschool Happy Feet 2 p.m. HS Youth 2:30 p.m. Mission Committee

13 9 a.m. CE Commit-tee 11 a.m. PW Coordinating Team 12 p.m. PW Gathering 2 p.m. Personnel 7 p.m. Choir 7 p.m. Cumberland rehearsal

14 10 a.m. Sew & Sews 12 p.m. Huddle 4 p.m. Middle School Youth Group 7 p.m. Cumberland Church

15 OUTREACH DEADLINE 9:30 a.m. Cookie Baking 1 p.m. Preschool Happy Feet

16

17 Blanket Sunday 8:30 & 10 a.m. Worship 9:30 a.m. Sunday School 10 a.m. Adult Sunday School 11 a.m. Children’s Choir 12 p.m. Cumberland Church

18 Preschool Closed 12 p.m. Lunch & Learn—Womoney

19 7 a.m. Breakfast Bible Study (separate location)

9 a.m. Prayer Shawl Meeting 9:30 a.m. Faith/Joy Circle 3 p.m. Finance Mtg. 5:30 p.m. Deacon’s

20 9:30 Love & Friendship Circle 12 p.m. Sunshine Circle 1 p.m. Peace w/Honor Circle 1:30 p.m. Kitchen planning 7 p.m. Choir 7 p.m. Cumberland rehearsal

21 12 p.m. Huddle 4 p.m. Middle School Youth Group 7 p.m. Cumberland Church

22 9:30 a.m. Cookie Baking 1 p.m. Preschool Happy Feet

23

24 Missions Fair 8:30 & 10 a.m. Worship 9:30 a.m. Sunday School 10 a.m. Adult Sunday School 11 a.m. Children’s Choir 12 p.m. Cumberland Church 4 p.m. Concert

25 7:30 a.m. Blood Drive 10 a.m. Men’s Club 12 p.m. Lunch & Learn—Womoney

26 7 a.m. Breakfast Bible Study (separate location)

9 a.m. Prayer Shawl Meeting

27 7 p.m. Choir 7 p.m. Cumberland rehearsal

28

10 a.m. Sew & Sews 12 p.m. Huddle 4 p.m. Middle School Youth Group 7 p.m. Cumberland Church

29 9:30 a.m. Cookie Baking 1 p.m. Preschool Happy Feet

30

31 8:30 & 10 a.m. Worship 9:30 a.m. Sunday School 10 a.m. Adult Sunday School 11 a.m. Children’s Choir 12 p.m. Cumberland Church 4 p.m. Concert

This calendar does not necessarily include all events that are scheduled at the church. For additional information, call 239.262.1311 or visit the website www.fpcnaples.org. Contact Director of Facilities, Sandy Poore at 239.262.1311 ext. 228 or sandyp@fpcnaples.org to reserve a room for your meeting. Please do not assume that if a room is vacant that it is available for use. This will alleviate any awkward situations from occurring.

10 Preschool Ashley Houk, Preschool Director, ashleyh@fpcnaples.org

How do you spell Christmas? The Preschool recently held its annual Christmas sing-along. To make things a little more interesting and fun, Shana helped by finding a skit for the parents to perform.

During the skit, the parents were asked to voice a line that used each letter of Merry Christmas to begin a sentence. Each sentence was intended to leave each one of us with a renewed feeling of peacefulness and joy during the Christmas season. The parents were given their lines and a letter pasted to a large poster board. The letters were read out of order and, following their lines, the parents were asked to stand in a specific space. At the end of the skit, the letters were supposed to spell “Merry Christmas”. We were so excited to involve some of our parents, grandparents and even two previous students. As the skit progressed, I realized that something wasn’t quite right! The letter ‘H’ is not the first letter of Christmas! Oh, no. Would the parents think poorly of us for spelling two very important words incorrectly when they expect us to teach their children to spell, and essentially read? Fortunately, it was just the opposite. I explained that, as Preschoolers, we often misspell and mispronounce. It’s often a hazard of learning, but the key is that we learn from these mistakes. Luckily, the parents were amused and continued to enjoy the evening. Christmas is the time of year that we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. It is so important for us to find peace and joy, whether we spell it correctly or not.

It’s the meaning of the season that we need to focus on!

First Presbyterian Preschool’s

50th Anniversary Celebration

Save the Date! February 20, 2016

5:30 to 8 p.m.

Food truck— Boys and Girls Club Blue CanTEEN food truck

Ice cream truck Deejay Crazy Z providing

musical entertainment Outdoor movie (Happy Feet) Face painting Balloon art Free popcorn

Sponsored by:

11

Family, children and youth Events

Children and Youth Shana Dublan, Director of Children and Family Ministries

shanad@fpcnaples.org

Family Fun Sunday

January 17

Following the 10 a.m. service let’s get together and go Glow Golfing.

We will meet at the mall and enjoy lunch together. Then we’ll follow it up with a

round of golf.

This event is $10 per person and requires registration.

We will not be hosting a First Friday in January. Our normal schedule will resume on Friday, February 5 with the movie Gnomeo & Juliet. Registration forms are available online or in the Christian Education office.

February 5 First Friday

Gnomeo and Juliet

5:30-8:30 p.m.

Hotdogs Fresh garden salad

Tater tots and applesauce

If you are interested in any of these events, either as a volunteer or participant, please contact Shana Dublan, Director of Children and Family Ministries, at shanad@fpcnaples.org or 239.262.1311 ext. 229.

12 News and Events Kathleen Law, Coordinator of Communications, kathleenl@fpcnaples.org

Monday, January 25

7:30 - 11:30 a.m.

Sign up in Spencer Hall on the

following Sundays:

January 10, 17, or 24

or

call Pat & Bob Collins

239. 261.6649

Blood

Drive

BLANKET

SUNDAY JANUARY 17

BLANKETS needed! Our annual collection of GENTLY USED or NEW blankets, bedding (pillows, sheets, cases), and warm clothing (jackets, hats, sweaters) will be collected on Sunday, January 17. Monetary donations are also accepted to assist in supplying the needs of Collier County’s homeless and less fortunate population during chillier weather. These items will be taken to St. Matthew's House and the Immokalee Friendship House. Let YOUR HEART influence your generosity to create warmth and joy for those in need. Checks should be made out to First Presbyterian Church with “Blanket Sunday” marked in the memo.

SAVE THE DATE Saturday, March 5

Congregational Dinner

Irish dancers, Irish food and Irish songs!

More info in February Outreach

13

The Men’s Club 10 a.m. coffee & fellowship

10:30 a.m. program

(ladies are welcome)

Monday, January 11, 2016 Rev. Craig Goodrich

“Good Courage”

Craig Goodrich, joined First Presbyterian

Church of Naples as Senior Pastor, in October 2015.

Monday, January 25, 2016 Jeff Lytle

Collier County: Past and Present— A Front Row Seat

Jeff Lytle, recently retired editorial page editor of the Naples Daily News, and television civic affairs program host.

His experience enables him to provide unusual insight regarding our community.

News and Events Kathleen Law, Coordinator of Communications, kathleenl@fpcnaples.org

14 News and Events Kathleen Law, Coordinator of Communications, kathleenl@fpcnaples.org

LIFE OF THE FRIENDSHIP PADS! Have you ever wondered what happens to the Friendship pads after you sign them on a Sunday morning? Well, there is a life to those sign in sheets which carry some important information back to the church office. Once collected, attendance is posted in our database.

We recently updated our Friendship Pad forms to include a place to mark your return to the north or return to Naples. Please use this section to indicate to us when you are changing your mailing status. We can then update the computer as to which address to use and you won’t risk missing any mail from us!

If a visitor signs the friendship pad, their name is put into a spreadsheet and if contact information is provided, we send a welcome card. Once a visitor has worshipped with us 3 times, they are included in our database (ACS) to receive church information: newsletter, mailings, etc. Upon scheduling a new member class, these visitors are invited to attend and we hope to engage them in the life of the church via membership.

Now that you know why these friendship pads are so important to the life of the church, what can you do to help? Please PRINT your name CLEARLY Include any new contact information especially,

phone, cell phone and e-mail When you see a new face next to you be sure

to greet them warmly and invite them to the Welcome Center in Spencer Hall.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact the church office and speak to Sharman Pfaus, at 239.262.1311 ext. 236 or sharmanp@fpcnaples.org.

Thank You Thank you all at First Presbyterian Church for the

prayers, cards, flowers, and calls this past year.

I feel truly blessed to be a member of this church and I

feel the love of so many good people. I would like to

thank each by name but the list is so long.

May God’s blessing be on our church always.

Joanne Applegate

I can’t thank you enough for the beautiful prayer shawl.

Every time I use it I feel the love of the women of the

church. You have been a blessing.

Doris Norgart

I’d like to thank everyone in our

congregation for delivering the

Christmas Remembrances from

our Deacons.

I’d also like to thank Pat Collins

my Co-Chair and her husband

Bob for all of their assistance.

Your caring good deeds remind

all of us that our folks who are

homebound, hospitalized or in skilled nursing are never

forgotten. Especially during this time of Jesus’ birth.

God Bless All,

Kim Shoellhorn

Deacon Moderator 2015

Remembrances Chair 2013-2015

Just a note of thanks for all the prayers and visits from

you wonderful people. My thanks especially for that

beautiful prayer shawl.

Sincerely,

Jerry Harvatt

Thanks to all who supported our Angel Tree. We

provided 154 gifts for the migrant farmworkers children

of Lipman Produce. Many thanks to Karen Ryan and

Saralene Oldham who helped sort and bag the gifts. Also

thanks to our “elves” Michael Bennett and Ben Currier

for delivering the gifts.

Shirley Hagerson, Angel Tree Coordinator

Holy Paparazzi Pictures Bring your best smile for the new directory. Pictures will be taken on January 17 after each service.

Edith Andrew Paul Casassa Isabelle Connell Teresa Doan Linda & Jon Gartley

Andie Goodrich Nancy and James Kier Gary & Virginia Krueger Gladys & Scott Macdonough

Debra Meeson-Vigé Gary & Pat Nordbrock Peggy Patrick Lee Ryan

Deborah Wiswell

Non-Profit Org.

Postage PAID

Naples, FL

34102

Permit No. 8

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

Courageous Generosity: A Time for Renewal

January 24, 2016 Kickoff Sunday