Ministry News

Check here for ongoing and future programs, organized alphabetically according to Ministry area (Children & Family, Congregational Care, Deacons, Fellowship, Men's Ministry, Mission & Outreach, Music & Arts, Spiritual Growth, Women's Ministry, etc.). Various Volunteer Opportunities are also identified at the bottom of this page.

CHILDREN & FAMILY MINISTRIES

NEON KIDS

Let your light shine brightly!
At Neon Kids, our mission is to partner with parents to lead children into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Neon Kids provides quality programs for children ages 6 months through 6th grade. Visit us Sunday mornings at 11 AM for children's Sunday school and adult worship. Check our new website, too: www.neonkids.org.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

August 2-6 • 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon
Children age 4 through 5th grade are invited to join our High Seas Expedition: the voyage of a lifetime! At High Seas Expedition, kids will explore the mighty love of God on a journey that will change them forever. Kids will experience amazing Bible adventures, cool crafts, great games, awesome music and swashbuckling snacks! Registration begins July 5 for church members and July 12 for the community. To register, visit the Children's Check-in Desk on Sunday morning or contact at 992-3233.

Feel free to contact (239-992-3233 X248) for the latest Family Ministries news.

CONGREGATIONAL CARE

SUPPORT GROUPS

GriefShare • Tuesdays • 1:30–3:00 PM
GriefShare (grief support ministry) meets weekly on Tuesdays in Price Hall Parlor. Each meeting is a self-contained session that begins with a brief video and is followed by an informal discussion. You can attend any or all sessions.
Facilitators: Pastor Steven Grant, Parish Nurse Stephanie Stec, Marietta Bala, MSW/Therapist and Marian Horgan.

SPECIAL SERVICES

A Time of Prayer & Communion • Sundays at 11:00 AM • Price Chapel
First Church now offers members of the congregation the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion and experience a time of healing prayer every Sunday. Come to Price Chapel immediately following the 10:00 AM worship service, where a member of the pastoral staff and members of the Order of St. Luke are waiting to minister to those who wish to take Communion and receive healing prayer. Note: The sacrament will not be offered on those Sundays when it is celebrated as a part of the morning worship service.

BIBLICAL COUNSELING

Ruth Ann Bruce, M.A., is a Certified Biblical Counselor whose ministry focuses on the sufficiency of Scripture to meet all of life's challenges. Meetings are totally confidential. Counseling is available Monday through Wednesday. Call Ruth Ann at 992-3233 ext. 293 to schedule an appointment.

DEACONS

Military Care Packages
The Deacons are coordinating a new ministry of support for our military men and women around the world. Stop at the Military Care Packages kiosk on Sundays, where names and APO addresses are available so that you may assemble and mail a care package to family members and friends of this congregation. Flat Rate boxes, labels, customs forms and tape are all provided to make it as easy as possible for families, small groups or individuals to send a package. Costs are $9.80 for a small box and $10.95 for a large box. Don't know how to fill your package? Go to the Web and google "military care package" for lots of creative ideas.

You are also encouraged to remember in your prayers those personally known to us who are currently serving in the Armed Forces. Lists are available from the literature racks in the Narthex.

FELLOWSHIP

SINGLE DIRECTION

Single Direction is a ministry to singles that seeks to encourage the development of healthy friendships in the context of Christian fellowship. The group plans monthly get-togethers from October to May. Check back in the fall for the latest schedule of events.

For more information, contact .

TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES

Fort Lauderdale Christmas Pageant
The Fellowship Committee is sponsoring a trip to Fort Lauderdale on December 4 to see the 2010 Christmas Pageant at First Baptist Church. Cost is $85, which includes the bus trip, show and dinner. For more information or to sign up, contact Sandy Randall at 239-498-8182.

Holy Land Trip • March 8-19, 2011
FPC is organizing a “Land of the Bible” cruise for 2011 to be led by Pastor Steven and Nanette Grant. Destinations include: Athens, Cairo, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, the Mount of the Beatitudes, Capernaum, the River Jordan, Cyprus, Rhodes, Corinth and Ephesus – with worship, devotions, and Bible lessons along the way. Prices include air fare, cruise for 9 nights including all meals, plus a stay at a 4-star hotel in Athens the last night; port charges, airport transfers, shore excursions, and cancellation/medical insurance. Total price depends on the cabin category you select. Deposits of $1000 per person are required with your reservation, no later than September 15, with balances due by November 30, 2010. For details and brochures, contact Pat Hazen at Pelican Landing Travel, 239-948-1000 or 888-553-8687.

MEN'S MINISTRY

Summer Schedule
We are currently on summer recess from our weekly breakfast and Bible study. During this time, however, we will meet for fellowship at Perkins Restaurant (Hwy. 41 & Bonita Beach Road) at 7:59 AM on the following Thursdays: July 15, July 29, August 12 and August 26. Have a great summer wherever you are! Questions? Contact Chuck Vogt at 239-948-9230.

MISSION & OUTREACH

FOCUS ON...

Northeast Brazil Trip • June 16 - July 4, 2010
Pastor Paul and Linda Fahnestock traveled to Brazil on June 16. They will be visiting with friends in Campinas, Brazil (near Sao Paulo), then will meet up with members of First Church and Germantown (TN) Presbyterian Church to spend a week together in the interior of Northeast Brazil. Highlights of the trip will include:

• Learning about the culture of Northeast Brazil — the social, economic, religious and political influences of the region
• Putting the finishing touches on construction and the dedicating of the new sanctuary of the Presbyterian Church of Caico (a city of 75,000 in the state of Rio Grande do Norte). First Church and Germantown Presbyterian mission funds helped build this church.
• Lots of interaction with the Brazilian people, in the church and community
• Visiting other Presbyterian churches and social projects, including a preschool, after-school program, and cistern project in the interior of the states of Rio Grance do Norte and Paraiba

Please pray that all team members will have safe travel and stay healthy, and that everyone will grow in their faith and understanding of God's plans and purposes for their own lives, the church, and the world.

Samaritan's Purse Disaster Relief Retreat
For over 35 years, Samaritan's Purse (SP) has followed Christ's command by going to the aid of the world's poor, sick, and suffering. SP effectively reaches hurting people in countries around the world with food, medicine, and other assistance in the name of Jesus Christ. FPC is developing a relationship with Samaritan's Purse as our organization of choice when responding to national and international disasters. FPC affiliate member Paul Spinka will take our relationship to a new level by attending the 2010 Disaster Relief Volunteer Retreat at the Billy Graham Training Center in Asheville, NC from June 3-6. He will join volunteers from across the country for a lineup of gifted speakers, music, fellowship and training workshops. If you are interested in joining Paul at this retreat, please call him at 992-9098.

Habitat for Humanity
First Presbyterian Church has been invited to participate in a Habitat Build right here in Bonita Springs. Volunteers from FPC will work Wednesdays from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM. If interested in participating, contact Paul Spinka at 992-9098 to sign up or for more details.

Compassion International
Every three seconds a child under the age of five dies from poverty-related causes. but it takes only one voice — yours — to fight poverty. In its 50+ years of development work, Compassion International has found investing in individual children has been the best method for breaking poverty in children's lives. Today, Compassion helps more than one million children in 25 countries, providing child development programs to deliver children from economic, physical, social and spiritual poverty, enabling them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults.
FPC members and friends currently sponsor more than 290 children through Compassion International.

You, too, may sponsor a child and help break the cycle of poverty by visiting the Compassion International website. For just $38 a month, your sponsorship helps provide:

• Ongoing Christian training
• Educational opportunities
• Treatment and training to maintain child health
• Development of self-confidence and social skills
• Key life skills and vocational programs

For more information, contact Roy Tipton (498-1243).

MUSIC & ARTS

SUMMER MUSIC CAMP

July 12-16 • 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon
Children beginning kindergarten or first grade are invited to participate in our Summer Music Camp sponsored by the First Academy of Music at First Church. The daily schedule includes chapel time, music instruction, creative crafts, playground fun and snacks. Cost is $75 for the week. To register, call the First Academy of Music at 992-3410.

NEW MEMBER MINISTRY

July 11 membership class postponed
The New Member class originally scheduled for Sunday, July 11, is being postponed until the fall. This class, for those considering joining our church, explains the various options for membership. Questions? Stop at the Welcome Desk on Sunday mornings, or contact Beth Higbee (591-1788).

SPIRITUAL GROWTH

SUNDAY MORNING CLASSES

A Scripture Sampler
Sundays in July • 8:45-9:45 AM • Price Chapel
Hundreds of members and friends of First Church are reading through the Bible in the year 2010. In order to encourage those who are doing their daily readings, and to give those who are not a small sampling of the fascinating stories and insights found in God's Word, our July Sunday morning classes will be focusing on the scripture texts being read that weekend in the annual reading plan. Classes will be taught by the pastoral staff.

OTHER PROGRAMS

Summer Reading Challenge: The Prodigal God, by Tim Keller
Pastor Pratt and the Christian Education Ministry have selected this book as the 2010 Summer Reading Challenge. Using his characteristic intellectual approach to faith issues, author Tim Keller uncovers an unexpected message in the familiar—and often misunderstood—New Testament parable of the Prodigal Son. Readers will see Christianity in a whole new way as they learn how Christ's followers are supposed to love. A group discussion time will be scheduled for sometime this summer. The Prodigal God is available for purchase in the FPC Book Center.

Great Banquet of Southwest Florida
The Great Banquet is part of a family of ministries at First church that bring people together for a life-changing experience of God's grace. The Great Banquet weekend is a 72-hour experience, beginning on Thursday evening and ending Sunday evening. For three days, guests live and study together in a worshipful time of singing, prayer and discussion. During each of 15 talks given by laity and clergy, the theme of God's grace is presented. Guests participate in the daily celebration of Holy Communion and experience God's grace through the prayers and acts of a loving Christian community.

If you feel the Lord is drawing you toward accepting His invitation to the Great Banquet, we welcome your R.S.V.P. Please contact Lee Gery (498-6051) or Bob Andreasen (495-0111) to register, or speak to any of our pastoral staff. The dates for the 2011 Banquets are: Men's Weekend, February 10-13; Women's Weekend, February 17-20.

A YEAR IN THE BIBLE

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 119:14)
 
Many of our members have taken up the challenge to read through the Bible in 2010, and are following the One Year Bible/One Year Bible Reading Plan to do so. This is a commitment with untold blessings for those who persevere, and the members of the Christian Education Ministry are here to encourage you along the way.

One way to stay “on task” is to be reminded of the great value of what you’re reading. The Bible is God’s self-revelation to us. Consider memorizing a few key verses of scripture that speak to this. Our suggested memory verse for this month (above) is from the Psalms. As you begin each day, commit your thoughts and words to the Lord, that they would please and honor Him.

Copies of the One Year Bible and its corresponding Reading Plan are available in the FPC Book Center.

WOMEN'S MINISTRY

CURRENT WOMEN'S STUDIES

Our Women’s Ministry invites each woman to deepen her spiritual life in the fellowship of other Christian women by choosing to attend one of the studies being offered this winter:

Working Women's Fellowship • Tuesdays • 7:00-8:30 PM
The working women will are currently studying the book Listening for God by Marilyn Hontz.

Summer Sisterhood • Wednesdays • 9:30-11:00 AM
Our study topic this summer is the book Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Child care provided.

Questions on Women's Ministry events? Contact Director of Women's Ministry or stop by the Women's Ministry kiosk on Sunday mornings.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

First Thrift Shop
Volunteers are needed for all positions, including inside shop workers, cashiers, sorters, pricers and donor greeters. If you are looking for an opportunity to serve our church and would like to be part of this active ministry and fellowship, please call Manager Mimi Holly at 992-0285.