Weekly eNews for

November 6, 2025

NEW MESSAGES THIS WEEK

KEEPING OUR CHURCH HOME SAFE & BEAUTIFUL

by: Ed Strong - Sr. Warden


Recently  the Vestry approved funds be spent to address some key safety issues and other concerns on the church campus. If you have been to Parish Hall recently we hope you noticed how nicely the stage area looks with new flooring (which was actually flooring left over from the original construction). You may have also seen a cement truck on the campus this past week essentially smoothing out the sidewalks to fix some serious tripping hazards. Over the Thanksgiving weekend, there will be more work to address issues related to the courtyard used by the children of Heavenly Day, the pre-school that has been a wonderful renter and partner of our facilities for 13 years.


There are many other issues that are scheduled to be completed in the near future as we get serious about addressing our aging facilities. 

 

Finally, for now, if you were around the campus last Saturday, you would have seen bags of mulch all over at 8 in the morning and all that mulch spread by noon. We owe a huge thank you to Margaret Holt's son Bill who organized a sizable group of his friends to voluntarily do all that spreading. We are deeply appreciative of all that hard work.

STEWARDSHIP BRUNCH FOLLOWUP

We had a great turnout for our stewardship brunch last Sunday. There was great food catered by Crave Culinaire and generously underwritten by one parishioner. In fact everything for the brunch was donated in one way or another and thus not using any funds from our church budget. 

While this was a stewardship event, it was more about food, fun, and fellowship. We played trivia for and gave prizes of artworks by Tom Gibson and Marilynn Dessauer. Thank you to them and all of the stewardship committee who made this all possible. One of the trivia quizzes was specific to St. Monica's. 


We had a few folks suggest that we make that one available to the broader congregation. Here is < THE LINK > so you can quiz yourself & see how much you know.   There're only 11 questions.


The stewardship committee has also been working hard on preparing the annual stewardship letters with the always able support of our parish administrator, Laura Stamper, without whom we would all be lost. This year you are asked to consider how you can serve beyond the critically important financial support. Those letters should reach you early next week. As has been the practice for many years now, you can complete your pledge and this year indicate your service selections through our online giving portal. That is live now and ready for use. You can access it by clicking on < THIS LINK >.



MEN'S BOOK GROUP

The Men’s Book Group will meet this Monday, November 10 at 9:30 a.m. in the church conference room. We’ll begin our new book, "Living Buddha, Living Christ" by Thich Nhat Hanh, and will discuss the foreword, introduction, and Chapter 1. Tom Gibson will lead this week’s discussion.


All men of St. Monica’s are invited and welcome to join. For more information, please contact Ed Strong.



LADIES & GENTS LUNCHEON

Let’s enjoy good food and great company together! 


We’ll be heading to Bonefish Grill on Monday, November 10 at 12:30 PM.


Location: 26381 S Tamiami Trail, Bonita Springs


Everyone is welcome! Come hungry for fellowship and fresh seafood!


MUSIC COMMITTEE UPDATE
We’re thrilled to share that three talented candidates have applied for the Choir/Music Director position! Our search committee will be meeting with them over Zoom next week, and things are moving right along. Stay tuned for more updates soon!



THIS WEEKEND AT ST. MONICA'S
Our Interim Rector, The Rev. Sylvia Czarnetzky, will be away this weekend spending some much needed time with her husband. Our Deacon, The Rev. Ken McCaslin, will also be away enjoying time with his daughter and family.


We are delighted to welcome back The Rev. Jean Hite, who will be leading our worship services on Saturday and Sunday. Please join us in welcoming Rev. Hite once again, and in praying for both Rev. Sylvia and Rev. Ken, that they have a relaxing, joy filled weekend and return refreshed next week.




FIRST SUNDAY PLATE OFFERING - UPDATE

Thank you to everyone who gave so generously last weekend! We collected $380.00 for Harvest Time Ministries of Bonita Springs, which supports local farmworker families by providing food, clothing, and care to those who work hard planting and harvesting the fruits and vegetables we enjoy.


We’ll be collecting for this ministry again the first weekend of December. Let’s see if we can double that amount and make it a truly wonderful Christmas gift for these families!


How to give

  • Cash or check during the offering.
  • Make checks payable to St. Monica’s and note in the memo line: Harvest Time Ministries. 


Thank you for being part of this effort to support those in need. Remember, you don’t have to wait for a special collection to give. You’re always welcome to make a donation at any time f the year. Just simply note the ministry you’d like your gift to go toward, and it will be added to the total we collect for them.


If you have any questions, please contact Heather Williamson. 



FRIENDSGIVING SOCIAL

It’s hard to believe the holidays are right around the corner! 


Our annual Friendsgiving Social will take place on Saturday, November 8 in the Parish Hall. Everyone is invited to come and enjoy an evening of food and fellowship.


Please bring a main dish, appetizer, side dish, or dessert to share. Food may be dropped off in the Parish Hall after 4:30 p.m.


We look forward to celebrating together and giving thanks for our parish family!

THINGS TO COME

MISIÓN PENIEL FRIDAY –  December 12th @ 1:30PM
Please join us while serve the hardworking farming community in Immokalee. We will spend the day, along with members of Vanderbilt Presbyterian Church, bagging and distributing food, clothing, and other goods to workers and their family members. What a great way to give back during the holidays! We will meet to carpool at the St. Monica’s parking lot at 1:30pm, and plan on returning by 6:00 pm. Please contact Debbie Corey to let her know if you would like to be part of this meaningful service mission. Her contact information is in the directory, or contact the church office for her contact.



LESSONS & CAROLS   - December 20th @ 6:30PM

Mark your calendars for Saturday, December 20th, 2025, St. Monica’s presents A Service of Advent Lessons & Carols at 6:30 p.m. (after the 5 o’clock service).  Helen Tintes-Schuermann and I are planning the liturgy, which will include a number of readings from the Bible, a couple of anthems, and lots of Advent-y hymns to sing. It won’t be as fancy as the Lessons & Carols service Ron Doiron used to do, we will do a pared-down version that (I hope) won’t tax our small-but-mighty choir too much. Please come if you can! It’s a great way to prepare to celebrate Christmas!



Have You Filled Out the Directory Survey Yet?

We’re reaching out again to all members and friends of St. Monica’s with an important request. Our new Directory Survey was shared recently, but so far only a small number of people have responded. We’re very grateful to those who have already updated their information, but we truly need everyone to take a few minutes to complete the survey.


This isn’t just about keeping the Directory up to date. The survey also helps us confirm that everyone can access it correctly and that all contact details are accurate. Even if you believe your information is already correct, please fill out the survey so we can verify everything.


If you’ve had trouble accessing the Directory, there’s a place in the survey to let us know. Someone from the church office will follow up to help.


Please take a few minutes to complete the survey today. Accurate and accessible contact information helps us stay connected and ensures you don’t miss important eNews or church updates.


Thank you for your help as we continue to strengthen our St. Monica’s family connections.


For any questions, contact the parish administrator.

TAKE THE SURVEY

BULLETIN BOARD

NAME BADGES HELP KEEP ATTENDANCE

Please take a moment to find and wear your name tags because it makes it easier for visitors and other parishioners to recognize you by name and allows the office to note your attendance (a requirement for the Diocese). As you leave the church, please leave them in the baskets near the doors and they will be placed back on the board for pick up the following weekend.

REGULAR CHURCH GATHERINGS


Zoom Only

  • Contemplative Prayer: Wednesdays, 11am – Zoom


In-Person and Zoom 

  • Bible Study: Fridays, 9am – Library
  • Men's Book Group: Mondays, 9:30am – Conference Room


In-Person Only   

  • Prayer and Faith Sharing: Tuesdays, 10am – Church   
  • Ladies & Gents Luncheon: 2nd Monday, 12:30pm – Different locations   

Please call the church office at 239.591.4550 or email for the link and password to the Zoom meetings.

OFFERING ENVELOPES - Just as a Reminder

We are so grateful for your ongoing generosity and faithful giving. Every offering you give helps us continue the mission and ministry of St. Monica’s, and we truly appreciate it.


That said, we have a small but important request: please do not tape the flaps of your offering envelopes


As shown in the image, the envelope flaps are designed to stay closed once you seal them with the glue inside the flap. When tape is added, it makes it much harder for our office staff to open them quickly and carefully. It slows down the processing, increases the risk of tearing checks or cash inside, and adds extra steps to what is already a detailed task


We know the intention behind taping is likely to keep the contents secure, but we assure you the envelopes are kept safe and handled with care from plate to processing


Thank you for helping us by leaving the flap untaped, it’s a small act that makes a big difference.

A ST. MONICA'S PRAYER

Dear Friends,

 

In our Tuesday staff meeting we ended with St. Monica's prayer. It was for her son to return to the church. When he finally returned he became the future Saint and Bishop Augustine of Hippo who became a prominent Christian theologian and philosopher.

 

We thought we might share it with you:


St. Monica, I need your prayers. You know exactly how I'm feeling because you once felt it yourself. I'm hurting, hopeless, and in despair. I desperately want my child to return to Christ in his Church but I can't do it alone. I need God's help. Please join me in begging the Lord's powerful grace to flow into my child's life. Ask the Lord Jesus to soften his heart, prepare a path for his conversion, and activate the Holy Spirit in his life. Amen.

ANNIVERSARIES

11/7

George & Anita Lackey



11/ 26

Herb & Marciadee Newman

BIRTHDAYS

11/2

Eric Bodley

GiGi Camilari

Rob Crevier

Susan Shrewsbury


11/5 

Bill McCown


11/7 

Charla McHenry


11/8

Dayona Paz Pedroza


11/9

Kathy Crevier


11/17

Dick Rumpf

Barbara Williamson

11/18

Barbara Donovan

Hugh Gower

Jim Moritz

Nancy Nick


11/20

Lorraine Ciano


11/22

Betty Devlin

Carol Yarusevich


11/23

Greg Smith-Landwehr


11/27

Debbie Corey


PRAYERS & VISITS

PASTORAL CARE

If you go to or are going into the hospital, or your spouse, partner, or family member is experiencing a pastoral or health care issue, please call the church office during office hours at 239.591.4550 and after hours please reach out to:  Deacon Ken McCaslin at 610.608.0704.

PASTORAL CARE MESSAGE

Your clergy are here to walk with you. Pastoral care is an important part of the ministry of the clergy, so please don't be shy! At any time reach out to one of us and we would be happy to talk to you, anoint you, pray with you, or walk with you. If something is going on medically or otherwise in your life, let us know. If you are going into the hospital, let us know ahead of time so we can visit, and, more importantly, be praying with and for you.

ACCESSING THE PRAYER LIST:

For the safety and privacy of our members, the Prayer List will no longer be viewable in the on the website nor added back to the eNews due to the public accessibility of both.

 

We understand how important this list is to our Church family, and we want to ensure you can still access it in the following ways:

 

1.   Online Access: Log in to our  Members Directory. Once logged in, click on "Additional Pages" and select "Prayer List".


2.   Printed Copies: Printed versions are available at any of our services or can be picked up from the front office.

 

Thank you for your understanding and support as we prioritize the privacy and safety of our members.

SHARE THE eNEWS WITH OTHERS

If someone approaches you expressing interest in receiving our eNews, you can let them know that they don't need to wait for the office to handle it. The quickest and easiest way for them to sign up is by visiting our website at www.stmonicasnaples.org/ and registering themselves. By taking this simple step, they'll start receiving our updates promptly. If they've previously contacted the office to be added and haven't received the eNews the next week, advise them to reach out to confirm that their email address was correctly noted. We want to ensure everyone stays connected and informed about all the exciting happenings at St. Monica's. Thank you for helping others get connected to our eNews community!