In the Beginning
In 1963, Reverend Harry Parham of First Methodist Church of Naples bought five acres of land on Seagate Drive for the expansion of Methodism in Collier County. The North Naples expansion was spurred by District Superintendent Fred Martin in the spring of 1966, when he called Reverend Walter Jessup to organize the new church.
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By early July, a small group secured permission to meet in the Seagate Elementary School and appointed a pianist, ushers and greeters for the first service on July 31, 1966. It was decided that Sunday School would be held at 10:30 a.m. and church services at 11 a.m., regardless of whether three people or 30 attended. Ads were placed in the newspaper, and hymnals and literature were borrowed from First Church.
Prayers were answered when 40 persons arrived for Sunday School and 86 for the first service. During the next three months, attendance grew. On October 23, a slate of officers was installed and 80 charter members were received. Seven more charter members were added in November before the rolls were closed and District Superintendent Lewis Head officially granted a charter to the new North Naples Methodist Church at services on November 26, 1966. By this time, Sunday School enrollment had doubled and attendance at church services averaged 100.
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1968 to 1992
The new church prospered and grew. A building fund was established and ground was broken for a church and fellowship hall on August 4, 1968. For another 12 months, the congregation converted classrooms and the cafeteria for church and Sunday School and back again every weekend, until they moved into their own building. The Women's Society, formed in February 1967, held rummage and bake sales to furnish the new kitchen when the structures were dedicated.
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The congregation admired their new surroundings, but immediately decided there was not enough room for their growing Sunday School and started an eight-room educational building in February 1970, the month Reverend Morris E. Hintzman became the church's first full-time pastor. When the new wing was completed, it was dubbed "Jessup Hall" in honor of the founding minister. Reverend Hintzman oversaw a period of rapid growth and continued building. When he arrived, there were 180 members and a Sunday School of nine classes. He added 55 new members in the next 12 months and 50 more by the end of 1971. A parsonage was constructed in 1971. In three more years, the congregation was overflowing the sanctuary, so a 9:30 a.m. service was instituted and an extension was built to expand the sanctuary and provide a youth room. In the beginning of 1975, the early service was moved to 8:30 a.m. with adult and children's Sunday School meeting between the services. By the end of 10 years, there were 574 members, including 29 who joined on Anniversary Sunday.
A new educational addition was consecrated November 23, 1975, along with two bell shells and a carillon. Youth choirs were added and handbells were dedicated on December 5, 1976, to glorify God's name with song.
The Reverend Larry E. Cook was appointed to the church in 1977. Under Reverend Cook, a puppet ministry was started. Expansion of the church facilities continued. During this time, Dr. James A. Woomer, a retired minister and former District Superintendent from Pennsylvania, became Minister of Visitation. The year 1980 saw two more classrooms, a wall and a courtyard added, as the church prospered and grew to a membership of 618.
In February 1981, the Bishop appointed the Reverend J. Walter Cross (J) as the church's minister. Under J's shepherding, the church's membership grew to 1,063 by 1990, with 89 affiliate and associate members. Several new adult Sunday School classes were added. The Caring Place for pre-school children was started. Several innovative services, programs and events were scheduled, especially for children and youth. In 1986, a new sanctuary was completed along with a choir room and administrative offices. Although considered spacious at the time, during the winter season, a third service was added at 9:45 a.m. Other events during this time included the formation of a men's softball team to compete in a church league, the formation of new choirs and Sunday School classes and youth participation in summer missions to help others less fortunate.
In January of 1991, Reverend Cross moved to fill a vacancy created by the death of a pastor in Bradenton. Dr. Robert E. Titus served as pastor from January 1991 through May 1992, and developed a new organizational structure reflective of the needs of a large growing congregation. Dr. Robert May served as pastor from June through October 1992 before retiring from the ministry.
1992 through 2006
In November 1992, Dr. Ted Sauter became pastor of North Naples Church. After a period of transitions in the church, there was stabilization, renewal and growth. The church audited its membership records, strengthened its stewardship program, revised its master plan, enlarged its ministry to the community and recruited dynamic new professional staff.
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The church and its pastor are committed to long-term ministry to the growing Naples community. Out of a lengthy study of the future needs of the community and the church's potential for service, the church considered relocating. Displaying extraordinary consensus at a congregational meeting on September 29, 1996, the church voted 95% in favor of purchasing 23 acres on Goodlette-Frank Road for $2.4 million. At a congregational meeting on March 15, 1998, the church voted 98% in favor of a building plan of approximately 53,000 square feet under air costing $7 million.
In July 2000, the congregation moved to the new facility with a little over 1,400 members. With its large multi-usage facilities, the Church has been able to grow several ministries. One of the significant outreaches to the community is the UPWARD sports program, which seeks to have a genuine Christian-based sports and recreation program for youth. The scouting ministry for girls and boys has over 200 children involved. Other ministries that have grown in the new location are in the areas of mission and outreach.
In 2004, a new expansion was made by purchasing 12 acres to the south for $3.6 million and the construction of Wesley Center, which added an additional 25,000 square feet to the campus.
The Caring Place has expanded to the Village School and now goes through 8th grade. The school was accredited by The Florida Council of Independent Schools in June, 2006 and is one of the few private schools in the area so certified.
Today
Currently, membership stands at over 2,200 full members, 400 baptized preparatory members, 350 affiliate/associate members and over 2,000 constituents. In 2010, the average worship attendance was 1,425 and the Easter and Christmas services attendance exceeded 3,500.
North Naples United Methodist Church is one of the strongest churches in Southwest Florida and one of the 100 largest United Methodist Churches of the 33,000 congregations in the denomination.