You matter. You belong. We are family.

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2 You matter. You belong. We are family. I look around at our church family and I see such friendly faces. I have grown to know and love each and every one of you. Many have noted just how much they enjoy receiving a hug from my lovely bride as they enter our front doors. They comment to me how such a simple act warms them on the inside with the knowledge that they are indeed loved. "You matter. You belong. We are family." These are words you will hear often as we move forward in to True words. Meaningful words. Oh, we don't always agree -- but what family ever does? And while we are far from perfect, we are committed. Committed to God and committed to one another. Part of our commitment to God is articulated in the book of Hebrews. Specifically Hebrews "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares". Led by our amazing Suzanne Whitney, we have an awesome hospitality team. Folk are greeted at the front door, the welcome desk, the double glass doors, and even the doors leading into the Sanctuary! As a church we are doing well with regard to hospitality. As a family, however, I believe we can do better. I am hoping to create an "atmosphere" of hospitality wherein which a guest feels at home. To accomplish this, we each must be vigilant never to allow a guest / guest couple to be alone. From the moment they walk through the front door, sit for worship, and ultimately leave after fellowship -- one or several of us should take note of the guest(s) and engage them in simple conversation. And before we leave them, introduce another church family member so that THEY can engage the new guest. A simple rule of thumb is this ---- you can't leave a guest until you have "handed" them successfully to someone else. This "atmosphere of hospitality" will ensure our great hope that everyone feel embraced by God's love. This is, after all, HIS house. How tragic if someone came to God's house and left not feeling welcome. Now sometimes our guests stop at the welcome desk and receive a stick on name tag. These folk are easy to notice. Others however, do not avail themselves of a name tag. They are harder to pick out amid the 170+ people who attend 1st service. Regardless, let us become diligent in looking around us and making sure that NO ONE feel alone in God's house! The Lord is already blessing us in Let us give Him thanks and extend our hospitality to those God is bringing to us! Wayne +

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4 Men s Retreat January 12-14th, men from C3 Church, Central Florida and Ends of the Earth Cycling gathered at Ft. Myers Beach for our men's retreat. Going in to this endeavor, Pastor Wayne commented that it would be great to have 15 men in attendance, but 30 would be a home-run. God answered our prayers by bringing us 31 men! Many of the men expressed an honesty about their fear of even coming on a men's retreat, and yet they all made it! We are so grateful for all that He did in and among us. If you were here on January 15th for service, you got to hear from Ron Miller, Dan Lambruschi and Ray Betka - sharing first-hand testimony at how GOD used the retreat to impact their lives. Our theme was AWESOME GOD. Our theme verse was Deuteronomy 7:21 which says, "...do not be afraid of them, for the LORD Your God, the great and mighty GOD is among you." This was my prayer for the weekend - that the LORD would be among us. In the verse, God tells Moses to instruct the people not to be afraid of their enemies of the false gods. In our retreat, we discussed some of the things men are afraid of. Pastor Wayne shared a powerful message on fear of ourselves. Pastor Craig Yates from Lexington, KY spoke on fear of stepping out in faith. Pastor Jimmy Akers from York, PA shared about fear of vulnerability. I (Pastor Justin) was blessed to close out our time by sharing on the fear of evangelism that many men have. What an incredible blessing it was to see guys open up, pray with each other, raise their hands and voices in song, and get real with GOD and each other. To Him be all glory and praise! In Jesus Name.

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6 Komen Southwest Florida Race for the Cure DATE: March 4, 2017 TIME: Race begins at 8:00 a.m. PLACE: Coconut Point Mall, Estero, FL The fight against cancer goes on. In today's society it seems almost everyone knows someone who has been touched by breast cancer. I have found a way to fight against this disease - through the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. The Komen Race for the Cure is a community event that honors and memorializes breast cancer survivors, co-survivors and those who have lost their battle to the disease. The Race also plays a vital role in raising funds for research, education, prevention, advocacy and treatment. Each year over 1.7 million people take part in Race for the Cure events around the world. We Race Because.. *One in eight women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. *Because every minute, somewhere in the world, someone dies from breast cancer. *And because, breast cancer knows no boundaries - be it age, gender, socio- economic status or geographic location. *We continue to Race because at the current rate, 13 million breast cancer deaths around the world will occur in the next 25 years. How can you help? Linda Riddle and I recently accepted the challenge to raise funds to support the Komen Southwest Florida Race for the Cure in the fight against breast cancer. You can support us by making a tax-deductible contribution to Susan G. Komen Southwest Florida. Additionally, you can join us at the event as a walker, runner or volunteer for the event. The event is on March 4, 2017 at Coconut Point Mall in Estero, FL. (Our team is Team Pretty in Pink if you re interest in joining the team). We are passionate about the breast cancer cause, and joining our team is one of the best ways to support us in this fight. We re excited to be taking action, because that is what it will take to beat this disease. It's not enough to wear a pink ribbon and say that I support the breast cancer cause: We re showing that we re More Than Pink by getting out there and raising funds for Komen's lifesaving education, screening, treatment and national research efforts. Will you join us? Join Linda and me and millions of other supporters, survivors, and co-survivors who Race for the Cure every year. Every dollar you raise will help to make a difference and show that you too are More Than Pink To make a donation, make checks payable to: Susan G. Komen Southwest Florida Any amount that you can give will help. Thank you in advance - We truly appreciate your support. Please Cheryl (cldcpa@hotmail.com) if you have any questions about the Komen Race for the Cure. You can give the checks to me, Doug, or Linda Riddle or mail to the Komen office: 4061 Bonita Beach Road, Suite 103, Bonita Springs, FL Every step counts! Together we can reach our vision of a world without breast cancer.

7 Prayer Shawl Ministry The Prayer Shawl ministry continues to meet each Tuesday at 1:00PM In the Multi-Purpose Room (MPR). As stated in the Annual Report, by Gon d Grace, we have generous funds, an abundance of unused yarn and an ample inventory. It sounds like we don t need anything: Wrong we need you! Stop off and read some of the wonderful thank you notes that are displayed in the MPR. If you have the time, talent or the inclination, come join us. All that s missing is you! *Thank you Sandy Yours in Christ, Lucille Lambruschi * We remember Sandy Reep, who began this beautiful ministry

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9 1 Janet Betka 3 Valary Banker 04 Keith Nagy 5 Charlie Rittenhouse 6 Shirley Tucker Reinke 7 Elaine booth 12 Helen Hayes 13 Gloria Rice 15 Kenzi Hanneken 16 Wayne Brown 18 Dorothy Henry 19 Mary Hooker 20 Lola Matta 20 Steve Schwartz 21 Len Lewis 22 Elizabeth Sally 13 Jim Booth 13 Nancy Hagelbarger

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11 Sunday Worship Services & Children s Church Blended Service: 9:00 a.m. Modern Worship: 11:00 a.m. Fellowship & refreshments between services Semi-Retired Treasures Southland Drive Bonita Springs, FL Any Good Household Items Donations are Tax Deductible Pick up available at no charge Community Congregational Church North Tamiami Trail (US 41) Naples, FL Wayne Neller Lead Pastor Justin Hanneken Associate Pastor Church Office: Administrative Office: Semi-Retired Treasures Thrift Store: Newsletter: Karalee@c3naples.org Website: