A Place to Belong in the Heart of Naples
First Presbyterian Church of Naples sits at 250 Sixth Street South, on the corner of Sixth Street South and Third Avenue South, in the older downtown blocks of Naples, Florida. The church's own description of itself, "In the Heart of Naples with the Love of God," is the way members tend to talk about the congregation: a settled downtown presence that has been part of the city since 1952 and now gathers year-round residents, seasonal friends, and online worshipers around a single 10:00 a.m. Sunday service. The motto that organizes the church's life is short and deliberate - "We worship, we love, we grow, we serve" - and it shows up on signage, in newsletters, and in the way the ministries are arranged on the church's own menu of work.
What the church is known for, beyond the welcome it extends, is a particular combination of gifts. The sanctuary is anchored by a 6,200-pipe Ruffatti pipe organ, one of only a handful in southwest Florida and the musical center of a long-running concert series. The sanctuary also houses a Heritage Edition of the Saint John's Bible, the first handwritten, illuminated Bible commissioned by a Benedictine monastery in five hundred years, donated by a Naples family. A half-day preschool has been running on the campus since 1965. A Stephen Ministry of trained lay caregivers, a Board of Deacons divided into neighborhood "parishes," a regular cadence of food relief and Habitat work days, and a three-year partnership with a Presbyterian church in Matanzas, Cuba, give the downtown campus a reach well beyond its walls.
Sunday Worship at 10:00 a.m.
One service gathers the whole congregation each Sunday morning. Worship begins at 10:00 a.m. in the sanctuary and runs about an hour. The service is described by the church as traditional, liturgical, and choral, with the Chancel Choir and the Ruffatti organ leading congregational singing, alongside scripture readings, prayer, and preaching. Holy Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of every month, and the communion table is described as open to all who seek it.
Every service is livestreamed at 10:00 a.m. on the church's YouTube channel and Facebook page, and recordings are kept available on demand. A printed Sunday bulletin is available each week, and a digital "Friendship Pad" registration lets worshipers in the pews and at home let the church know they were present, whether as a member, a repeat visitor, or a first-time guest.
Friendly ushers and greeters are stationed at all three main entrances, the 6th Street front doors, the courtyard entrance, and the west lot entrance, ready to hand out a bulletin and help with seating. There is no dress code. Members regularly appear in suits, dresses, or collared shirts, and seasonal visitors in the same pews often arrive in resort-casual attire. Visitors are invited to come as they are.
A Sacred Music Tradition
Music is one of the defining features of a Sunday at First Presbyterian. The Ruffatti pipe organ, built by the Fratelli Ruffatti firm of Padova, Italy, leads congregational singing each Sunday morning. With 6,200 pipes, it is the largest instrument of its kind in the area and the foundation of the church's reputation for choral worship.
The Chancel Choir sings each Sunday at the 10:00 a.m. service and at special services and concerts throughout the year. There are no auditions; the ability to read music is helpful. The choir rehearses on Sunday mornings before worship from May through August and on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. from September through April. A Children and Youth Choir, under the direction of Dr. Brice Gerlach, meets bi-monthly after Sunday worship and performs several times during the school year.
Beyond Sunday mornings, the Music Ministries program runs a long-standing community concert series called "A Season of Music," which opens each November and runs through the year. The series brings in professional soloists, chamber ensembles, and choirs, including recent visits from the FGCU Chamber Choir, and is funded in part by a Season of Music Fund that the church invites members and friends to underwrite. The series has become one of the church's main points of contact with the wider Naples arts community.
The Saint John's Bible, Heritage Edition
First Presbyterian is one of a small number of congregations nationwide to hold a Heritage Edition of the Saint John's Bible. The Saint John's Bible is the first handwritten, monumental, illuminated Bible commissioned by a Benedictine monastery in more than five hundred years. It was created at Saint John's Abbey and University in Collegeville, Minnesota, under the artistic direction of Donald Jackson, one of the world's foremost calligraphers and the Senior Scribe to the Crown Office of the United Kingdom, and was completed in 2011.
Each volume was written on vellum using quills, natural handmade inks, hand-ground pigments, and gilding with gold, silver, and platinum leaf, while employing a modern English translation (NRSV) and contemporary scripts. The Heritage Edition held at First Presbyterian was made possible by a gift from Jayne and Al Hilde Jr., their sons, and the WestWings Family Foundation. The volumes are brought out for major moments in the life of the church, from worship services to adult study series, and are used to ignite the spiritual imagination of the congregation in the same way the original work was created to do.
Pastoral Leadership
The pastoral team of First Presbyterian Church of Naples is led by Senior Pastor and Head of Staff Rev. Dr. Aaron Janklow, who began his ministry at the church on September 1, 2026. A native of Fort Lauderdale, Dr. Janklow graduated summa cum laude from the Honors Program at Temple University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, earned his Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, and completed his Ph.D. in Divinity (Practical Theology and Christian Ethics) at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He comes to Naples from New York City, where he served as Senior Pastor and Head of Staff at the historic Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church. Earlier in his ministry he served as Executive Pastor of the Royal Poinciana Chapel in Palm Beach, Assistant Minister at St. Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, Associate Pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach, and a Lilly Resident at First Presbyterian Church of Ann Arbor. He is joined in Naples by his wife, Laurel, a former middle and high school teacher, and their two young daughters, Lyla and Hannah.
Rev. Rex Childs, a Naples native and a graduate of the University of Florida and Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, serves as Associate Pastor. He came to First Presbyterian in July 2018 and works in the areas of Christian Education, Pastoral Care, and Missions, in addition to helping lead worship. He has served the wider church as Moderator of Peace River Presbytery in 2020, as a member of the presbytery's Committee on Preparation for Ministry, Human Resources Committee, and Steering Committee, and as a Commissioner from Peace River Presbytery to the 225th General Assembly in 2022. He and his wife, Cayla, a fellow Neapolitan, are raising their daughter, Mary, in the same community where he grew up.
Dr. Brice Gerlach has served as Director of Music Ministries since 2001. A native of La Jolla, California, he holds bachelor's and master's degrees in organ performance from the Eastman School of Music and Indiana University, respectively, and a doctorate in choral conducting from Indiana University. In addition to his work at First Presbyterian, he serves as Adjunct Faculty and Artist in Residence in Organ Performance and Conducting at Ave Maria University, where he also directs the Ave Maria University Chamber Choir.
Nancy Van Fleet has served as Director of Children, Youth, and Family Ministries since December 2018, bringing more than nineteen years of family ministry experience. A former licensed minister in the United Church of Christ and a North Central College graduate, she is a trained Stephen Minister, holds certifications in Spiritual Direction from San Francisco Theological Seminary and in Progressive Youth and Family Ministry from Vibrant Faith Ministries, and is a Veriditas Certified Advanced Labyrinth Facilitator. Delia Buckley directs the First Presbyterian Preschool, bringing a Master's Degree in Education from the University of Tennessee at Martin and a Bachelor's in Psychology to a play-based program for toddlers through age five.
Children, Youth, and Family
Children are welcome in the sanctuary for the full length of every service. Activity bags are available at the sanctuary entrances, and early in the service all children are invited forward for a Children's Time message. After Children's Time, several age-appropriate options are offered.
The Wiggle Room, located on the east side of the sanctuary, is designed for parents with children from birth to eighteen months. It is stocked with toys and activities and lets parents watch the service while their youngest stay engaged. For children eighteen months through pre-K, nursery care is provided on the second floor of the Mase Education Building, with a fun, interactive lesson on the morning's scripture and time for prayer. For elementary-aged children in kindergarten through sixth grade, Kidz Lab gathers in the Youth Room on the second floor of the Mase Education Building, exploring the same Bible passage and lectionary text that the congregation hears in the sermon, so that families can continue the conversation around the table later in the week. Pickup for Kidz Lab is in Spencer Hall. During the summer months, the program switches to Funday School for the same age groups.
A middle school youth group for students in grades six through eight meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m., with a fall curriculum built around the question "Who Do You Say I Am?" The high school youth group gathers for discussion, prayer, retreats, and service projects throughout the year, and every summer the high schoolers travel to the Montreat Conference Center in North Carolina for the Montreat Youth Conference, a week of speakers, worship, and small groups.
The intergenerational ministry of the church is shaped by grant work with Vibrant Faith Ministries and the Lilly Foundation, through which the congregation is one of twenty churches across the country working on home-centered, church-supported worship and prayer practices. GenWE Sundays, held on the first Sunday of each month, are designed to engage worshipers of every age and temperament, with worship boxes available for children and a Wiggle Room and nursery care on hand for the youngest.
Parents' Night Out is a monthly evening of games and supervised activities for children from eighteen months through sixth grade, with limited spots that open on a first-come, first-served basis. A Vacation Bible School is held each summer; the most recent program was "Snowball Mountain Challenge," with thirty-two children and twenty-four volunteers.
Caring Ministries
The Board of Deacons organizes the church's ministry of sympathy, witness, and service. Members are divided into neighborhood "parishes," and each deacon is assigned to one, sharing in visitation and support to members and reporting concerns to the pastoral staff and Stephen Ministers. Deacons serve on at least one of several standing committees, including Receptions and Events, the Health Fair, Flower Distribution, Blood Bank, Holiday Remembrances, and Friendship Pads.
Stephen Ministry is a one-on-one lay care program in which trained, commissioned members walk alongside people going through hospitalization, chronic or terminal illness, employment loss or financial crisis, life transitions, marital separation or divorce, the arrival of a new baby, depression, the death of a loved one, a recent move to the church, or struggles of faith. Stephen Ministers are matched carefully, meetings are confidential, and the program is coordinated through the Associate Pastor.
Congregational Care Ministry is a team of volunteers who visit members in rehabilitation, nursing homes, and homes, and who call and send cards to those unable to attend worship. Helping Hands Ministries, working under the direction of the Presbyterian Women, meets twice a month during the program year to sew, knit, and crochet. Its Prayer Shawl Ministry prays over each shawl as it is made and presents the finished piece with a written blessing to those dealing with a serious health issue or the loss of a loved one, including each high school graduate of the church. The Sew and Sews make quilts as housewarming gifts for families moving into new homes at the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance project, and have also made dresses for the Tumaini fund in Africa, tote bags with hygiene supplies, and blankets and knit caps for children in Guatemala.
Hands On Local Missions
First Presbyterian has been part of Collier County since 1952, and the local mission work of the congregation is built on long relationships with several partner agencies. Each month brings a fresh opportunity to serve.
The Meals of Hope Packing Party is a yearly event in which the congregation gathers to measure, weigh, seal, and label nutritional meals for neighbors facing hunger in Collier County. Funded by donations from those who worshipped together on Christmas Eve, the packing day draws about a hundred volunteers of every age and is open to anyone from ten to one hundred. Habitat for Humanity of Collier County receives a regular crew on the second Thursday of each month from November through May, painting, cleaning, and helping with whatever the build needs. Mision Peniel in Immokalee is served through work days of sorting clothes, distributing food, and organizing the food pantry. Grace Place, a Christian organization in Golden Gate City that educates children and families, is supported through regular visits, reading time with the children, games, and food pantry help.
Two food-relief programs run throughout the year. The Power Pak Program provides weekend meal bags for students at Big Cypress Elementary School who would otherwise go hungry between Friday lunch and Monday breakfast. The church shares the program with Moorings Presbyterian Church on alternate months, with members of the Missions Committee doing the shopping, packing roughly twenty-five bags each round, and delivering them to the school for teachers to slip into backpacks. A "Feed the 5,000" collection is held on the first Sunday of each month, with lists of needed items for Helps Outreach, St. Matthew's House, the Shelter for Abused Women and Children, the Salvation Army, Grace Place, and Youth Haven. Donations may be dropped off on the second Sunday of the month or at the church office during the week.
The Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance, which works to expand access to safe, affordable, hurricane-resistant rental housing for farmworker and other low-income families in Immokalee, is supported through the Sew and Sews quilts and through financial gifts directed through the church's giving portal.
International Partnerships
First Presbyterian's international mission work is shaped by two long-standing partnerships.
The Presbyterian Cuba Partners Network connects the church with Central Presbyterian Reformed Church in Matanzas, Cuba, a relationship of close to forty years under the wider network of US-Cuba partnerships. The Naples congregation has hosted Rev. Ary Fernandez Alban and Rev. Beidy Casas Aragon of the Matanzas church, most recently in August 2023, and has sent delegations in the other direction as travel has allowed. The Missions Committee supports a senior feeding program, a special needs program for children who would otherwise receive no services, and enriched Christian education for the children and youth of the Cuban congregation, as well as the purchase of medications, vitamins, food, hygiene products, and educational books. The three-year partnership was renewed in May 2023, and the Peace River Presbytery renewed a parallel partnership with the Matanzas Presbytery around the same time, deepening the regional network of church-to-church ties.
A second partnership centers on Camotán, Guatemala, where a medical mission team organized by church members Yancey Brame and Dr. Mark Speake has traveled repeatedly since Dr. Speake's first trip in 2006. A recent team included two physicians in training from the NCH Internal Medicine Residency program, a local nephrologist, a palliative care fellow, a Denver colleague, a Guatemalan dentist, nurses, medical students, and translators. Over four days the team cared for 590 patients in the mountains around Camotán, distributing medications supplied by the Naples congregation. The trip also resupplied the midwife at the local free clinic with prenatal vitamins, and members are invited to donate children's chewable, adult, and prenatal multivitamins throughout the year.
Adults in Community
The church's adult ministry is organized around three primary gatherings.
The Presbyterian Women of First Presbyterian fill the roles of ushers, greeters, readers, teachers, elders, deacons, knitters of prayer shawls, and coordinators of the post-service punch and cookies in Spencer Hall. The PW gives more than $10,000 each year to local charities, honors veterans in November, collects blankets and jackets on Blanket Sunday, and gathers school supplies for children in need. Members volunteer at local agencies, rock babies, teach children to read in after-school literacy programs, cook and serve meals to the homeless, and join in the construction of houses at Habitat for Humanity. Four Circles meet monthly at various times for Bible study and fellowship, currently in person or via Zoom, and the Women's Bible Study gathers on Monday afternoons at 1:00 p.m. for a homework-free hour of discussion, prayer, and study.
The Men's Ministry meets on the first and third Wednesdays of each month from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. in person and via Zoom, with a program focused on a man's relationship with God and church and time set aside for questions, answers, and follow-up discussion. A separate men's Bible study gathers at noon on Thursdays for an hour and fifteen minutes, with weekly attendance optional, in Spencer Hall or via Zoom.
Young Adults, the church's ministry for people navigating the early seasons of adult life, gathers monthly from September through May, both online via Zoom and in person, for fellowship, conversation, and encouragement. The group also steps away each January for an unplugged retreat focused on rest, reflection, and deeper community, and gathers casually for shared meals throughout the year.
First Presbyterian Preschool
First Presbyterian Preschool has been a part of the church's downtown campus since 1965, making it one of the older continuously operating half-day programs in Naples. Directed by Delia Buckley, the preschool serves children from toddlers through age five in a play-based environment built around meaningful play, hands-on experiences, and positive relationships. The philosophy of the program is that young children learn best when their natural curiosity is honored and when they have time to wonder, discover, and build confidence. The preschool is housed on the church campus at Sixth Street South, and inquiries and applications are handled through a separate preschool office reachable at 239-262-8315.
Reformed Faith and Membership
First Presbyterian is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA), within the Peace River Presbytery. The Brief Statement of Faith of the PCUSA is regularly confessed in worship and is the closest summary the church offers of what it believes. It begins, "In life and in death we belong to God. Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, we trust in the one Triune God, the Holy One of Israel, whom alone we worship and serve." It concludes, "With believers in every time and place, we rejoice that nothing in life or in death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." The church describes itself as a place where the communion table is shared with everyone and where the doors are open to all.
The path to membership begins with "Discover First Presbyterian," a class scheduled throughout the year following worship services, at which prospective members meet the pastors, learn more about the church, and share the journey with others considering membership. From there, members may come into full membership through a certificate of transfer from another church, a reaffirmation of faith, or a profession of faith, the last of which may include baptism if the person has not yet been baptized. An affiliate membership is available for those who wish to retain their full membership elsewhere while making First Presbyterian their church home while in the Naples area; affiliate members enjoy the same benefits of full membership except voting and holding ordained positions. The membership process is coordinated by Susan Pratt, Coordinator of Membership and Caring Ministries.
Special Services Through the Year
The rhythm of the Christian year is marked at First Presbyterian with services that have become local traditions. Ash Wednesday is observed at noon with the imposition of ashes. Maundy Thursday brings a candlelight service at 7:00 p.m. with Holy Communion. Good Friday is observed at noon with a somber service of music and meditations. Easter Sunday is celebrated with three services: a 7:30 a.m. Sunrise Service in the courtyard, and two services in the sanctuary at 8:30 a.m. and 10:15 a.m., with the Naples Chamber Brass performing at both sanctuary services. Kirkin' o' the Tartan is held annually on Reformation Sunday, the last Sunday in October, and features the St. Andrew's Society processing tartan flags down the aisle to the music of the Harp and Thistle Band. Thanksgiving Day worship is held at 11:00 a.m. Blue Christmas, a service of comfort, hope, wholeness, and renewal, is held on the Wednesday before Christmas at 5:30 p.m. Christmas Eve brings a 5:00 p.m. Family Service designed for children of all ages and a 7:00 p.m. Traditional Service with a Silent Night candle lighting, both livestreamed, with a special musical prelude beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Visiting, Parking, and Accessibility
The church campus is designed to be easy to enter. The main church lot sits on the west side of the building with direct access to the sanctuary. A dedicated North Campus Lot lies directly across the street to the north. Ample street parking is available along Sixth Street South, Third Avenue South, and the surrounding neighborhood streets, and clearly marked handicap parking spaces are located in both lots with level access to the building entrances.
The sanctuary is fully wheelchair and walker accessible, and wheelchairs and walkers are available on request. A Hearing Loop system runs through the sanctuary, allowing worshipers with T-coil-enabled hearing aids and cochlear implants to receive clear audio directly through their devices; a limited number of Loop Receivers and headsets are also available from any usher. Large-print hymnals are available upon request. Ushers and greeters are stationed at each entrance to assist with seating, directions, and any accessibility need.
The church office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with Friday afternoon hours varying. The mailing address and physical address are the same: 250 Sixth Street South, Naples, FL 34102. The office phone is (239) 262-1311, and the general email is fpc@fpcnaples.org.
Generosity and Giving
Giving at First Presbyterian is organized around the same four words that organize the church's life. Gifts to "We Worship" sustain the Sunday services, the livestream broadcasts, choral music, guest musicians, and the care of the Ruffatti organ. Gifts to "We Love" power the Stephen Ministers, the Deacon benevolence fund, and direct assistance to neighbors facing critical life transitions. Gifts to "We Grow" support children, youth, and young adult programs, Sunday school, adult Bible studies, Presbyterian Women circles, and Men's Fellowship. Gifts to "We Serve" move faith outside the walls of the church through partnerships with organizations like Habitat for Humanity and the Salvation Army.
Online giving is available through a secure portal in Realm, with both one-time and recurring gifts. Text-to-give works by texting FPCNAPLES followed by the amount to 73256. Annual pledges are renewed each year as part of the "Grace of Giving" campaign, helping the Session plan the year ahead. Gifts may also be made through a Qualified Charitable Distribution from an IRA, through gifts of appreciated stock, or by check mailed to the church office or placed in the Sunday offering plate. A memorial flower dedication program allows members and friends to dedicate chancel flowers in memory, in honor, or in celebration of loved ones, with a suggested donation of $85 per dedication.
With the congregation approaching its seventy-fifth anniversary in 2027, the rhythm of the church year is shaped by that milestone, and by the steady work of a downtown church that gathers in the same sanctuary week after week, anchored by an organ, a Bible, a choir, and a long list of partners near and far.