The Church of the Messiah

Now that we have celebrated Thanksgiving, we begin to anticipate the celebration of Christmas!  For four weeks prior to Christmas, the Church celebrates the Holy Season of Advent.  Advent is a time of prayer and preparation in anticipation of the Coming of Our Lord on Christmas as well as the Second Coming of Our Lord when He returns at the Last Judgement.  This year Church of the Messiah will observe the four Sundays of Advent on November 29th, December 6th, 13th, and 20th.  All of our Sunday morning services begin at 10 o’clock.

On Thursday night, December 24th, we will celebrate Christmas Eve with our traditional Family Service.  This service includes a special presentation from the children and youth of the church, a reading of the Nativity Gospel, the singing of traditional Christmas Carols, and other special surprises.  Please note that this year our Christmas Eve Family Service will begin at the special time of 7:30 pm.

On Christmas Day, we will celebrate the Incarnation of Our Lord with our Christmas Day Service.  This service is a brief Said Mass and usually lasts about forty-five minutes.  Our Christmas Day Service will begin at 10 o’clock and is our only service of the holiday season that will be held in Church of the Messiah’s sanctuary (where we met before COVID).

All of our services (except Christmas Day) will be held in the sanctuary of Ft. Caroline Presbyterian Church which allows us to be seated with adequate social distancing.  For more information on our COVID19 precautions, visit our COVID Precautions Page.  For those who cannot join us in person, all of our services will be live streamed via Facebook Live on the church’s Facebook page.  Childcare is provided during each of our services (except Christmas Day).

During this season of holidays, we invite everyone to join us, whether in person or virtually, for any or all of our Advent and Christmas service.   “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

Every year on the Sunday closest to All Saints’ Day, the Charismatic Episcopal Church of North America takes of a special offering to help our brothers and sisters in the developing world.  Please read this letter from Abp. Craig Bates, the Patriarch of the ICCEC, and prayerfully consider giving to support this offering this Sunday.

To the Bishops, Clergy and People of God in the Charismatic Episcopal Church of North America,

The year 2020 has been an interesting year and it is not yet over. We are still in a pandemic. We are not sure of the future regarding that pandemic. Is there going to be a vaccine by the end of the year or early next year? Are we going to have a second wave? Are we to believe, as some have suggested, that the darkest days are ahead of us, or that we are on the verge of a breakthrough in treatment and prevention?

We are also experiencing economic recovery, though I hear that is slowing down. Some businesses are still shut down. Many are facing the loss of income and it has put them in hard times. It seems that congress has stalled, and they are caught up in partisan politics and plays for power rather than finding ways to assist so many hurting people.

We are in an election cycle that has become more divisive than I can remember. I know of people who have lost long-standing friendships over politics. I know people who are afraid to express their opinions for fear of retaliation. I am uncertain what is going to happen no matter who wins the election. Could we be in for a more divisive atmosphere?

Someone said to me that they normally don’t stay up on New Year’s Eve, but this year they will make sure they are wide awake at midnight. Not so much to welcome in the New Year but to make sure 2020 leaves.

The life of the Church has gone on during all of this and will continue to go on after it is all over and we face the next thing. The life of the Church and her mission is not determined by the course of world events or circumstances, but it is determined by the Holy Spirit. Our mission is still focused on the King and the Kingdom. In this pandemic and this election cycle, the Word continues to be preached and the sacraments are being administered. While we are forced to embrace the virtual world, we have discovered so many means of not surviving but increasing our outreach and our ability to preach the Good News.

I remember hearing a sermon on giving when I was a young pastor. It was a sermon that changed my perspective on giving to the Lord and His work. It led me to believe that life is meant to be a life of giving and not taking. In other words, the quality of life is determined not by what we get out of life, but what we put into life from our time, our talents, and our treasures.
The preacher was talking about what to do in time of lacking finances and resources. The sermon was given in the late seventies when the nation was in the midst of run-away inflation, interest rates were at 18%, unemployment was extremely high, and we were lacking oil and gas. The shortages forced many Americans to stand in gas lines (if there was gas). I remember as a pastor having meeting after meeting about how we were going to heat the Church and if we were going to meet our small budget at the end of the year.

When I saw this teaching called “attack your lack” on a cassette tape (remember those) I immediately picked it up and listened to it. The central point of the message is that lack is not an obstacle but an opportunity to move by faith. He said it made no sense but the victory over lack is to give more away. If you are in need then you need to give at the point of your need. He said we are called to put our treasure where we want our heart to go and our heart should be going more and more into the direction of trusting God.

I know many are facing lack in the CEC. But God has a plan, and it is giving of our time, talent, and treasure into the work of the Kingdom. God’s resources are unlimited, and He is ready to provide for us and it might be miraculously. I have found this teaching to be true over the 40 years I have served as a pastor and have tried to follow Jesus. So the Mission offering gives me and you a means of releasing our faith into the work of God in East Africa.

So much has been accomplished through your generosity. We have schools, a seminary, churches, orphanages, water projects, and a host of other ministries. One hundred percent of the offering gathered on Mission Sunday goes to developing projects that generate money to increase the work of the Lord. There is a short video on CEC-NA or can be made available to you to watch and show you people. I hope every Cathedral shows the video and you can join them and watch it yourself.

We need to attack our lack. It is time to trust more and more in God’s provision for us, because He is trustworthy, and His promises are true. It is not a time to worry. It is time to step up and step out with the message of Jesus. As we release our faith in Christ, we will find that even in our desperation He will hear and answer our prayer. We will give generously and then expect God to release blessings in abundance because He is a generous God.

Under His mercy,

The Most Rev. Craig W. Bates,
Patriarch

This Sunday, October 18th, at our 10 o’clock service, Church of the Messiah is blessed to welcome Archbishop Craig W. Bates, the Patriarch of the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church.  Abp. Bates will be preaching during the service as well as celebrating the Holy Eucharist.  We will be worshiping in person in the sanctuary of Ft. Caroline Presbyterian Church (at our current location) and the service will be live streamed via Facebook for those who cannot attend in person.

Archbishop Bates began his ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church where, in 1985, he was called to serve as the associate pastor of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, in Malverne, New York. Five years later, after the retirement of the senior pastor then-Fr. Bates was called to be the senior pastor–a position he has maintained until 2018. In 1994, Fr. Bates left the Episcopal Church and joined the fledgling Charismatic Episcopal Church. The following year, St. Thomas Episcopal Church became a part of the CEC and changed their name to Church of the Intercessor. On November 14, 1997, Craig Bates was consecrated the first Bishop of the Diocese of the Northeast. Nine years later, on January 9, 2008, Bishop Bates was elected the second Patriarch of the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church. In addition to pastoring the same church for over 30 years and all of his episcopal ministry, Archbishop Bates holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Franconia College, a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from Anna Maria College and a Master of Divinity from the General Theological Seminary. Archbishop Bates is extremely active in the New York metropolitan area as a voice for church unity, an original signer of the Manhattan Declaration, and a staunch defender of the pre-born in the Pro-Life movement. He has been married to his wife for over 40+ years and together they have three grown children and a growing number of grand-children!

Archbishop Bates is a mighty man of God and a powerful prophetic voice in the Church.  Please join us in welcoming our Patriarch this Sunday, October 18th, at 10 o’clock.  We encourage everyone to join us in person* or virtually on Facebook Live and invite their friends to join us as we witness that The LORD is doing.

*For more information about our COVID-19 precautions, visit this page.

This Friday, September 25th, on what would have been Cathie’s birthday, we celebrate Cathie having entered into eternal life with her Lord and Savior.  Cathie went to be with The Lord after suffering a sudden, unexpected illness in March of this year, just as the lockdown was beginning.  Now we will finally be able have a memorial service and thank The Lord for her life.

This service will be streamed through Church of the Messiah’s Facebook page beginning at 6:30 on Friday evening.  For the sake of the family and in order to maintain social distance, we ask that everyone who wishes to join us in the service do so on Facebook Live.  To participate in the service once it has begun, if you are on already on Facebook, you can find Church of the Messiah by typing “mycomjax” in the Facebook search bar or by clicking this LINK if you are not already on Facebook.

We understand that this is not a traditional way to hold a memorial service, but we are grateful for the opportunity to gather, even virtually, and celebrate Cathie’s life and Our Lord.  We appreciate everyone’s graciousness at this time.   Please feel free to leave your kind words, thoughts and prayers in the comments of the live stream where Earl, Brooke, and other loved one may read them later.

Rest eternal grant to Cathie, O Lord;
And let light perpetual shine upon her.

May her soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed,
Through the mercy of God, rest in peace.  Amen.

There is nothing like a presidential election cycle to uncover the division that exists in America. But that is true of every nation.  I have been to several nations when an election was taking place and the bishops, clergy, and citizens were in fear of civil war.  Several times we were limited to where we could travel because of the violence.  Once, two of our bishops, from opposing tribes, in a show of unity found in Christ alone, intervened to stop the violence that could have resulted in the death of hundreds of citizens.  This nation is still divided, and every election still presents an opportunity for radical and extremist groups to cause unrest.  Two countries where we have churches have been in civil war since I have been a bishop.  Even in Europe, we find civil unrest and riots sometimes on a regular basis.  It is only because of COVID 19 that Paris has been free of weekly demonstrations.  For some European nations, the elections are extremely divisive and result in massive demonstrations, often ending in violence. In this, America is not unique.

America has been severely divided before.  In 1960, John Kennedy and Richard Nixon ran for President.  The results of the election were one of the closest, if not the closest, election in our history.  Immediately, there were accusations of voter fraud which were never investigated.  President Kennedy was accused of stealing the election.  People feared that if President Kennedy was elected America would become a Catholic nation and the President would be controlled by the Pope.  There have been other times of great division like during the Vietnam War when there were massive demonstrations.  One demonstration in Ohio resulted in the National Guard opening fire on college students.  Four college students died during that demonstration.  Further, the Civil Rights movement resulted in division. In order to desegregate schools in some states, federal troops had to be deployed because “segregationist” state governors would not use the state police or militia to enforce federal law.    Police often brutalized demonstrators and the nation divided over the use of force by police officers.  There were cries for the nation “to support the local police” as well as cries to disarm the police.  At this time, people looked to the courts for justice.  Like today, people were forced to take sides either for an end to racial segregation or in support of the police.  Following the death of Martin Luther King, there were race riots in the streets of major cities, particularly in the north.  Again, troops had to be called in to stop the rioting. The nomination of the Democrat candidate in Chicago in 1968 was surrounded by violence and excessive use of force by the police,  and some suggest that Hubert Humphrey lost the election because of the violence.  Even the Church was divided at this time.  During this time, the Moral Majority was formed and backed mostly conservative candidates.  The Moral Majority played a significant role in the election of Richard Nixon and Ronald Raegan.  Soon they became known as the ‘religious right’.   Pastors marched against and for segregation.  Pastors marched against the War in Vietnam and in support of Vietnam.  Unfortunately, even today these opposing groups in the Church form a strong political base for candidates on both sides.  I believe an “unholy” alliance has been made in some cases.  At one time in American history, we were divided so much that a horrible war was fought claiming hundreds of thousands of lives.  Also, during this divisive moment, both sides of the conflict invoked God and saw their cause as righteous.

I enjoy Facebook and Instagram because I miss my grandchildren.  I recognize that of the over 4,000 friends I have on Facebook not all are “real” friends.  I don’t think I know 4,000 people.  Of those I don’t even know, I still like following their posts. I do have a number of “real” friends and family on Facebook and Instagram, and I enjoy hearing about their birthdays, anniversaries, family events, vacations, and especially their (non-political) humor.  I enjoy Facebook when some of my “real” friends recommend books, articles, television shows, and movies.  During the pandemic, I have enjoyed watching live streams from churches and hearing some dynamic sermons.  Actually, if you’re interested, I am on Facebook and I live stream broadcasts daily. I appreciate the medium in its value for proclaiming the Gospel.  I hope you visit my page and listen to me if you get the chance.  I am planning on expanding my social media and online presence in the future.

But the political right and the political left, as well as “political junkies”, and “news junkies”. have hijacked social media.  It has been hijacked not for the purpose of reasonable debate or discussion but with the intent to attack a candidate and see how many “likes” one can get.   Those who object to division and accuse a candidate of being divisive often add fuel to the fire of division by name-calling and “mud-slinging.”  The mere mention of certain names will cause a flurry of name-calling or Opt Eds.  Debate is then done in sound bites, sarcasm, attack, and short, often poorly written, opinion editorials usually with the sole purpose of denigrating a politician or political position.  So intense is the division in social media that friendships have been destroyed.  Others remain silent for fear of being labeled as “right-wing,” “left-wing,” “Democrat,” or Republican.” Sadly this could ultimately result in losing a friendship.  What is sad is that often times the biggest offenders of perpetuating these divisions are Christians.

There has been in American Christianity, a dangerous marriage between faith and politics.  This is not something new.  In American history we see this strange marriage occur repeatedly, sometimes appropriately as in the case of ending racism or protecting innocent life.  However, more often it has been a division between Catholics and Protestants, White Church and Churches of color, or the forming of an alliance to push agendas that have little to do with the Gospel, like Prohibition or blue laws.  I have even read on Facebook pastors acting as political alarmists and predicting the destruction of America if this or that candidate is elected in 2020.  I have been challenged by some clergy and laity to take this or that position or support a certain candidate because if their candidate is not elected America will be destroyed.  I refuse.  I have only stated that I am Pro-Life of the Seamless garment variety.  There is enough in that statement to offend almost everyone, including some of my closest friends.  The restoration of human dignity is my concern and the preaching of Christ crucified is my concern.

Where is the Church to be in all of this?  I believe it is imperative for the Church to speak in matters of morality.  The Church must have a clear call when it comes to proclaiming the right to life from conception to natural death.  The Church must speak out when there is injustice and cry out for justice.  The Church needs to pray that we have righteous leaders and pray for all those in authority.  The Church needs to stand strong when it comes to ending corruption in developing nations.  The Church needs to be leaders in ending the sex trade industry.  The Church must call for an end to any type of racism and be sure that there is and continues to be racial justice.  But mostly the Church’s role is not to become another political institution, but to help her members educate themselves to form a Biblical foundation for making a moral or faith-based decision when they vote.

The Church’s role is to bring the Gospel to the nations.  It is to teach and preach the Gospel that alone makes us all sons and daughters of the Father.  We are to resist those who want to divide us into political parties.  It must be used to help people to embrace the identity that is better than any other: Child of God and inheritor of the Kingdom of heaven.  We are called to train our people in the proper use of the Holy Scriptures, the traditions of the historic and ancient church, and how to pray.  We are called to kneel only to the King of the Kingdom of God and worship Him alone. We are never to embrace a false messiah or let a god of political secularism be elevated in our churches as a king or messiah.  There is only one God and we know Him in Jesus Christ.

I believe we need to seek reconciliation in the Church first.  The Church is divided, and it is one of the reasons our voice is not heard in the secular world.  Often the Church is divided along political and racial lines (this is not something new).  The world has been divided along these lines for the whole of American Christian history.  In this generation, there is an urgent need to move beyond the barriers and find our unity only in Christ Jesus who is the head of the Church.  We need to be about the mission and vision of our King.  It is only in Christ that we will be able to come together.  If we come in prayer and repentance, as the children of God, our Father will heal our lands.  Are we desperate for God’s healing in our lands?  If we are desperate, are we turning to the “false messiahs of politics?” Or are we seeking God for our healing?

Under His mercy,

Abp. Craig Bates

This Sunday, July 5th, Church of the Messiah will hold its first worship service that will be open to the public since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic in March.  After an unfortunate delay last week, we are so blessed and excited to be able to gather in the sanctuary of Ft. Caroline Presbyterian Church, the church from whom we lease our current building. Throughout the month of July, Ft. Caroline Presbyterian will be graciously allowing us to worship in their sanctuary which can seat up to 300 people so that our congregation may gather together once again and still maintain appropriate social distancing.  We are so excited to be able to worship together (in person) once again after worshiping together on-line for four months.

It should be obvious that everything will not be exactly like it was in January of this year.  COVID-19 is very real in Duval County and Mayor Lenny Curry has recently enacted an executive order requiring the wearing of masks or face coverings in public places where social distancing is not possible.  In light of these circumstances, please take a few moments and read the following.

You will be required to wear a mask or maintain social distance.  We will be submitted to the regulations of our city as St. Paul commends us. (Romans 13:1)  This means that, for those who are over six years old, if you are within six feet of someone who does not live within your household, you will need to be wearing a mask.  We will have masks available for those who do not own their own.  When people are in their seats, and seated six feet away from those outside of their households, masks need not be worn.  When people are receiving Holy Communion, masks need not be worn.  Please note that some people may have medical conditions which prevent them from wearing masks.  That is permissible according to the executive order.

Honor and respect other people’s choices.  Part of “walking in love” in acknowledging that people will make choices that differ from our own and respecting those choices.  If someone does not want a hug or a handshake like they did months ago, we all need to respect that.  Likewise, there may be some people who, for medical reasons, are not wearing masks.  If you are uncomfortable being near those people, there will be plenty of seats far enough away for you to be safe.  No one needs to be notified and you need not inquire about their medical condition.

Conversations are best held outside in the open air. The mayor’s executive order does not require the wearing of masks outside.  If you would like to have conversations with friends who you have not seen in months, we encourage you to do so in the open air where you need not wear a mask and where the breeze helps disperse all those wicked little germs.

We will continue to live stream our service on our Facebook page for those who are not present with us in the sanctuary.  We ask the those whom the Centers for Disease Control considers especially vulnerable or at higher risk for infection (older adults, those with lung, heart, or liver disease, or those with autoimmune issues) to prayerfully consider staying home.  At the same time, we must insist that those who feel sick, or those who have been in contact with anyone has been sick or who might possibly have COVID-19 stay home.  Church of the Messiah has been blessed with a phenomenal record thus far of zero infections and we do not want that record to ever come to an end.  We will be working with Fr. Looker, the Rector’s Council, and various ministry leaders throughout the week in order to ensure that we are able to worship The Lord in the most glorious way possible while also being as safe as possible.

There will be a few other minor changes that go along with worshiping in a new space and with all of the COVID-19 requirements, but we are confident that our clergy, ushers, and volunteers will make everyone feel right at home!

Ultimately, we are so blessed that we will be able to worship together this Sunday, July 5th, starting at 10 o’clock, in the sanctuary of Ft. Caroline Presbyterian Church. We are so excited to see everyone again in person!

Beginning July 1st, Church of the Messiah will be partnering with ParishSoft to facilitate our on-line giving and donations.  ParishSoft provides all of the services of our previous on-line giving platform at a fraction of the cost while including several other new church management features that we have never had before.  This will allow us to reduce some of our costs and manage all of the offerings we receive more efficiently.

In addition, we have enrolled in the ParishSoft Youth Scholarship Program.  In this program, ParishSoft is able to give back to the churches with whom they partner.  For every twenty-five individuals or families who give a recurring donation of $50 per month or more, ParishSoft will donate $200 to Church of the Messiah’s Youth Group!

If you are already giving to Church of the Messiah on-line, thank you so much and please make the transition with us to ParishSoft.  If you have not given on-line before, please consider doing so now.  ParishSOFT adheres to the industry’s strictest security requirements. Concerning PCI & DSS Compliance Security, intrusion detection, and SSL transaction security, the ParishSOFT teams go above and beyond the required procedures to maintain the safety of your financial information.

To make a donation to Church of the Messiah, you can visit the “Give” page on our web-site and follow the link on the page or you can click this LINK and go the Church of the Messiah’s donation page directly.  Either way, you can create an account in just a few moments which will enable you to either set up recurring donations or give more quickly next time.

In the future, we look forward to creating text-to-give options as well as a mobile app.  We will be sharing all that ParishSoft can do for Church of the Messiah in the days to come.  Until then, thank you all for your generosity and faithfulness.

Due to circumstances beyond our control, the re-opening of public worship intended for this weekend will be postponed until next Sunday, July 5th.  We apologize for the late notice, the inconvenience, and the disappointment that accompanies this news.  We know how excited everyone was to gather again together and worship The Lord.  We look forward to doing so next Sunday.  Our service this Sunday, June 28th, will be streamed on Facebook Live as it has been in the past.  Please share this message on your personal social media pages in order to get the message out to as many people as possible.