The Church of the Messiah

This August, Church of the Messiah will celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary and we have planned a special celebration twenty-five years in the making.  We will have special guests every Sunday in August as well as incredible fellowship and reunion events.  Here is all that we have planned for the celebration.

Sunday, August 5th–Our special guest preacher will be Bp. David Epps from the Mid-South Diocese of the Charismatic Episcopal Church.  Bp. Epps is a mighty man of God, a pastor, a writer, and an incredible story-teller.  Church of the Messiah plays a key role in his transition into the Charismatic Episcopal Church.  His visit is sure to be one we talk about for years to come.

Saturday, August 11th–We are hosting a Youth Group Reunion.  Anyone who has ever attended Church of the Messiah’s Youth Group (or old St. David’s Youth Group, for that matter) or been a Youth Pastor or Youth Leader is invited to return to Church of the Messiah for a special night of fun and fellowship.  There will be music, skits, and time to reconnect with friends you haven’t seen in years (except on social media).

Sunday, August 12th—Fr. David Paysinger, the Archdeacon of the Diocese of Florida and Rector Emeritus of Church of the Messiah, returns to the pulpit for the first time since his retirement in 2015.  Fr. Paysinger was pastor of Church of the Messiah from 2006 until 2015.  He is known throughout the CEC as an incredible pastor, counselor, and prayer warrior.  His return to COM’s pulpit is sure to be anointed.

Saturday, August 18th–Church of the Messiah has always been known for its incredible praise and worship ministries and, as part of our 25th Anniversary Celebration, we are “getting the band back together” for a Call to Worship!  Join us for an incredible night of praise and worship with friends who have worshiped at Church of the Messiah over the last twenty-five years. We are grateful that this event will be hosted at The River Church at Jacksonville (click HERE for a map).

Sunday, August 19th—Archbishop Charles Travis of the Apostolate of St. Chad (CEEC) will be returning to Church of the Messiah after many years.  Abp. Travis and his family attended Church of the Messiah for many years when we knew him as “Doctor Chuck.”

Saturday, August 25th–Church of the Messiah will host a Community Fish Fry from 11:00 to 1:00.  Come join us as Earl Shimp and his team fry up amazing fish, hush puppies, and other incredible fixings.  Invite your friends; this is open to everyone!  Please RSVP on the event page, at church on Sunday, or by contacting the office.  We want to make sure we have plenty of food for everyone!

Sunday, August 26th–Our very own Bishop David Simpson of the Diocese of Florida will join us to cap off our month of celebration.  This Sunday is our actual anniversary and we’ve got lots of surprises in store.  It’s going to be an incredible and anointed service to be sure!

All events (except the Call to Worship) will be hosted at Church of the Messiah (click for a map).  All Sunday services begin at 10 o’clock.  Click on the dates to visit the Facebook events for each celebration.  For more information, call or email Church of the Messiah at 904-721-4199.  Everyone is welcome and we can’t wait to celebrate all that God has done in Church of the Messiah over the last twenty-five years!

Foundation Day is the Sunday closest to the anniversary of the consecration of Randolph Adler as the first bishop in the Charismatic Episcopal Church.  In honor of this event, we collect a special offering each year to help build the future of our Communion.  Due to an oversight, we neglected to collect the offering this past Sunday and will do so this coming Sunday, July 1st.  Below is a letter regarding the special occasion by Archbishop Craig Bates, the Patriarch of the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church.  Thank you for supporting the future of our Communion.

Craig Bates

This August Church of the Messiah will celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary and we have an entire “month of Sundays” and even more planned to commemorate this incredible milestone for our community.  Grab your pencil and your calendar and “save these dates” because you will not want to miss any of what we have planned in August!

Sunday, August 5th: Bishop David Epps, the Bishop of the Mid-South Diocese of the Charismatic Episcopal Church will visit and bring the Word of God.

Saturday, August 11th: We are having Youth Group Reunion for anyone who has ever worshiped in Church of the Messiah’s Youth Group over the last twenty-five years!

Sunday, August 12th:  The Venerable David Paysinger, Rector Emeritus of Church of the Messiah, will return to the pulpit for the first time since retiring and share his memories from the very beginning of Church of the Messiah.

Saturday, August 18th: We will be having Worship Reunion Night!  Church of the Messiah has always been known for its incredible praise and worship and throughout out twenty-five years we have have phenomenally talented musicians and singers join us in praising the Lord.  We are issuing a call to “get the band back together” and call together all those who have worshiped with us in the past to praise Him together again.  This event will be hosted by The River Church at Jacksonville.

Sunday, August 19th: Archbishop Charles Travis, Archbishop of the Apostolate of St. Chad (Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches) and long-time friend of Church of the Messiah, will join us and share how Church of the Messiah helped to form him personally and has impacted the world.

Saturday, August 25th: We are hosting a Community Fish Fry and Family Fun Day.  We will have amazing fish and incredible sides with great fellowship and fun for the whole family.  Everyone is invited!

Sunday, August 26th: Bishop David Simpson, Bishop of the Diocese of Florida and the Caribbean, will join us to celebrate our actual Twenty-Fifth Anniversary.  This will be a celebration twenty-five years in the making and one you will not want to miss!

All events will be hosted at Church of the Messiah (except the Youth Reunion and Worship Reunion).  To be sure that you don’t miss any of the latest updates, “like” Church of the Messiah’s Facebook page or “follow” Church of the Messiah on Twitter.

This Wednesday night, May 9th, beginning at 7 o’clock, Church of the Messiah will celebrate the Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ into Heaven.  More commonly and simply known as The Ascension, this day commemorates how, forty days after His Resurrection from the dead, Our Lord went out to a mountain with His disciples and was taken up into Heaven.  This is an incredibly important feast in the life of the Church, yet it is often overlooked because of its time in between Easter and Pentecost.

This Wednesday night, Church of the Messiah will celebrate the Feast of the Ascension as part of our regular mid-week worship service.  The worship service will begin at 7 o’clock and will be preceded by our soup supper from 6:00-6:45.  The service is a Eucharistic service complete with praise & worship, intercessory prayers, and Holy Communion.  Childcare is provided during the service time and the service ends by 8:30 to accommodate those needing to prepare for school or work the next day.  The Feast of the Ascension is one of the most important feasts in the Church year.  Join us this Wednesday night and celebrate the incredible occasion with us.

This Saturday, April 28th, starting at 9 o’clock, the clergy and people of Church of the Messiah will gather outside of A Woman’s Choice, one of Jacksonville’s few abortion clinics and one which often performs abortions on Saturday mornings.  We will be praying for an end to abortion and especially for those who are about to die in that very clinic that weekend.

Please join with us as we pray for the pre-born children throughout Jacksonville and the world, but especially those a A Woman’s Choice, (Click HERE for a map) who will be murdered by the holocaust of abortion and have no one to pray for them. Let us pray for those who are about to die and for and end to abortion in America and in the world.

The best place to park is in the parking lot near the Payless ShoeSource (click HERE for a map) and walk to short distance to where we will be praying.  Be sure to park, however, away from the stores, because we do not want to be a nuisance to the vendors.

Fr. Terry Gensemer, the International Director for CEC For Life, will visit Church of the Messiah this Sunday, April, 28th.  Fr. Gensemer will preach and con-celebrate the Holy Eucharist at Church of the Messiah’s regular service beginning at 10 o’clock.

In addition to leading CEC For Life and sitting on the Patriarch’s Council, Fr. Gensemer is a Board Member of the National Pro-Life Religious Council, a Pastoral Care Associate for the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, and the Pastoral Director for the Society of Centurions, an organization which hosts healing retreats for those who have left the abortion industry.  Fr. Gensemer’s tireless work for the Pro-Life cause has taken him to five different continents and countless churches across the world.  On this trip, Fr. Gensemer will be joined by his wife Patti.

Fr. Terry will be fresh from a national meeting of pro-life leaders in Titusville, FL, and promises that he will have a powerful word for Church of the Messiah.  Be sure to mark your calendars and plan on joining us this Sunday, April 28th, as our time with Fr. Terry is sure to be anointed by The Lord!

Please see the letter from Bp. Douglas Kessler, Bishop of the West and host of the 2018 National Convocation in Henderson, NV.  Below his letter you will find a .pdf of the current schedule of events.  For more information, visit the Convocation web-site.

God graciously gives us special times, special seasons and special events.  Please mark your calendars right now for a very special and anointed time as the people of the Charismatic Episcopal Church in North America gather for our national convocation in Henderson, Nevada.

As the Bishop of the Diocese of the West I am honored to host you all for this exceptional time together.  The sooner you sign your self, spouse or family up, the better we can prepare to serve you.  Time is important, as this is your vacation time, but is most everyone else’s to, right.

We pride ourselves in the CEC on being a generational church.  No greater treasure has God given us then or children.  Its no surprise our emphasis for this time is on family and children.

Henderson is a suburb of Las Vegas. As well as the nearly infinite man made attractions, it’s surrounded by major natural wonders such as the Grand Canyon and Lake Powell. 

While we intend to see God move in a mighty way in our midst, with powerful worship and anointed words, we have purposely arranged our sessions so that families can have the most effective and convenient times for family outings.

 Our theme is “Rise Up” and there’s no better time to then right now.  Please mark your calendars, start planning your trip and signup so I know you’re coming.

I’ll see you soon.

Your servant and His,

Bishop +Douglas Kessler

Church of the Messiah invites you to join us this Sunday, March 25th, starting at 10 am, as we celebrate Palm Sunday.  Palm Sunday, also called Passion Sunday, is the the Sunday one week before Easter where the church commemorates Our Lord’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  Church of the Messiah observes this celebration by beginning our Sunday morning services in the courtyard of our church with special readings and prayers to bless palms for the congregation.  Then we all process into the church together reading pilgrim Psalms and singing songs of worship.  It is a powerful way to relive Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem in the week before His death and resurrection.  This service will also include a special dramatic reading of the Passion Gospel according to St. Mark read by various members of the congregation.  It is a vivid reminder of all that our Lord endured on our behalf and a potent way to begin Holy Week.  We invite everyone to join us at this special service.  For more information,visit the Palm Sunday Facebook event, email or call Church of the Messiah at 904-721-4199.

Church of the Messiah invites you to join us this Wednesday night, February 14, as we observe Ash Wednesday.  As the traditional beginning of Lent, Ash Wednesday is a day of special prayers and fasting to help start the season off properly.  Throughout Lent we remember the forty days which Our Lord spent in the wilderness prior to the start of His public ministry.  It is a time for all of us examine our hearts and prepare worship the Lord without any guilt or reservation holding us back.  As such, the Ash Wednesday Service is an amazing way to begin Lent.  The service includes the Litany of Penitence and the once a year Imposition of Ashes.  It is a powerful reminder of our own mortality and the judgement which we will all face.

As part of our Wednesday night services, we still will have our regular community meal on Ash Wednesday.  We will serve community supper from 6:00-6:45 and vegetarian alternatives will be provided throughout Lent for those who are fasting meat.  The service itself begins at seven o’clock.  Childcare is provided for children up to fifth grade during the service time and our Youth Group meets during this time as well.  The service ends by 8:30 in order to all everyone who needs to prepare for work or school the next day to do so in a timely manner.

Ash Wednesday is a truly wonderful service in the life of the Church cheska-lekarna.com.  Whether you have never been or you have been every year, we invite you to join us, Wednesday night, February 14th, for what will absolutely be an incredible evening.

Each year, the Patriarch of the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church, Archbishop Craig Bates, publishes a letter on the Feast of Our Lord and the Giver of Life which is the third Sunday in January.  This year, the feast falls on January 21st.  Please take a few moments and read this message from our Patriarch.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Is there ever going to be an end to the holocaust of abortion?

Year after year, in the cold of winter, I have traveled to Washington, D.C. for the March for Life. It is a march to the Supreme Court where, in 1973, nine people unleashed the legalization of the murder of preborn children on America. At that time, most thought terminating pregnancy was merely a matter of removing “fetal tissue.” We were told that the “fetal tissue” was not human life, but human life in formation. The dissuasions centered around when that life began but, ultimately, the Supreme Court ruled that a woman has a constitutional right to choose to terminate her pregnancy.

Now, with all the scientific evidence at our disposal, we know that human life begins at conception. However, the courts continue to support a woman’s ability to choose not just the termination of pregnancy, but the ending of a human life.

We have elected “pro-life” representatives, senators, and even pro-life presidents. Yet abortion remains legal, and the politicians hide behind excuses for not passing legislation that would severely limit abortions, or even end the funding of abortion providers.

Is it hopeless?

No, it is not hopeless. But it is generational. We have made progress in educating young people about the evils of abortion.  We have raised up a generation of pro-life activists who will work tirelessly to see the end of abortion and create a time when abortion will be unthinkable. The next generation will end abortion, not only in America but worldwide.

The Charismatic Episcopal Church is not a church that is pro-life, it is a pro-life church. Our roots and heritage are not only in convergence worship, but in the message that all life is sacred and that the family rests at the core of Christian spirituality.

Over the years, CEC for Life has represented us at every major pro-life event. Not just in America, but throughout the world.  And that work has taken root. Fr. Terry Gensemer, director of CEC for Life, sits with almost every major or significant prolife group in the global community. He has, over the last decade, raised up a generation in the CEC across the world that is pro-life. Soon, that new generation will be in the leadership of CEC for Life. It is a generation raised up for the purpose of ending the holocaust of abortion and proclaiming the life giving message of the Gospel.

We need to continue our work and in fact, strengthen and build our work.

This year, the Feast of our Lord the Giver of Life falls on Sunday, January 21st. We will once again take an offering, as well as renew our memberships and the memberships of our churches in CEC for Life. There is information enclosed that will help us in meeting your obligation.

Let us continue fervently in prayer. Let us also keep steadfast in the work of the Lord Jesus until His coming again.

Under His mercy,

The Most Rev. Craig W. Bates
Patriarch, ICCEC