The Church of the Messiah

After the Jacksonville Blizzard of 2018, Wednesday Night Services will officially restart this Wednesday night, January 10th.  We will begin the night with our community supper from six o’clock to 6:45 and our service will begin at seven o’clock.  Childcare is provide for those up to fifth grade during the service time and our Youth Group also meets during this time.  Our service consists of praise and worship, readings from Holy Scripture, a homily, and the Holy Eucharist.  The service concludes by 8:30 so that those who have to prepare for work and school the next day may do so in a timely manner.

Wednesday Nights are an amazing time of fellowship and worship and we look forward to having everyone join us as we restart these services after our Winter break.

Church of the Messiah warmly invites you to join us for all of our Christmas celebrations.   This year, our celebrations begin on Sunday morning, December 24th, at 10 o’clock, when we observe the final Sunday service in the Season of Advent.  That night, starting at seven o’clock, we will have our annual family service.  The Family Service is a special time with a presentation from our Children’s Ministries, Children’s Sermon, and singing of Christmas Carols by candlelight.  On Monday morning, December 25th, we have our annual Christmas Day Mass beginning at ten o’clock.  The Christmas Day Mass is a said mass that allows those who attend to worship the Lord on Christmas while still being present for all of the family obligations later on in the day.  We would love for you to join us at any of all of these wonderful, once a year services.

Sunday, December 3rd, begins the Season of Advent, the first season in the new Church year.  The word “Advent” comes from Latin and means “to come.”  Advent is a time when the Church focuses on preparing our hearts and minds to receive the Messiah-King who not only came two thousand years ago in Bethlehem, but also is to come again.  It is a season where we focus on the Messiah-King who is going to come at an hour no one know and calls us to watch and be prepared.  Advent is the four weeks which precede Christmas, so this year the four Sundays of Advent are December 3rd, 10th, 17th, and 24th.  On each Sunday of Advent, we will have a special service focusing on our King who is to return and what we must do to make ready for His return.  We would love for you to join us every Sunday morning throughout the month of December starting at ten o’clock for our special Advent Services.

This Sunday, November 26th, starting at 10 o’clock, Church of the Messiah will celebrate the Feast of Christ the King.  This is the Feast where we rejoice in the truth that our God is the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings, that every knee shall bow, every tongue confess, and, ultimately, every power in Heaven and on Earth shall submit to the authority of our God who will reign forever.  In a time of uncertainty and fear, it is a time to rejoice in the certainty of the ultimate outcome.  The Feast of Christ the King also marks the end of the liturgical year since the following Sunday will begin the First Sunday of Advent.  With this Sunday essentially being “New Year’s Eve” for the Church, Sunday is sure to be a service that no one will want to miss.  Be sure to attend this Sunday morning, beginning at 10 o’clock for an incredible time of worship.  Everyone is welcome and childcare is provided.

As everyone prepares for the incredible celebration that is Thanksgiving Day, let us not forget that you cannot just give thanks; you have to give thanks to someone.  Since “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights,” (James 1:17) then let us come together and give thanks where it belongs–to Our Heavenly Father who loves us and has given us all the blessing which we have to be thankful.  Join Church of the Messiah Wednesday night at 7 o’clock and begin the celebration of Thanksgiving by first “entering into His gates with Thanksgiving and coming into His courts with praise.” (Psalm 100.4)

We will have an easy, hassle-free, non-turkey themed fellowship meal from 6:00-6:45 and then our worship time begins at seven o’clock.  The service includes a time of praise and worship, reading of Holy Scriptures, a short homily, a special series of prayers of thankfulness, and the Great Thanksgiving itself, the Holy Eucharist.  Our Youth Group will meet during this time and childcare is provided throughout the service time.  We know that you have a lot of work to do on Thursday morning, so we promise to have you on your way home by 8:30 so that you can get to making pies and brining turkeys.

As we begin what is perhaps the busiest six weeks of the year, let’s not lose sight of the focus of all of the holidays and start this entire season of properly.  Let’s begin the season by taking the time out to give thanks to Our Lord who makes all of our blessings possible.  We look forward to seeing everyone this Wednesday night.

This Tuesday Night, October 31st, beginning at 6:30, Church of the Messiah will host our annual All Saints’ Eve Festival.   Be sure to invite your friends, family, and neighbors to a safe night of family-friendly fun for all with loads of games, candy, free food, candy, bounce houses, candy, and even cotton candy if you haven’t gotten enough candy!  It’s going to be a blast for everyone.

This is a wonderful event which provides a safe and fun alternative to trick or treating through neighborhoods.  Kids (and adults) can come to one location, play games, have dinner, and get every bit as much candy as they would have trekking about the neighborhood knocking on strangers’ doors.

Volunteers should plan on arriving around 6 o’clock and parking in the Fr. Caroline Presbyterian parking lot.  The party will wrap up at 8:30 and we should be done by 9 o’clock, but, of course, the more volunteers we have, the quicker we can be finished.

Get your best costume on, head to Church this evening, bring your friends and neighbors, and get ready to have a great time.  We will see you here!

Every year on the Sunday closest to All Saints’ Day, the Charismatic Episcopal Church takes a Missions and Development Offering.  This year we will take up the offering on November 5th.  CEC churches and individuals taken up the offering and then send it to the ICCEC offices in New York.  The funds are recorded online, so each Rector can see that their funds have been received and credited properly. The four General Secretaries in Africa are then given the amounts they can expect to receive.  Those bishops are:

-Bishop Gogo (Uganda, South Sudan and Southern Congo)
-Bishop Koyo (Kenya)
-Bishop Sekelwa (Tanzania)
-Bishop Emmanuel (Rwanda and Northern Congo)

80% of the moneys collected goes to start or reinvest in micro-businesses and 20% is designated for mercy needs (medical, disaster, refugee, food etc). The General Secretaries then account for last year’s funds and their successes and provide the plans for the upcoming year.

The reports of the previous year micro-business are posted on the CEC news website.

100% of the funds go to General Secretaries.  No part of the funds are used for travel or any administrative fees.  Any fees required to transfer funds are taken from the Patriarch’s office tithe, which goes to support missions.

The offerings are starting to bear fruit, by providing the local Bishops with their own funds to build churches, schools, buy transportation, and to create jobs.  They are becoming self-sufficient and standing on their own.

It is often said, “Give a man a fish and eats for a day, Teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime,” but in Africa we must ask the question, what if the man has no fishing pole? Let us help provide the means to help them break the cycle of poverty and dependence.  Thank you.

You can make Donations and Offerings on-line by clicking HERE, by dropping a check marked “All Saints’ Offering” in the basket on Sunday, or you can send offerings directly to the Office of the Primate at Attn Missions. 50 Saint Thomas Pl, Malverne, NY 11565 (Check made out to “CEC”) or you can use a debit or credit card, see below.

Halloween is an old English way of referring to the night before All Saints’ Day, so while children all over the country are heading out to gather candy and celebrate Halloween, Church of the Messiah will be hosting our annual All Saints’ Eve Festival.  We want to provide our local children with a safe place where they can have fun, get lots of candy, and, most importantly, receive the love of Christ.  We will be having bounce houses, carnival games, cotton candy, dinner, and lots and lots of candy.  In order to do this, we will need your of help.  First off, we will need plenty of volunteers.  Our evening will begin around  six o’clock when we start setting up and be done around nine o’clock when everything has been cleaned up.  You do not have to commit to being present the entire time, but we will need all the help we can get.  If you are able to volunteer, please contact Amanda Paysinger right away.  Secondly, we will need lots of candy.  From now until Halloween, please donate bags of candy.  You can bring them in on Wednesday nights, Sunday mornings, or whenever the office is open.  The “big box stores” (Sam’s, BJ’s, and Costco) and Publix BOGOs seem to be the best way to get the most bang for your buck.  This is major outreach to our local community and we need everyone to pull together to show Christ’s love in our local community.

In light of the unpredictable nature of Hurricane Irma, Fr. Looker, in consultation with the Rector’s Council, has decided to cancel services for this Sunday, September 10th.  While there is a possibility that there storm may not severely impact Jacksonville until after services would have ended, there is also the possibility that major Bridges may close during our regular service times, leaving parishioners trapped and unable to return home.

In light of the frequently changing predictions regarding Irma’s path and impact, it is important to realize that our trust and hope is neither in forecasts nor sandbags, but The Lord God Almighty.  Being a Christian does not exempt us from the storms of life, either literally or metaphorically.  We do, however, have the promise that He will never leave us or forsake us. He speaks to the storm and says, “Peace. Be still,” and calms both the storm and the storm in our hearts.

Please be safe during the storm and pay for those who already have and will be impacted by Hurricane Irma.

This Sunday, August 27th, Bishop David Simpson will visit Church of the Messiah in order to preach and celebrate, as well as Confirm and Receive eight members of the parish.  Confirmation is the Sacrament where Christians who were baptized as children make a mature profession of their faith, are strengthened by the Holy Spirit, and receive an apostolic blessing for increased ministry in the Church.   Reception is a formal welcoming of a member who had been Confirmed previously in another denomination.  This is an especially festive occasion for Church of the Messiah as well as for those who have been preparing for many weeks for this event.

Bishop Simpson has been in ordained ministry for over 40 years, with 21 of those years in the Charismatic Episcopal Church  where he has served as the Rector of Church of the Resurrection in Miramar, Florida.  Bishop Simpson recently celebrated his tenth anniversary as the Bishop of the Diocese of Florida.

While in Seminary, Bishop Simpson married his college sweetheart Toni.  They have three grown children and have six grand children!  Join us as we welcome our bishop.  He is sure to bring an inspired Word of God.  We hope everyone will join us because it is going to be an amazing day!  All are welcome!