This month’s Ultreya for North Florida will be starting at a new time.  This Tuesday night, March 11, we will begin at 6:30 in the evening with a potluck meal.  Groupings will begin around 7:30 and we will conclude with the Holy Eucharist.  The Ultreya will be hosted at Church of the Messiah (click HERE for a map and directions) and is open to anyone who has attended a Tres Arroyos weekend or similar 3-day weekend retreat (Cursillo, Walk to Emmaus, Lighthouse Via de Christo, etc…).  We look forward to seeing everyone there.

Wednesday, March 5, is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Holy Season of Lent.  Each year our preparation to celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ on Easter begins with 40 days of preparation through prayer, fasting, acts of penitence and other spiritual disciplines.   Ash Wednesday is the special fast day which begins the season of Lent.  Join Church of the Messiah for this special service, Ash Wednesday night at 7 o’clock for a special Eucharistic service which includes the Imposition of Ashes and Litany of Penitence.  It will be an amazing time of prayerful worship.  Although this is not our usual Wednesday night service, child-care will be provided for the service.

The next Wednesday night, March 12, our regular Wednesday Night Bible Studies resume with the start of our newest Bible Study “A Peek Inside the Devil’s Playbook: A Lenten Bible Study Based on The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis.”  As Fr. Melanson mentioned in his sermon last Sunday, participation in the Wednesday night Bible Study is an excellent discipline to take on throughout the season of Lent.  For anyone wanting to get started with The Screwtape Letters, Fr. Looker has prepared An Introduction to the Devil’s Playbook which you can download to help you get started as well as a Reading Schedule for anyone who wishes to read along (although this is not necessary to participate in the Bible Study).  “The Devil’s Playbook” will be each Wednesday night from March 12 through April 9, beginning at 7 o’clock.  The service includes a time of praise & worship, Bible Study, and intercessory prayer.  Child-care is provided and the service always dismissed prior to 8:30 so that everyone can be home in time to prepare for work and school the next day.

Services this Wednesday night concluded the seven-week teaching series “According to the Scriptures:” the Biblical Basis for Our Worship with a discussion on why Church of the Messiah baptizes children and infants.  Immediately following that teaching, Fr. Looker announced the topic of the upcoming Bible Study that will run throughout the season of Lent.  The next Bible Study series will be called “A Peek Inside the Devil’s Playbook: A Lenten Bible Study Based on The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis.”

During the height of World War II, legendary Christian writer C. S. Lewis penned weekly correspondences from the elder demon Screwtape to his nephew, the novice tempter Wormwood.  These letters were collected and published in 1942 as The Screwtape Letters and have been regarded as a classic of Christian spirituality ever since.  The letters provide keen insight into how our enemy works to tempt and seduce us from our walk with the Lord and what we need to do in order to prevent such tricks from working.  Having a copy of the book is not essential for participation in the Bible Study, although it will obviously help.

“A Peek Inside the Devil’s Playbook: A Lenten Bible Study Based on The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis.” will be a part of Church of the Messiah’s regular Wednesday night services throughout Lent.  This Bible Study will begin March 12th and continue uninterrupted until April 9th.  Each Wednesday night service begins with a time of praise & worship, includes the time of Bible Study, and concludes with a time of intercessory prayer.  Childcare is provided and we always dismiss prior to 8:30 so that everyone can be home in order to get ready for work and school the following day.  For more information, contact Fr. Looker or call the parish office at 904-721-4199.

The Most Rev’d John William Holloway, B. A., M.Div., D. D., Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of the Mid-South, passed away early in the morning on Saturday, February 22, 2014 in Griffin, Georgia. He was 59 years old.

Bishop Holloway, a graduate of Valdosta State University and the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, served as a United Methodist minister and, later, as an independent charismatic minister prior to entering the priesthood in the ICCEC. He was the founding pastor of  St. Michael and All Angels Charismatic Episcopal Church which eventually acquired the former Methodist Church building in downtown Thomaston, GA.

He served as a number of years as the Canon Missioner for Georgia and, in 1997, was consecrated as a bishop. He first served the Missionary District of Georgia which, under his leadership, became the Diocese of Georgia. Later, Tennessee was added to form the Diocese of the Mid-South. Holloway traveled to several countries in Africa where he was beloved by the church there. His ministry journeys also took him to the Caribbean, Mexico, the Philippines, and to other locations.

In 2007, at the age of 53, Bishop Holloway suffered a debilitating stroke which ended his public ministry but not his ministry of intercession, although, for the most part, he was confined to his bedroom since his illness. During his tenure, over a dozen churches were founded and over three dozen men ordained to the ministry in Georgia and Tennessee. Many times that number were confirmed and ordained during ministry overseas.

Bishop Holloway was known for his biblical and energetic preaching and for his faith. He was an extrovert who loved being with people and was nearly always in the middle of whatever was going on. He remained an avid Georgia Bulldogs and Atlanta Braves fan.

The Holloways have three sons, Jared, Jacob, and Josiah, a daughter, Hannah Grace, and several grandchildren. Elaine Holloway, a Commissioned Minister of Music and Worship, continues to serve in ministry, speaking and ministering, and is a worship leader at Fayetteville’s Church of the Holy Cross.

Cards may be sent to: 107 McEthel Drive, Griffin, GA 30224

Tentative arrangements are as follows: Memorial Service Saturday, March 1, 2014, 11:00 a.m. at the Cathedral of Christ the King, 4881 Highway 34 East, Sharpsburg, Georgia 30277. Church Office: 770-252-2428. Clergy wear white vestments. Celebrant: The Most Reverend Craig Bates, Patriarch of the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal. Memorial Speaker: The Most Reverend Charles Jones, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of the Southeast.

The February Ultreya is tonight at the Church of the Messiah. (Click HERE for a map)   Dinner will begin at 6pm and is pot-luck with the grouping beginning at 7pm.  We will conclude with the Holy Eucharist.  The Ultreya is open to anyone who has attended Tres Arroyos or any other three-day retreat along the lines of Cursillo, Walk to Emmaus, Awakenings, Lighthouse Via De Christo, etc…

As Craig and Jill discussed in church today, HERE is the link to the 24 Hour Prayer Vigil for Laren Stafford. Monday, February 3rd, begins the first of Lauren’s major surgeries. This day in particular will reveal what needs to be done, the state of her lung and will begin the important task of cleaning out all of the infection and debris. This is a critical day.

We will cover this surgery with 24 hours of prayer. Please sign up for 1 time slot or many. We will start @ 12:01a to start covering her and the doctors before it even begins.

Throughout the rest of her hospital stay there will be a prayer blog set up. You can sign up for a 30 minute slot clicking this LINK. Even if you cannot take a slot, be sure to keep Lauren and the Stafford family in prayer Monday and all next week!

Church of the Messiah’s first new Bible Study of 2014 continues this Wednesday at 7:00.  Fr. Looker will teach the second session “According to the Scriptures”: The Biblical Basis for Our Worship in our Wednesday night service this week.  After laying the Biblical foundation Convergence, Session 2 will focus on explaining the Biblical rationale why our church looks the way it does.  Why is the altar in the center of the church and not a pulpit or the choir?  Why do we have a crucifix instead of a cross?  What is with all those men in the dresses?  We will find answer to these questions and more in the Bible this Wednesday night beginning at 7 o’clock.

As always , our Wednesday night services begin at 7 o’clock with a time of praise and worship, followed by the time of Bible study, and concluding with a time of corporate prayer. Church of the Messiah’s Youth Group meets at the same time as this service and child-care is provided as well. The services dismiss prior to 8:30 so that everyone can be home in time to prepare for work and school on the next day.

We encourage everyone to begin planning to make this Bible Study a part of their schedule for the next seven weeks. It will change the way you talk about your church with your friends!

We have received a warning from Bp. Simpson that someone is calling CEC clergy and parishioners soliciting money “on behalf of the Patriarch’s office” in order to help fund a return flight from the Philippines. THIS IS A SCAM! Do not give this person any financial information. The Patriarch is not in the Philippines and does not need financial aid returning home. We will provide more information as it becomes available.