Church of the Messiah is proud to revive our old tradition of throwing an All Saints’ Festival for our children and youth! Halloween is really “All Saints’ Eve” and we are going to celebrate the feast together! The festival will be this Wednesday, October 31, at the home of Earl and Cathie Shimp (click HERE for a map) from 6:30 to 8:30. There will be food for everyone, candy, games, prizes, and even a BOUNCE HOUSE! Invite your friends and, of course, bring your children. Please dress in family friendly costumes only.

Join with Christians throughout Jacksonville this Saturday morning, September 29, as we pray for an end to abortion in Jacksonville.  We will be leading a Jericho March around the site of the newly purchased Planned Parenthood facility at 5978 Powers Avenue.  This facility is not yet opened and we will march around the building seven times and pray that their doors never open; that not a single child is ever murdered on that spot!

The image in this posting may be copied and reposted.  Share it with your friend on Facebook, create an event, tweet it and re-tweet it.  Invite your real world friends.  Get the message out!  We are accomplishing two things this Saturday.  We are praying and interceding on behalf of the Pre-Born, and we are showing Planned Parenthood that it is not worth the hassle to open a new facility because we will be there telling them to stop the whole time!  The more people we have, the more clearly they will get the message.  Let’s stop Planned Parenthood in their tracks!

Contact Fr. Scott or Lizz Looker for more information.  Click HERE for more information on 40 Days for Life including a map including parking information (Scroll down).

No, not Fr. Scott Melanson!  This Sunday, September 30, Fr. Alan Melanson will be preaching at Church of the Messiah.  Fr. Alan worked with the youth at Church of the Messiah beginning in 1999 and, from 2001 to 2003, served as the Senior High Youth Pastor.  Fr. Alan met his wife, Katie, at a meeting for Gathering of Champions, a CEC youth event in Selma, Alabama.  They were married in 2002 and have three children.  Fr. Alan moved to Long Island, NY to serve as the Director of Youth and Children’s Ministries at the Cathedral Church of the Intercessor in Malverne, NY.  Fr. Alan was ordained a Deacon in May of 2011 and was recently ordained a Priest in June of this year.  In addition to his local ministry responsibilities, Fr. Alan is a member of the International Board of CEC For Life, the Patriarch’s Pro-Life Ministry.  Please join us, this Sunday at the Sam R. Marks Chapel at Jacksonville University, beginning at 10:30am, to hear Fr. Alan Melanson bring an inspired word from the Lord.

This Sunday, September 23, the bishop of the Diocese of Florida, David Simpson, will make he annual visit to Church of the Messiah.  Though born in Virginia, Bishop Simpson graduated from Florida State University with a degree in psychology.  From there he attended Virginia Theological Seminary and earned his Doctorate in Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary.  In 1976 he was ordained first a deacon and then a priest in the Episcopal Church where he served for the next twenty years in a number of parishes.  In 1996, then Fr. Simpson left the Episcopal Church and joined the Charismatic Episcopal Church and began serving as the Rector of the Church of the Resurrection, where he still pastors today.  In 2007, Bishop Simpson was consecrated the second bishop of the Diocese of Florida.  While in Seminary, Bishop Simpson married his college sweetheart Toni.  They have three grown children and five grand children.  Join us as we welcome our bishop.  He is sure to bring an inspired Word of God.  The service will begin at 10:30 in the Sam R. Marks Chapel at Jacksonville University.

This Saturday, August 25, is Church of the Messiah’s 19th anniversary!  To celebrate all those who worked hard to begin our congregation we host our Founders’ Day Celebration.  This year, once again, we will have a fantastic fish fry at the Arlington Senior Center (Click HERE for a map and directions).  The folks will show up to set up and start cooking at 11:30.  From noon until 2:00, we will celebrate and have lunch.  We will provide all the fish you could eat (as well as non-fish munchies for the kids); you bring a side dish to share!   From 2:00 until 3:30 we will fellowship with one another and celebrate our life together.  Invite your friends and come and celebrate Church of the Messiah’s nineteenth birthday!

Like most Americans I am grieved and deeply shocked by the events in Aurora, Colorado. All we can do is to pray for the souls of those who were killed and for the Lord to provide comfort to those who mourn. We pray as well for those nine still in critical condition, for those fifty-eight who have been wounded and now have months and years to recover, and for those who were present and now face psychological and spiritual wounds. I am also praying for the parents and family of the young man who committed this crime. And, like most Americans we all struggle with trying to make sense of that which is so senseless.

I am thankful that our President made a trip to Colorado and visited with the families who mourn, with the persons who are still in the hospital, and with other survivors. He indeed expressed and well represented the compassion of America.

Of course now there will be cries for stricter gun laws, more security, and an evaluation of our current mental health systems. There will be discussion about our justice system and even the question of capital punishment will be again on the table. All of it, however, will not prevent the possibility of another such horrific event. I must agree with Gov. Mike Huckabee, “Ultimately, we don’t have a crime problem or a gun problem – or even a violence problem. What we have is a sin problem. And since we ordered God out of our schools and communities, the military and public conversations, you know, we really shouldn’t be so surprised when all hell breaks loose.”

We need to wake up and understand that we live in a world where there is evil and we live among people who need a Savior. Evil rears its head daily. We need only reflect on the recent bombing in Bulgaria or in the recent bombings of churches and places of worship in Pakistan. What about the daily abuse of children at the hands of deranged parents? What about the massive sex trade industry in Africa? How about children armies or the rape of millions of women in D.R. Congo? Have we already forgotten the Rwandan Genocide and the real possibility of another tribal war in that same area? What about the daily victims of crime or domestic violence? Can’t we hear the cries of over 115,000 babies aborted every day around the world? What about those who die or are wounded in the numerous wars around the world?

We need to confront the reality of evil. The solution to evil is not futile attempts at everyone trying to be good and certainly not by trying to legislate goodness or outlaw evil. In fact, government can sometimes be the source of the evil we want to conquer. What is needed is the message of the Gospel of Jesus because until we deal with the problem of sin in each of us we will never confront evil. The cross of Christ is the definitive solution to the problem of sin and evil. In Him alone there is the possibility of a new creation. And, our hope is for the day when His Kingdom is fully established on earth as it is in heaven. Until then let us hold to the position that all life is sacred.

Finally let us pray for the whole Aurora community as they seek healing that will ultimately come from the One who is our healer.

This Saturday, July 21st, Church of the Messiah’s Men’s Ministry will attend the final game of the Jacksonville Axemen’s regular season when they take on the Rhode Island Rebellion.  Kick off is at 4pm on Hodges Field at the University of North Florida and we will be seeing COM’s own Carter Pardee get some game time as they close out their regular season and head into the play offs.  After the game, those with time will head into the St. John’s Town Center together for dinner.  To RSVP or get more information, please e-mail, call, or text Greg Looker (904-699-1625) or Fr. Scott Looker (904-424-8597).  Invite your friends!

In 2007, when we sold our old property, we place a great deal of our materials in storage anticipating having them in storage for just two years.  Well, it has been five years and it it about time to go through the three PODS (Portable On-Demand Storage) that we have and see what we have.   We hope to be able to consolidate our three PODS down to two or maybe even just one!  We are paying rent on all three and believe we will not need to keep all of that stuff!

Join us this Saturday, July 14, as we crack open the PODS and see what we have.  You can either meet us at 8:00am at the Church Office (Click HERE for a directions, third map down) or you can meet us at 8:30 at Pack Rats  (Click HERE for a map).  Please contact Fr. Scott Looker with either a phone call or text message (904-424-8597) to let us know if you will be attending.  The Church is providing lunch and we would like a head count.  We will see you then.