Ash Wednesday Is This Week

Join Father David and the Church of the Messiah as we observe Ash Wednesday, this Wednesday, February 22. Ash Wednesday is the traditional service which begins the season of Lent, forty days of prayer and fasting which both commemorates Our Lord’s forty days in the wilderness and prepares our hearts to celebrate the Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The service includes the Litany of Penance, Imposition of Ashes, and the Holy Eucharist. The service begins at 7pm in the Sam R. Marks Chapel at Jacksonville University. Click HERE for directions.  Please note that this service replaces our regular Wednesday night services, which will resume next week.

The Consecration and Blessing of the Land

The Church of the Messiah is blessed to invite you to join us as we consecrate and bless our new property on February, 18, 2012.  The service begins at 11am with a covered dish potluck dinner to follow. Please join us at 576 St. John’s Bluff Road North, Jacksonville, Florida, 32225.  Clergy are invited to vest and wear white stoles.

Please keep in mind:

  • Bring lawn chairs.  We will have folding chairs, but they do not work well on soft ground.
  • Wear outdoor shoes.
  • There is no electricity on the property so do not bring something that needs to be heated.

If you are not a member of Church of the Messiah, please RSVP to the Church Office at 904-721-4199.  Please join us for what promises to be one of the most important services of the year!

The Youth of Church of the Messiah Give Witness at the March for Life

You may have noticed that many of the youth were not in church last Sunday.  That is because they were traveling to Washington, D.C., to participate in the 39th annual March for Life.  Five of our youth endured planes, trains, and automobiles in order to testify in our nation’s capitol that “All Life is Sacred.”  They participated in the “All Life is Sacred” Rally on Sunday night, before staging a “Million to One Die-In” in front of the White House on Monday morning  before praying at a Liturgy for the Pre-Born on the steps of the Supreme Court and then joined with more than THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND of their closest friends in order to protest legalized abortion in America. The youth then returned after midnight early on Tuesday morning.

Daniel Fowley, the youth pastor at the Pro-Cathedral Church of the Intercessor in Malverne, New York, has created THIS VIDEO.  It features at least three of the five youth as well as a chaperone here and there.

The Youth Group wishes to thank each and every member of Church of the Messiah who helped raise funds over the last year.  Everyone who ordered food in the gumbo and pasta lunch sales, the pancake breakfast, and the poinsettia sales helped us raise over $1,000 to offset the cost of the very expensive trip.  Find a youth this Sunday and ask them about their trip.

Diocesan Women’s Retreat

The Second Diocesan Women’s retreat for the State of Florida and the Caribbean well be held, once again, at Camp Wingmann, Avon Park, FL on May 10th – 12th, 2012. Last year’s retreat was a wonderful experience for all who attended. Drawing close to God, listening to His voice, it was a time of retreat from the pressures of the world and a time of refreshment.
Registration forms will be available at the beginning of February.

40 Days for Life Campaign

February 22 – April 1, 2012

A focused pro-life campaign with a vision to access God’s power through
prayer, fasting, and peaceful vigil to end abortion in America. This year’s 40 Days for Life Vigil will be held in front of A Woman’s Choice of Jacksonville, 4131 University Blvd. S, 7 AM – 7 PM. Contact Pastor Ed Martin at (904)214-4908 or visit www.40daysforlife.com/jacksonville

Stand for Life

Pro Life stand,12 Noon – 1 PM, Federal Courthouse, 300 N. Hogan St., Jacksonville, Monday, January 23rd.

Deacon Tom Abbott to Lead Sunday Morning Bible Study

Starting this Sunday morning, January 15, Deacon Tom Abbott will lead a new Bible Study on “Christianity, Judaism, and Islam—Compared and Contrasted.”  Three religions each call Israel and especially its capital, Jerusalem, the “Holy Land.”  All three call Abraham “father.”  All three recognize the Old Testament as “Holy Scripture.”  So, how similar are they—and how different?  Look past the evening news and learn the truth.  Dcn. Tom  will share his knowledge of history and his experience from living three years in the Holy Land.  The study begins at 9:15am, in the Council Building, room 145.