This month is full of Special Events at Church of the Messiah. Be sure to mark your calendars in advance!
Men’s Committee Planning Meeting–Saturday, December 3
Ultreya–Tuesday, December 6
Parish Christmas Party–Saturday, December 10
Parish Council Meeting–Tuesday, December 13
Christmas Eve Service, our family service, starting at 7pm in the Sam R. Marks Chapel at JU
Christmas Day Service, as Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, we will have follow our regular Sunday service schedule and begin services at 10:30am in the Sam R. Marks Chapel at JU.
Be sure to invite friends and family to any and all of our services this month as well as to our Christmas Party! Expect updates to be forthcoming as we get closer to each event!
Fr. Looker Begins a New Bible Study Tomorrow Morning
Throughout the season of Advent, beginning on November 27, Fr. Looker will be conducting the Sunday morning Bible Study in the Student Council Building of Jacksonville University. While Advent Bible studies normally focus on the infancy narratives in the Gospels, this season Fr. Looker will teach on the Book of Revelation. In particular, this year’s study will focus on how the Book of Revelation reveals to us the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist. Join Church of the Messiah every Sunday morning this Advent season at 9:15am in the Student Council Building (Building 27 on the MAP) as we open up both the Holy Scripture and the Liturgy in a new way.
This Wednesday, November 23, we will meet at the Law offices of Lansing J. Roy (click HERE for map) for our traditional Thanksgiving Eve service. The service will begin at 7pm and will take the place of our regular Wednesday “Soup, Supper & Prayer” service. Everyone is welcome to attend. Childcare will be provided.
The Parish Council will meet Tuesday night, November 15th. This is an unusual date since the Parish Council typically meets on the first Tuesday of each month. This month’s meeting was moved to allow the Rector’s Council to meet and come to consensus on questions concerning our property. The meeting will begin at 7:00pm in the Church office. Members of the Parish Council, please contact Carla to RSVP.
The Parish Council meeting originally planned for tonight has been rescheduled to Tuesday, November 15, at 7pm. This is a one-time only change which does not affect the scheduled dates of other Parish Council meetings. We apologize for the late notice.
November E-News and Prayer Calendar Are Now Available
This Saturday we will meet together to march and pray for the stronghold of abortion to come down in Jacksonville. We will meet at 7:30am at Prince of Peace Roman-Catholic Church (See Map Note: you can access the parking lot by either Terry Rd. or Bennett Rd.) and will process around two of Jacksonville’s most notable abortion clinics seven times and pray for the LORD to work a miracle. Click on this LINK to read an special invitation for the 40 Days for Life Campaign Director, Pastor Ed Martin. You can also download the flyer below and e-mail it to your friends.
Here is the prayer that Fr. Looker mentioned in his sermon this morning. It has been ascribed to St. Ignatius of Loyola.
Teach me, Good Lord, to serve You and You deserve;
To give and not count the cost;
To fight and not heed the wounds;
To toil and not seek for rest;
To labor and not ask for any reward
Save that of knowing that I do Thy will. Amen.
As many of you know, Carrie McGrew’s grandmother, Betty Ann Allen, went to be with the Lord earlier this week. The family will receive friends from 6:00 to 8:00 this evening (Friday) at Corey-Kerlin Funeral Home (see MAP). The funeral will be at Gardenview Baptist Church (see MAP) at 12:30 Saturday afternoon. The Reverend Rodney Keith will officiate the funeral service. If you are unable to attend, please pray for the McGrew family.
Receive her into your loving arms, O Father. May light perpetual shine upon her.
Pastor Ed Martin, the Jacksonville director of the 40 Days for Life campaign, has issued this invitation to participate in the upcoming Jericho March around two of Jacksonville’s most notorious abortion clinics. Finally, you may download a flyer below.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
ABORTION WILL END WHEN THE CHURCH SAYS IT WILL END AND NOT ONE DAY SOONER!
After thirty years of ministering on the streets in front of abortion mills, I can honestly say without a doubt that I know how to end abortion in Jacksonville. What I don’t know is how to get the Christians to do it.
On Saturday October 22, we will hold our Fall Jericho March. We will meet at Prince of Peace Church parking lot, 6320 University Blvd. S., at 7:30 a.m. and march to A Woman’s Choice of Jacksonville, 4131 University Blvd. S. (across the street from Hewell Funeral Home).
After the first Jericho March 2 ½ years ago, Planned Parenthood stopped doing abortions. The day of the second Jericho March, 5 babies were saved. After we do a Jericho March, we have seen a dramatic drop in abortions.
We will march back and forth between two death camps six times in prayer and praise to God Almighty, pleading for an end to abortion in Jacksonville. On the seventh time we will shout with the victory that God is answering our prayers.
We will start the March with an 8-ft Cross of the Unborn, the Ten Commandments, the American Flag and the Christian Flag. This will be followed by the Pastors and church leaders from all different denominations.
It is not the marching that will move the hand of God; it is our faith that God will answer our prayers, as he did for Joshua. Abortion, like the city of Jericho, is a seemly impregnable fortress. We have legislature. We have prayed and fasted. And still the abortion fortress stands. It is time to take our prayers, our fasting and, most of all, our faith to the place where children are being sacrificed to the satanic forces.
Did you fail in a day of adversity,
did your strength fall short?
Did you fail to rescue those who were being dragged off to death,
those tottering, those near death,
because you said, “We didn’t know about it”?
Surely, the Searcher of hearts knows
and will repay all according to their deeds. (Proverbs 24:10-12)
Love for LIFE, Pastor Ed Martin Campaign Director 40 Days for Life/Jacksonville
SJL 
