Bishop Simpson to Visit Church of the Messiah on October 9th

On October 9th, Bishop David Simpson will visit Church of the Messiah in order to preach the Word of God and celebrate the Holy Eucharist.  Bp. Simpson is the Bishop, or lead pastor, for the Diocese of Florida in the Charismatic Episcopal Church.  In addition to his his pastoral responsibilities in Florida, he also oversees all of the CEC churches and clergy in the Caribbean Sea, which includes churches in the Bahamas, Cuba, and Haiti.

Bishop Simpson has been in ordained ministry for over 45 years, with more than 25 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 fifteenth 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 message from The Lord.  We hope everyone will join us because it is going to be an amazing day!  All are welcome!

Small Groups Beginning in October

Church of the Messiah will begin holding Small Group meetings beginning the first week in October.   For some time members at Church of the Messiah have been craving an opportunity to meet outside of Sunday morning and have more opportunities to strengthen their walk with The Lord.  These small groups will provide those who attend with an occasions to increase their prayer life and enhance community ties.  Small Groups will meet one night a week for six weeks before taking a break.  The first session will begin in October and end before Thanksgiving and then start up again after the New Year.  If you are interested in attending (or hosting) a small group, please click THIS LINK to so that we can gauge interest and evaluate how many small groups we will need to have.

The Patriarch’s Message for Foundation Day

Foundation Day 26 June 2022

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not evil, to give you a future and a hope.”  Jeremiah 29.11

Foundation Day 26 June 2022

Foundation Day is about our future.  When we take up the offering, which the Primate’s Council has required of all our churches and missions, we are putting in front of us the reality that we have a future, and it is in the hands of the God we can trust.  We put our faith and hope in a God who is faithful in keeping His promise.  He is a God whose steadfast love endures forever.

Learn More: Foundation Day Offering

For me, the recent “Church Growth Conference” was not a boost in the arm but rather a “fanning of the flame.”  It was a recalling that the vision given to us of a mighty river is a vision given to us by God.  The fact that the vision is from God is reason enough to find the task of convergence not only worthy but compelling.   The Foundation Day Offering is an act of faith, not a fundraising project.

We have accomplished a lot with the funds that have been raised from the generosity of God’s people.   Buildings have been refurbished and purchased.  Even today, there is money invested in an incredible project in Bel Air, Maryland.  These buildings speak of our future.  They are visible signs of the vision.

But it is more than just property and buildings.  It is a vision of lives that are transformed in the presence of God as His people praise Him in the Eucharistic Feasts.  It is a vision of families being strengthened and built up.  It is a vision of young adults being built up and equipped for the work of the ministry both in the Church and in the world.  It is a vision of reaching the least, the lost, and the lonely with the message of mercy and salvation.  It is a vision of being light in the darkness.  It is about Jesus and His glory.

A short video will be provided with more details of the Offering.  You can also go to CEC-NA and see a full accounting of the funds and reports on what has been accomplished.

We have come out of the pandemic.  Or at least we are on the other side of the crisis.  It was a tough time for everyone.  Many suffered from fear, depression, anxiety, and hopelessness.  Many died.  For the pastors of our churches, it was perhaps the most challenging time in their ministry.  I hear over and over again how exhausted they feel.  But we are on the other side.  And we can proclaim Jesus did not leave us or forsake us.

We did not just survive.  I believe we have been placed in a position of revival.  A time of renewing in our souls what God has planted.  It is a time of trust and hope because God has given us a plan and a future.  Let your offering be generous and in response to the love of Jesus for us.

Under His mercy,

+Craig, Patriarch

Registration Is Open for VBS!

Church of the Messiah will be holding a Vacation Bible School on July 1st through July 3rd.  The event will begin Friday and Saturday from 9:30 to 12:30 and will include lunch for all participants and then will conclude at the Sunday service beginning at 10 o’clock on Sunday, July 3rd.  This Vacation Bible School is open to all children from Kindergarten through Fifth Grade but we need everyone to register in advance, so scan the QR code in the bottom right of the picture or click this LINK to register.  For more information or to volunteer, contact Amanda Paysinger.  We are going to have a barn-storming good time and we would love to have you join us at our Vacation Bible School this year.

The Patriarch’s Message for Pentecost

Pentecost 2022

In recent tradition and liturgical practice, Pentecost has stood alone as a festival. Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter are and always have been seen as one continuous event ending with the awesome events of the Resurrection. It is easy to see that there is no Easter without Good Friday. But to perceive the events in this way deletes the story’s impact. The events of the Passion Week (including Holy Saturday – the seventh day), along with the Resurrection, the Post Resurrection appearance, the Ascension, and Pentecost are one continuous event, and each is only fully understood and appreciated if seen together. It would be appropriate to celebrate these holy days in one weekend-long liturgy.

Pentecost
Pentecost

If we understand the connection of Pentecost to all days of the Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension, then Pentecost is so much more than the “birthday of the Church” or even the “empowerment of the disciples” for the apostolic mission to the world.

The event of Pentecost is prophesied by John the Baptist and affirmed by Jesus, that the Father would send the promised Holy Spirit and we would be baptized (immersed) in the Holy Spirit. I have always been fascinated by Luke 24 and its connection to Acts chapters 1 and 2. Of particular fascination were verses Luke 24.49 and Acts 1.4-5, both spoken before the Ascension. For me, they raised the question of “why wait?” They were called to wait for the “promise of the Father.”

I am not going to do an exegetical work on the passages. It would end up being a book or at least a very long paper. I want to merely point out that Luke points out that there is “something” or, more importantly, “someone” that is critical to the Redemptive love story of God in Jesus. The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity, now immerses the disciples in His life, and He immerses Himself in their lives. The “continuation” of the mission with the Church as the Body of Christ visible on earth is fulfilled in our relationship with the Holy Spirit, who makes us “one body.” He immerses us into One Body. It is this living relationship with the Holy Spirit that makes known the love of God in our hearts. It is this love of God that I believe is the power of God.

There is far too little teaching on the person of the Holy Spirit. Far too little teaching about this person for whom “we are commanded to wait.” Far too little teaching on this baptism or immersion into His life in us and among us.

An essential part of being the Charismatic Episcopal Church is our conviction that the life of the Spirit and the manifestation of the gifts of that life are not optional but are essential to the life of a disciple of Jesus. We are all called to be baptized not only in the waters of baptism but in or with the Holy Spirit as on the day of Pentecost. It is the Holy Spirit who will draw us into the life of Jesus and hence into the life of God’s love, forgiveness, and mercy.

Being a “charismatic” and encountering the work and gifts of the Spirit (charismata) in our worship and in the daily life of the Church and individuals is not an option or a suggested addition to the Christian life but is something for which we are to wait and receive. It is part of the love of God.

I pray the Feast of the Pentecost for us will be a day of “mighty wind” and “tongues of fire.” That it will be a time when we are renewed by the giver of life, and our churches will obtain a new delight in proclaiming the Gospel. Let us prepare for Pentecost with times of prayer and asking for the outpouring. Let us take time on Pentecost and pray for each other for a refreshing and renewal in the life of the Spirit.

Under His mercy,

+Craig, Patriarch

The Patriarch’s Letter on the Feast of the Ascension

Shrine of the Martyrs

One of the highlights of my ministry was a visit to Midland, Ontario, Canada, and the Shrine of the Martyrs.  This Roman Catholic Church was built to honor the lives and deaths of Fathers Jean de Brebeuf, Gabriel Lalemant, Antony Daniel, Charles Garnier, Isaac Jogues, Oblates Rene Goupil, and John de Lalande.  These men were part of the Jesuits who came to the new world to bring the Gospel to Canada’s aboriginal or indigenous people.  This particular group was sent from Quebec to minister to the Huron Tribe in Ontario, Canada.

They built a compound on the banks of the Wye River, which flows into the beautiful Georgian Bay.  Ultimately it included not only a residence, but a Chapel, a school, a medical facility, and farmland and storage for food.  Their story is an incredible story of sacrificial love for the Huron people.  Eventually, they were martyred at the hands of the Iroquois tribe, who blamed the Jesuits for the outbreak of smallpox.

Shrine of the Martyrs

Beside the beautiful Church of the Martyrs in Midland, (Shrine of the Martyrs) is the national historic site Sante-Marie Among the Hurons Mission.  It is located under the site of the reconstructed 17th-century Jesuit mission.  The current site presents reconstructed European-style mission buildings, including barracks and workshops, Iroquoian-type longhouses, and a chapel situated within a wooden palisade fortification.

If my memory is correct, we had three clergy retreats at the National Historic Site.  The Jesuit Priest, who was responsible for the site and served at the Church of the Martyrs (Shrine of the Martyrs), permitted us, on each occasion, to celebrate the Holy Eucharist at the Chapel.  Each time, those present could sense an incredible anointing as we united ourselves with Christ, but also with the lives of the martyrs.  I hope to return someday.

I learned a great deal about the mission work of the 17th century in Canada.  As part of our visit, we were given a “special” tour of the facility.  It was led by a trained guide who was also a devote catholic and historian.  He spoke eloquently about the cultural and language differences between the Huron and the Jesuits (who were from France).  Everything emphasized their differences from clothing, food, religious practices, framing methods, and especially language.  The Jesuits attempted to live among the Huron, trying to learn their language and culture, while at the same time, after winning their trust, to bring the message of salvation found in Christ Jesus.

Imagine the faith of these men who left the comforts of Europe to come to the wilderness of Canada with the sole purpose of bringing souls to Christ.  They went with the French military and entrepreneurs who wanted to colonize Canada and gain wealth and resources for themselves and their homeland. They went along to establish the Church in the French Settlements along the St. Laurence River, particularly Quebec City, and minister to the French population.  But this group of eight left not only the comfort of Paris, France, but even the comfort of Quebec to go among the very rural and rustic areas of the Huron people. They were compelled to bring the love of God.

I could write a great deal more about these men, particularly Jean de Brebeuf.

Over the last few months, there have been many ordinations to the diaconate and priesthood in the United States, Europe, Africa, and Asia.  Most of these ordinations are young men who will shepherd the CEC into the next generation.  Their success with be in their love for God and His people and their faithfulness to the mission God has given to them under their Bishop.

Some will be called to go where there are very limited resources.  Some will be called to places where there is famine and civil war.  Others will be called to minister to the Asian immigrant community in Europe.  Others will go to areas of poverty and lack of education to bring the message of the Gospel as well as the hope of education for the children.  Others will find themselves either in or on the borders of poverty where the majority of the children are fatherless, and the mothers are prisoners to the tyranny of the welfare state.

Whatever the circumstances, there is great work to be accomplished by the people of the CEC.  God will bless us.  Our success will be in “going” outside of the Church building and being, like those martyrs, light.

We are not allowed the luxury of discouragement, particularly if we are going to find our identity beyond the walls of the local church and beyond the space and time limitations.  We are part of the universal church throughout the ages who know that the glory of God is found in Christ crucified and risen.  And our marketing and branding are living our Crucifixion and Resurrection in our day-to-day lives.

Do not be afraid.  Do not be discouraged.  Put your hope in the Lord.  As we await the Feast of the Ascension and Pentecost, let us pray for the renewal of the Church.  Let us pray for that renewal by asking the Lord Holy Spirit to renew in us the faith of the Martyrs of North America.

Under His mercy,

+Craig, Patriarch

 

Memorial Service for Kathleen Thomson

A memorial service for Kathleen Thomson will be held Friday, May 13th, at 2 o’clock in the afternoon.  Kathleen was the wife of Fr. Robert Thomson and a member of Church of the Messiah going all the way back to the days of St. David’s.  The memorial service will be held at Eternity Funeral (click HERE for a map).  Fr. Scott Looker with officiate the service with Bishop Charles Travis (Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches) preaching the homily.  Please continue to pray for Fr. Robert and the extended Thomson family during this time of mourning and loss.

Rest eternal grant to Kathleen, O Lord;
And let light perpetual shine upon her.

May her soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed,
Through the mercy of God, rest in peace.  Amen.

 

Blessing the Stout Snug

On Saturday, May 14th, the clergy and people of Church of the Messiah will travel to the Murray Hill neighborhood of Jacksonville and join with staff and patrons to bless the Stout Snug Pub & Restaurant.  The Stout Snug one of Jacksonville’s newest Irish pubs, only having opened within the last five years, but in its short time the Stout Snug has established a reputation for wonderful food, incredible live music, and a surprisingly family-friendly atmosphere.  The owner Russ Disparti describes the pub as a safe place where everyone can go tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Avondale and Riverside.  He recently added the The Stout Snug Creamery, a full service ice cream parlor, to the property adjacent to the pub in order to help satisfy his children’s craving for ice cream!  All of this has helped The Stout Snug win JaxBest Best Irish Pub in Jacksonville for the last two years in a row!

On Saturday, May 14th, Fr. Scott Looker and others from Church of the Messiah will bless the Stout Snug in a service that begins at 11:30.  Although blessings of pubs, restaurants, and other places and events are not very common in Jacksonville, they are far more frequent in the Northeast where The Stout Snug’s owner Russ Disparti’s family originates.   The service is open to the public and everyone is invited to attend.  Invite your friends for the blessing and then stay for lunch at best Irish pub in Jacksonville.

Noonday Eucharist Begins this Friday

Starting this Friday, April 29th, Church of the Messiah will begin celebrating the Holy Eucharist at noon every Friday.  The Noonday Eucharist will conclude the normally scheduled Intercessors’ Prayer Meeting which has occurred on Fridays for many years.  This new service will be open to the public and everyone is encouraged to attend.  The service should last approximately 45 minutes and be an excellent opportunity for worship during the week.  Join with us, every Friday at noon, and celebrate the goodness of God.

The Patriarch’s Message for Easter

Dear Brothers,

It is hard to believe that Holy Week and the Paschal Feast are here. The ancient liturgical events from Palm Sunday through Holy Week and culminating on Easter morning are so rich. I know each of you will be preparing sermons, and that is good. But the liturgy will do a great deal of the preaching by itself. The message is simply the victory of Jesus over Satan, sin, and death. It is the glory of Jesus!

In the 1960s and 70s, spearheaded by Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, a Swiss Psychiatrist, we saw the beginning of the field of Thanatology. Thanatology, or the study of death, led to the Hospice Care movement, which stood absolutely opposed to any idea of euthanasia, like that advocated by Jack Kevorkian. Dr. Kubler-Ross and Hospice suggested that there was much “human work” to be done when we are dying and in death itself. She did massive studies of near-death experiences. And she was most famous for developing the five stages of death and dying.

Out of this movement, which continues today in the Hospice Program and Palliative Care Units in Hospitals, came a revolution in medicine and psychology, social work, and Pastoral Care. Many of our CEC clergy work in or are associated with the Hospice Program. It was a revolution that built on the obvious that we are all dying. The significance was not the fact of death, but the significance of the movement was the acceptance of the reality of death and the care and spiritual direction that can be given not only to the dying but to all of us. Something that has been sorely lacking in a culture that sterilizes death. I am thankful for all the CEC clergy who do Hospice and Palliative Care work.

I had the opportunity to sit next to the (retired) Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Donald Coggan. We were participating in a “break out” session on leadership during Renewal Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. Archbishop was the plenary speaker. And he was awesome.

We did some chit-chat prior to the session’s leader giving an introductory talk on leadership in the Charismatic Renewal. At one point, he said, “we need to teach people how to live a good life.” Archbishop Coggan turned towards me and whispered, “Young Man, don’t you dare do that, or you will not preach the Gospel. Prepare people to die a good death.” Wow!

Any good life will be a life that was lived out in the reality of death and the hope of the resurrection. Any good life will be a life lived “participating in the suffering and death of Christ, in order to know and share in the power of His Resurrection.” Any discipleship program must begin and end with a deep understanding of Luke 9.23, “And He said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’” Discipleship is having the image of Christ Jesus formed in us by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I love the Proper Preface for funerals (Mass of the Resurrection) in our, soon to be, new Sacramentary.

“Father all Powerful and ever-living God, we do well, always, and everywhere, to give You thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord who rose victorious from the dead and comforts us with the blessed hope of everlasting life. For to Your faithful people, O Lord, life is changed, not ended, and when our mortal body lies in death, there is prepared for us an eternal dwelling place in the heavens.”

How appropriate that the liturgical renewal changed the liturgical colors for “funerals” or “Burial of the Dead” from Purple/Black to White. Now we celebrate the life of the person and their resurrection in Jesus. Death recalls our own mortality and the hope of the new day now in our present life and the life to come. Even in the darkest moments of pain and despair, there will be, because of the Cross and Resurrection of Christ Jesus, an unending hope of salvation, healing, restoration, reconciliation, and new birth.

Right now, the Charismatic Episcopal Church in North America has been thrust into a season of hope and new birth.

There is a great deal of talk in the Church, not just our communion, about “three streams” or “convergence.” In the 1980s, there were only a few who talked about the “convergence” of the Catholic/sacramental/liturgical “stream,” the evangelical “stream,” and the charismatic “stream.” But like the birth of the Pentecostal movement, the Revival movements of the 1940s and 50s, and the Charismatic Movement of the 60s and 70s, there was a small group of, dare I say, prophetic Pentecostal and Evangelical men and women who saw these three streams as coming together. In fact, what they were saying, and I am going out on a big limb, is that the worship of the ancient Church was “convergence” in nature. And that the Church today should embrace all three streams.

But it is really important, I believe, that we understand that it is not about the “streams” as if one could pick and choose which “stream” they wanted to be a part of. It was about the “streams” coming together as a mighty river. Though the “streams” indeed are the source of the river, it is the river that gives life.

I could, at this point, go on and on about the streams of Israel that flow from the area around Caesarea Philippi. They are beautiful. Particularly beautiful are the Dan Stream and the walk-through Tel Dan National Park. The sound of the rushing streams is very soothing and peaceful, like a great classic composition, but it is nature’s music. These streams will flow into the Sea of Galilee, around which was the majority of the life and ministry of Jesus. The streams gave life to the people then and today. But Galilee is not the end as the Lake gives its life to the Jordan River. The Jordan River, where the people of God crossed into the Promised Land to a new beginning. They were no longer slaves but inheritors of the Promises of God. The Jordan River where John the Baptist called those same people to repentance and an awakening to the Lamb of God. And finally, the Jordan River, where Jesus was baptized by John and received the anointing of the Holy Spirit. It is the river where we are transformed.

The CEC, I believe, is called to be a River Church, not three streams. It is a Church called to reach out to the least among us and find ourselves ministering to Jesus. It is a Church called to find the lost and bring them to the Good Shepherd. It is a Church that is called to go to the lonely and embrace them and incorporate them into the household of God. Or, as the Celebrant and People proclaim at Baptism, “we receive you into the household of God.”

It is a time to renew our commitment to go into all the world. Around us, no matter where you are located, are suffering people. There are single mothers; there are fatherless children, there are grieving people, there are those suffering from addictions, there are women who have been raped or abused, there are women who have had abortions, there are adults who suffered from child/sexual abuse, there are those who have been abused even by the Church. I could go on and on, but all of us must be reaching out to become a place of worship. But a place of worship will become a place of healing and spiritual warfare.

It is a day of “baptism in the Jordan” for the CEC. It is a “changed” day. It is a resurrection day!

I want to encourage all of you. I know that Holy Week will be special for each of you, and it will be special for your people. God is going to send you visitors and family members. See God’s hand at work in them. See in their faces the very image of God.

Under His mercy,

+Craig, Patriarch