Church of the Messiah

Category: Uncategorized

  • This Sunday is Foundation Day

    Every year on the Sunday closest to the anniversary of the consecration of our first Bishop, Archbishop Randolph Adler (26 June, 1992) we collect an special offering. While this offering was originally inteded to present Archbishop Adler with funds to help him in his own ministry, Abp. Adler instead insisted that the best use of this money was to provide grants and loans to our churches that were building and expanding their facilities.  The money collected in the Foundation Day offering is dispersed in three ways:

    1/3 of the donations received go to provide Grants.  Any funds not used in a given year are rolled over the the next year.

    1/3 of the donation received go to provide Loans, plus the previous loans that have been paid back.  Loans are provided at 3% simple interest, with an initial 3 year grace period, in which no interest or fees incur. Funds not used in a given year, are rolled over to the next year.

    1/3 of the donations  are Invested into and Vanguard S&P index stock fund.  These funds have been accumulating for many years, and at the present there are no plans to withdrawal or distribute the funds.

    An accounting of all the money that has been received is available on-line by clicking HERE. Traditionally, the suggested donation has been $10 per person in their family.  Please prayerfully considering giving to support the long-term development of the Charismatic Episcopal Church through the Foundation Day Offering.

  • Funeral Arrangements for Mayme Kennedy

    This Tuesday, June 6th, Mayme Kennedy, mother of Janice Paysinger, returned to the loving arms of her Creator.  There will be a viewing Thursday evening from six to eight o’clock at George H. Hewell and Sons Funeral Home (click HERE for a map).  The Funeral will be at the same location Friday morning, at 10:00 am, with a graveside service immediately following.  After the graveside service, there will be a reception at the home of Kevin and Amanda Paysinger (click HERE for a map).  For those interested in providing food for the reception, please contact Lizz Looker as soon as possible.  A full obituary for Mayme can be found by clicking this LINK.

     

    Rest eternal grant to Mayme, O Lord:
    And let light perpetual shine upon her.

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

     

  • A Special Night of Fellowship and Worship

    This Wednesday, May 31st, Church of the Messiah will host a special service as we prepare for the Outpouring the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.  We will dispense with our regular teaching and preaching for a night and have, instead, a night of worshiping the Lord through an extended time of Praise & Worship.  The service begins at seven o’clock and will include prayer and supplication, a special offertory dance, and the Holy Communion.

    Prior to the service, from 6:00-6:45, in lieu of our usual soup supper, we will have a cook out with hamburgers and hotdogs.  Instead of signing up to bring a soup, just bring your favorite side to share with others.  If you don’t have time to get a side ready, don’t worry about it at all.  There will be plenty for everyone.

    We will still have childcare provided for those under younger than sixth grade.  We will structure the service so that attendees will be able to leave by 8:30 in order to prepare for work and school the next day, but we may stick around longer and linger in what the Lord does.

    As we live in the “in between” times between the Ascension and Pentecost, we would love for you to join us this Wednesday for a night of fellowship and worshiping Our Lord.

  • Celebrate Christ’s Ascension and the Gift of the Holy Spirit

    Forty days after His Resurrection, Our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into Heaven.  Ten days later the Holy Spirit descended on the Feast of Pentecost.  Join with Church of the Messiah as we celebrate these momentous events in the life of Christ and His Church.

    The celebration begins on Wednesday, May 24th, when we commemorate Our Lord’s return to Heaven on the Feast of the Ascension.  From six o’clock til 6:45, we will have a Soup Supper Fellowship Meal.  At seven o’clock our service for The Ascension begins.  There will be praise and worship, readings from Holy Scripture, a teaching about this rarely discussed moment in the life of Christ and His Church, as well as Holy Communion.  In addition, Church of the Messiah’s Youth Group will meet this evening and childcare is provided for those up to 5th grade.  The service will end in time for everyone to be home to prepare for school and work the next day.

    Then we join with the Apostles and Disciples in a powerful time of prayerful waiting on the Lord.  Sunday morning, May 28th, we will have our “in between times” service beginning at ten o’clock in the morning.  This powerful service reflects the time in between the Ascension and Pentecost when Jesus’ followers “all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication” (Acts 1:14), awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit.  Our Sunday morning service, includes praise and worship, readings from Holy Scripture and a Bible-based teaching, as well and children’s Sunday School, and Communion.

    On Wednesday, May 31st, we break from our normal Wednesday night routine and host a special service where we will be waiting on the Presence of the Lord.  We will still gather from 6:00-6:45, but on this night we will have a grilled cook out with hot dogs, hamburgers, and all the sides.  At seven o’clock our service begins but instead of a teaching we will have an extended time of praise and worship throughout our service.  We will still have childcare provided during the service and our service will still end in time for everyone to be home to prepare for school and work on Thursday morning.

    Finally, on Sunday, June 4th, join with us beginning at 10 o’clock as we celebrate the Descent of the Holy Spirit and the Birth of the Church on the Feast of Pentecost.  This is one of the most powerful days in the whole history of the Church and we would love for you to join us as we commemorate this miraculous morning when three thousand believers came into the Kingdom of God.

    For more information, please visit our website, e-mail us, or call us directly at 904-721-4199.  To God be all the glory for these amazing moments in the life of Christ and the Church.  Please join us as we celebrate them all!

  • Easter Is Too Good For Just One Day!

    The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is just too amazing to only celebrate one day.  That’s why we celebrate Easter for fifty days and we want you to join us!

    At Church of Messiah, throughout the Season of Easter, from Easter Sunday through June 4th, we will keep on celebrating Our Lord’s victory over death and the grave.  Every Sunday morning we will celebrate His triumph over the last enemy and His ministry here on Earth after He rose from the dead.  We will have special sermons and worship dedicated to this incredible time in the life of Christ.  This season reaches its climax on June 4th when we celebrate Pentecost, the descent of the Holy Spirit and birth of the Church!  Even our children will be a part of these celebrations as they will have special teachings and ministry that goes along with our sermons and worship.

    The celebration is not limited to Sunday mornings alone.  Every Wednesday night from April 26th through May 31st, we will be living out Our Lord’s command to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19) by focusing on Discipleship Training.  Our Wednesday night teaching series will be dedicated to improving those aspects of our lives that allow us to be better disciples: prayer, fasting, worship, meditation on Holy Scripture, and much more.  We know how hectic weeknight worship can be and we want to make everyone’s life easier, so prior to the service we have a free soup supper from 6 o’clock to 6:45.  The service begins at seven o’clock and lasts until 8:30 so everyone can have time to get home in time to get ready for school and work the next day.  Church of the Messiah’s Youth Group also meets on Wednesday nights and childcare is provided for ages 2 through fifth grade.

    It’s not about bunnies and candy, it’s about Our Savior’s victory over all enemies, even death and the grave.  Because He lives, we can have life everlasting.  This is just too much Good News to only celebrate for one day.  We would love for you to join us as we celebrate Jesus’ ultimate victory every Sunday and Wednesday until June 4th.

    Alleluia!  Christ is risen!

    The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!

  • Lenten Bible Study Now Available On-Line

    Fr. Looker’s Lenten Bible study on Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist by Brant Pitre is now available on-line.  If you missed any of the sessions of this eye-opening Bible study, you may listen to the audio recordings and download the PowerPoint slides by clicking below.

    Part 1-Jesus & the New Exodus [Download PowerPoint]

    Part 2-The Manna & the Showbread [Download PowerPoint]

    Part 3-Jesus, the Passover, & the Last Supper [Download PowerPoint]

  • Relive the Life of Christ with Us!

    Church of the Messiah invites you to join with us for the entire week leading up to Easter as we relive and celebrate those world-changing days in Jerusalem leading up to Jesus’ betrayal, Passion, death, and Resurrection.

    Beginning April 9th we invite you to join us as we commemorate Our Lord’s Triumphal Entry in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.  The service begins in the courtyard of the church at 10 o’clock with the Blessing of the Palms and the procession into the church waiving the palms while shouting “Hosanna in the highest!”  The service continues with a special reading of the Passion Gospel and helps prepare everyone for the incredible days to come.

    On Holy Thursday night, April 13th, we remember how Our Lord gathered together his Apostles and celebrated the Passover with them at the Last Supper.  Following Christ’s example, the clergy of Church of the Messiah will remember that “the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve,” and will wash the feet of the congregation.  We will celebrate the Holy Eucharist in remembrance of what Our Lord began that night, and then, symbolizing His betrayal by Judas Iscariot, we strip the Altar and prepare for Good Friday.  This is always a moving service.  The evening begins with a free soup supper from 6:00-6:45 and the service itself begins at 7 o’clock.

    On Friday, April 14th, from noon until 3 o’clock, we will meditate on the sufferings Our Lord endured for our sake during His Passion.  The Good Friday service consists of a reading of the Passion of Jesus according to St. John, seven different meditations, prayers, and intercession, as well as the veneration of the Cross.  It is a powerful way to commemorate the day that the world was forever changed.  This service is specially designed so that those who cannot stay for the entire service may still attend a portion.  Feel free to join us on your lunch break and to come and go as you are able.

    Sunday morning, April 16th, we invite you to join us at 10 o’clock as we celebrate the joy and blessing of the Resurrection of Our Lord on Easter Sunday!  Having been buried with Him, we shall also rise with Him, and we revel in all that He has done for us in this special service.  We will have a special Easter Egg hunt for the children immediately following the service.

    All of the services are at Church of the Messiah at 3754 University Club Blvd (click HERE for a map) and childcare is provided during all services.  We cannot wait to commemorate all that Our Lord did for us leading up to His glorious and triumphant Resurrection on Easter, so please join us on Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and, of course, Easter Sunday.  For more information contact the parish office at 904-721-4199.

  • Lenten Bible Study Concludes Wednesday Night

    This Wednesday night, April 5th, Fr. Looker will conclude the Lenten teaching series on Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist by Brant Pitre.  Throughout Lent we have talked about Jewish expectations and understanding of the coming Messiah, as well as the significance of the Manna in the Wilderness and Showbread as it relates to Jesus.  This Wednesday, Fr. Looker will explain the meaning behind the four cups of the Jewish Passover meal and how they relate to the Last Supper.  This will will change the way you look at these events as well as the way you look at the Eucharist.  We have definitely saved the best for last!

    As part of our regular Wednesday night worship services, we will begin each evening with our regular Soup Supper from 6:00 to 6:45.  The service itself begins at 7 o’clock and is a Eucharistic worship service.  Church of the Messiah’s Youth Group meets during the Bible Study for their own teaching and fellowship.  Childcare is provided during the service and we are mindful to end by 8:30 so that those with work and school the next day are able to get home and prepare for the next day.

    Please join us this Wednesday night, beginning at 6 o’clock for our soup supper and 7 o’clock for our service and Bible Study.  It will be an amazing time of opening up the Scriptures and seeing the Last Supper in a new way, just in time for Holy Week!

  • Special Time of Intercessory Prayer this Saturday

    Saturday morning, April 1st, there will be a special time of intercessory prayer at Church of the Messiah from 10 am to 2 pm.  This will be a time to pray for our parish and our members as well as for our upcoming services for Holy Week and Easter.  We will also have a special time of soaking prayer for those who have special needs.  This meeting is open to the entire parish and is not limited to Church of the Messiah’s intercessors.  All are welcome to join us in prayer.  We would love for you to join us and see how awesome God can be when we gather together and seek His face.  For more information, contact Cathie Shimp.

  • Lenten Bible Study Begins This Wednesday Night

    During the announcements of the Ash Wednesday Service, Fr. Looker revealed the topic of the Wednesday night Bible study throughout the season of Lent.  Because of the Patriarch’s Conference on Church Growth last week, the first night of this Bible Study will be this Wednesday night, March 15th.  During the Lenten services we will be discussing the Jewish root of the Eucharist using the book Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist by Brant Pitre. Fr. Looker has mentioned how excited he is to be able to address this topic saying,

    “I’ve always wanted to preach on Maundy Thursday about the connection between the Passover and the Eucharist, but I never felt that there was sufficient time in one sermon to cover it fully.  With this study, I believe we will be really able to dig into the topic and look at the Last Supper and the Eucharist like the Apostles might have in the first century.”

    This is sure to be a fascinating study that will change the way we look at the Last Supper and our own worship services.

    As part of our regular Wednesday night worship services, we will begin each evening with our regular Soup Supper from 6:00 to 6:45.  The service itself begins at 7 o’clock and is a Eucharistic worship service.  Church of the Messiah’s Youth Group meets during the Bible Study for their own teaching and fellowship.  Childcare is provided during the service and we are mindful to end by 8:30 so that those with work and school the next day are able to get home and prepare for the next day.

    Please join us this Wednesday night, beginning at 6 o’clock for our soup supper and 7 o’clock for our service and Bible Study.  It will be an amazing time of opening up the Scriptures and seeing the Last Supper in a new way, just in time for Holy Week!