Fr. Looker prays at the 2022 March for Life St. Augustine
This Saturday, January 14, Church of the Messiah will join with Pro-Life activists from throughout the Southeast as we participate in the March for Life St. Augustine. The annual event in the nation’s oldest city began in 2007 as an alternative to March for Life in Washington, D.C. for those who could not attend the national event. At the 2022 March, nearly 2,000 people gathered to march in support of Life from as far south as Miami and as far north as Savannah.
This year, members from Church of the Messiah will gather at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche in St. Augustine (click HERE for a map) at 10 o’clock. The March itself will begin at 10:30 and will proceed to the Plaza de la Constitución (directly in front of the Cathedral). The path of the March is approximately one a one-quarter miles long. When everyone arrives at the Plaza there will be several speakers including Melissa Coles and Dr. Jason Phillips. This year, Fr. Scott Looker has been asked once again to give the closing prayer at the end of the March.
For a full list of the many activities going on this weekend, visit the March for Life St. Augustine website. We invite you to join us and take a stand for life this weekend in our nation’s oldest city.
On Saturday, November 12th, Church of the Messiah is excited to host the inaugural Learning to Save Lives Conference. Learning to Save Lives is a brand new, in-depth training from CEC For Life created to equip any pro-life citizen to legally, peacefully, and prayerfully shut the doors of their local abortion clinic. We will cover a wide variety of topics, including sidewalk counseling, creating public awareness, legal strategies, and how to build a pro-life forum within your community. The training runs from 10 AM to 2 PM and lunch is included with the $5 cost of registration. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER! To download a printable flier, CLICK HERE.
While the training begins at 10 AM, you are also invited to join Fr. Terry Gensemer and CEC For Life for a Liturgy for the Preborn at 9 AM in front of A Woman’s Choice, located at 431 University Blvd, Unit 2, Jacksonville, FL. This Liturgy is a special prayer service designed to pray for the end of abortion and give dignity to the preborn children abandoned to death inside the abortion clinic. It is an ecumenical prayer service, and all are welcome to join, even those not attending the training. Please come pray with us!
On November 12, join Church of the Messiah and CEC For Life for the inaugural event of this brand new training!
Fr. Terry Gensemer will be visiting Church of the Messiah during the last weekend in March. Fr. Gensemer is the International Director of CEC for Life, the Pro-Life outreach ministry of the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church, and a long-time friend of Church of the Messiah. In addition to leading CEC for Life, Fr. Gensemer has a long list of credentials including serving as the Pastoral Director for the Society of Centurions, an organization which hosts healing retreats for those who have left the abortion industry, years of parish ministry, and even, most recently, starring in a Pro-Life film. Fr. Terry and his wife Patti have been married for over 50 years and together have two daughters and seven grandchildren!
Fr. Gensemer’s visit to Church of the Messiah begins on Saturday morning, February 26th, at 9 o’clock, when he will lead us in praying the Liturgy for the Pre-Born in front of A Woman’s Choice of Jacksonville (Click HERE for a map). Fr. Gensemer originally compiled the Liturgy for the Pre-Born as a combination of Last Rites for those children who would be dying in abortion and prayers to end abortion in America and the world. Then, on Sunday morning, Fr. Gensemer will be preaching and celebrating the Holy Eucharist beginning at 10 o’clock. Both the Liturgy for the Pre-Born and our Sunday morning service will be streamed on Church of the Messiah’s Facebook page. It is going to be an incredible weekend with an anointed Man of God. Be sure to make plans to attend and to invite your friends to join us.
In November of this year, I tested positive for COVID-19. It happened, even though I was double vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine. I ended up very sick for several days, and continued for a significant time not feeling well and being weak and tired. But I survived and, for this, I am grateful.
As you know, COVID-19 is a respiratory disease like the common cold, the influenza, or pneumonia. I have had all of them several times. None of them are pleasant, particularly pneumonia. The concern with COVID-19 and its variants is that it is highly contagious and can lead to death, particularly with the elderly or those who have immune difficulties and other factors such as obesity, diabetes, or respiratory issues. The primary issue with respiratory ailments is that they affect your breathing. Very simply, you are short of breath and, at times, feel like you are not going to be able to breathe.
In the case of COVID-19, if your breathing gets worse, it means you end up in the hospital, either on oxygen or on a ventilator. There are now some therapeutics that help, like the monoclonal antibody infusion.
While sick, I discovered a gadget called a “pulse oximeter” that measures the oxygen level in your blood. You need to remain above 90. If I got below 90 then I had to go to the hospital. I became somewhat obsessed with the gadget and Cathy had to take it away from me. Obviously, my blood oxygen level was okay and still is.
During my time with COVID-19, and my 14 days of quarantine, the Holy Spirit reminded me, once again, not only that all life is sacred, but the life which is given to us is a grace from Him. He is the giver of life. In fact, He is life. Life is a person named Jesus. Every time we take a breath, which we do usually without any awareness, we participate in the life of God. We participate in the life of Jesus. God is as close as the next breath.
Abortion is the taking of human life. It is not a reproductive procedure. It is the exact opposite. Abortion is an attack on the reproduction and creation of human life. It is an attack on the image of God. God desires for the reproduction of human life to take place. It is the law of creation and nature that we reproduce life. Abortion is anti-creation, anti-nature, and anti-God.
Once again this year, our communion will celebrate worldwide the Feast of Our Lord the Giver of Life. On that Sunday — January 16 this year — we take up a special offering, to the glory of God, that will be given to CEC for Life for its work in the Pro-Life Movement. All churches and clergy are asked to submit their memberships to CEC for Life at this time. And, hopefully, the vast majority of CEC members will join CEC for Life through their special offerings.
Life will always be victorious in every circumstance and on all levels. Death has been defeated by the Lord, the Giver of Life. The cross reminds us that death is not the final word, but rather that death on the cross is the beginning of life. Breathe on us, O breath of God.
On Saturday, October 2nd, CEC For Life invites you to join the Purple Sash Revolution for a powerful prayer rally at the Supreme Court to end abortion and dismantle Roe!
When the Supreme Court agreed to hear Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, they agreed to hear the most important abortion case since Roe vs. Wade in 1973. A victory in Dobbs v. Jackson would be a major step in dismantling Roe and bringing an end to abortion violence. It is critical that we not be indifferent and silent regarding Dobbs as many were when Roe was decided. If we do not engage, it could add DECADES in our fight to end abortion violence. Join Purple Sash Revolution for a powerful prayer and worship rally at the Supreme Court on Saturday, October 2, from 2 – 4 p.m. This is just two days before the Supreme Court begins their new session in which the justices will hear Dobbs v. Jackson.
We invite you to boldly stand with national pro-life and Christian leaders against the evil of abortion in an attitude of prayer and praise. Through prayer we can see God shape history and end abortion. Click the link to RSVP on Facebook or click HERE for additional information.
This Saturday, June 26th, Archbishop Craig Bates and Canon Terry Gensemer will lead the Liturgy for the Pre-Born in front of A Woman’s Choice of Jacksonville. Abp. Bates is the Patriarch of the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church (ICCEC) and an ardent pro-life advocate who has prayed on the front lines of the culture wars for decades. Canon Terry Gensemer is the founder and director of CEC for Life, the pro-life advocacy arm of the Charismatic Epicopal Church, which this year will celebrate its 20th anniversary. Both men are tremendous advocates for the pre-born and we are blessed to have them lead the Liturgy for the Pre-Born in Jacksonville. The Liturgy for the Pre-Born is a prayer service that is a combination of last rites for those who are condemned to die in abortion, prayers for repentance, and prayers for the end of the abortion holocaust throughout America and the world.
We invite you to join with Abp. Bates, Cn. Gensemer and Church of the Messiah this Saturday morning beginning at 9 o’clock. Through the graciousness of Family for Life we are able to pray directly across from A Woman’s Choice of Jacksonville (click HERE for a map). For those who are unable to attend in person, Church of the Messiah will live stream the event on their Facebook page via Facebook Live. Please join Church of the Messiah and these mighty men of God as we pray for the day that abortion becomes not only illegal but unthinkable!
Last March, I was in San Clemente, California, with the Primates Council members and their wives. We had a great gathering, and the Lord spoke to us in so many ways. At the time, we were hearing about this “Coronavirus” that apparently was in China and Europe and perhaps spreading to the United States. Little did we know at the time what that “danger” and “spreading” was all about. When we returned home, suddenly, there was talk about a “lockdown” and the shutting down of entire countries in Europe, and we in the United States were soon to follow. That shutdown happened. We were told the shutdown would be 15 days to flatten the curve so that hospitals could handle the overwhelming numbers of people admitted.
We also heard about “essential services” and “non-essential services.” Grocery stores were essential, and guidelines were given for those who needed to shop. Elderly people even had special times to shop. Of course, healthcare workers, police officers, emergency personnel, sanitation workers, pharmacists, and others were considered essential, and indeed they were.
Then there were the lists of non-essentials that ranged from “gyms” to restaurants and bars. Most small retail shops or barbershops and hair salons were non-essential. Churches were considered non-essential, and still, in many states, churches face restrictions on the number of people who can occupy their buildings. For sacramental churches, like the CEC, that meant there were no Eucharists, no baptisms, no weddings, no funerals, no last rites at the hospitals (clergy were even forbidden to visit dying parishioners), or any other sacramental rite available to the people of God. Thank the Lord for the internet, as the churches could go virtual and minister to the people. The Church established an online presence. But, while churches were considered non-essential abortion, clinics were deemed essential. While medical procedures and other medical services were put on hold as non-essential, abortion was a procedure that was deemed to be essential.
The pandemic put life and death before us. As the numbers of hospitalized patients and those dying from COVID increased, we faced a new pandemic of “fear.” On the positive side, we became deeply concerned about the vulnerable among us in nursing homes, long-term living facilities, assisted living centers, and senior living facilities. Thousands died in these facilities, and the medical community told us outright that the elderly were most at risk and most likely not to survive the virus. The elderly who lived at home were advised to avoid contact with their children and grandchildren. Contact with an asymptomatic child could result in being infected and death. Those who are isolated from the community’s daily life were now even more isolated to be protected from this virus of death.
It is good that soon a vaccine will be available. Healthcare workers and these seniors in facilities will be the first to receive the vaccine, followed by senior citizens who have underlying health issues. Soon those with other diseases will receive treatment. And perhaps our hearts will be changed in our appreciation for the elderly among us. Hopefully, the Church will be awakened to the concerns of our elderly.
Throughout it all, abortion clinics, however, remained open. Abortion clinics were an “essential service.” While society rightfully cared for the elderly, they ignored the preborn — innocent little children who rely totally on others for their protection and life. These babies were still disposable. While politicians ran for office on the handling or mishandling of the Coronavirus, there was little concern or even awareness that some of the candidates ran on a platform that advocated the right to abort a baby up to the moment of birth, and, even in some cases, to allow a baby to die after birth.
The Church is always called to be present during human suffering with the message of life. Our faith is based on a God who suffered among us. It is right and a good thing that many churches ministered to those suffering from COVID. It is also right and good that the Church advocates for the poor, the widow, the fatherless, the single mothers, the disenfranchised, the homeless, the hungry, those in prison, immigrants, and those seeking freedom from tyranny. These are pro-life concerns. The Church needs to proclaim life into these situations, or as some say, we have a ministry of life from the womb to the tomb.
During the pandemic, we continue to have concern for everyone who is at risk, who has the disease, and especially those who mourn the death of a loved one because of the disease. We mourn the loss of almost 300,000 who have died from COVID and pray the new vaccine will end this horror. We continue to preach life and not give in to a fear of death.
Yet, we must also continue to cry out with a loud voice for the preborn babies’ right to life. As of this year, almost 40,000,000 abortions were performed worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. That is 125,000 babies a day. In the United States, roughly 3,000 preborn babies die every day at the hands of abortionists. We are told that 22% of all pregnancies in American end in abortion. There are more babies aborted in parts of New York City than brought to a full-term pregnancy and birth. We cannot get quality of life if we continue to destroy life. Death cannot be a solution to injustice or oppression. That is not good news.
A great deal of progress has been made over the past few years in bringing about change and saving babies’ lives. Abortion clinics continue to close, and some states could soon become “abortion free” states. The courts are now more “friendly” to pro-life cases and rule in favor of the right to life and the protection of the preborn. We could face some setbacks in the next few years, but we will continue to fight to be a voice for the voiceless. (Thank you to all who continue to pray at the abortion mills regularly. Persevere and do not give up.)
A lot still needs to be done on all different levels if we are to win and find a day when abortion will not only be illegal, but unthinkable. We must continue to work towards the day when the truth that God loves the unborn child, and that God loves the mother who has tragically presented herself for abortion, is understood. Our churches should be centers of life and healing for all the little children, for families in crisis, for single mothers, the fatherless, and the widows.
Churches should be a voice for the poor and a place where mercy and justice meet at the cross. We must work towards the day when death is not considered a solution; rather, choices of life for both mother and baby are more obvious and more available.
This is going to take a change of heart. The Pro-life movement is a Gospel movement. We need to support our clergy in preaching and teaching the Gospel of life from womb to tomb. We need to raise a generation that continues in the fight until the right to life is a reality for all. We need to raise a generation that has the heart of God. This is what CEC for Life is all about. Though the end of abortion is a primary concern of CEC for Life, it does not mean the leadership of CEC for Life is not concerned about all life. The battle cry is “All Life is Sacred.”
The Charismatic Episcopal Church was birthed in the Pro-Life movement and the “cultural wars” of the past few decades. As a people, God spoke to us and drew us into the life of the ancient and historic Church. We saw and continue to see that through liturgy and sacraments, along with preaching the Good News and the transformation of the heart, and empowerment by the Holy Spirit (the Lord and giver of Life), we join in a cultural war that has been raging since the beginning of time.
The cross of Christ is a cultural war, and victory was won on that cross in the wounds of Christ Jesus and the shedding of His blood. We found out that, as we participate in His life, and particularly His death, we find that ultimate gift of life, the resurrection and defeat of death. This truth is lived out every day in our people, but particularly in the praise and thanksgiving of the Eucharist Feast.
On January 17th, the third Sunday of the Christmas season, the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church celebrates a feast in honor of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord and Giver of Life. During the Eucharist, an offering is to be taken where we ask every participant and member of the ICCEC to give generously to the pro-life work of our communion. We also ask every clergy, along with every parish, to partner with CEC for Life by submitting their membership request for the year.
I can only ask you to give generously, which most of you do.
What more will we do? We will persevere with the Gospel, knowing that in due season we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. We will continue to pray at abortion clinics. We will continue to work with other Pro-Life groups. We will continue to raise up a generation around the world who are Gospel activists. We will continue to equip the Church with the message of life.
Please once again join us. Be a part of a godly solution and a warrior for life.
This week more than a dozen members of Church of the Messiah will be heading up to Washington, D.C., to join with CEC for Life and participate in the 47th Annual March for Life. If you cannot make the trek to the frozen north, you can still participate in a series of events planned right here at Church of the Messiah.
On Thursday night, beginning at 7:00, we will have a night of pro-life intercession and prayer at Church of the Messiah.
On Friday morning, starting at 9 o’clock, we will participate in a silent prayer vigil at All Women’s Health Center at 1545 Huffingham Road (click HERE for a map. Please park in the church parking lot or alongside the road.)
On Saturday morning, starting at 9 o’clock, we will be leading the Liturgy for the Pre-Born in front of All Women’s Health Center. If you have never attended one of these liturgies, this will be a perfect opportunity to do so.
In light of these scheduled event and our many youth who are traveling to Washington this week to participate in the March for Life, we are cancelling both Youth Group and our Adult Bible Study on Wednesday night, January 22nd. This events will resume as normal on Wednesday, January 29th.
We are excited to announce that on Saturday, December 14th, Church of the Messiah will host the first-ever Life & Leadership Conference in America.
Throughout history, the biggest changes in the tide of time were brought about by dedicated servant leaders. This training brings those leaders to life and offers intense spiritual instruction that will equip Christians to change their world.
Fr. Terry Genesmer, the Director of CEC for Life and long-time friend of Church of the Messiah, has led several Life & Leadership conferences in Europe, usually over three days. This event will be an intensive one-day course geared towards men and women (ages 17 & up) who are currently in leadership or actively seeking to become leaders in their church or community.
The cost is $30 and covers your leadership booklet, light breakfast and lunch. Only 35 spots available! To register for the conference, click HERE. To pay for the conference, you may give Sunday at church or you may pay on-line by clicking HERE (select “Life & Leadership Conference” option).
Join with Church of the Messiah and Fr. Terry Gensemer on Saturday, December 14th, as we learn how to become focused servant leaders who will turn the tide for this country and the Kingdom of God.
This Saturday, April 28th, starting at 9 o’clock, the clergy and people of Church of the Messiah will gather outside of A Woman’s Choice, one of Jacksonville’s few abortion clinics and one which often performs abortions on Saturday mornings. We will be praying for an end to abortion and especially for those who are about to die in that very clinic that weekend.
Please join with us as we pray for the pre-born children throughout Jacksonville and the world, but especially those a A Woman’s Choice, (Click HERE for a map) who will be murdered by the holocaust of abortion and have no one to pray for them. Let us pray for those who are about to die and for and end to abortion in America and in the world.
The best place to park is in the parking lot near the Payless ShoeSource (click HERE for a map) and walk to short distance to where we will be praying. Be sure to park, however, away from the stores, because we do not want to be a nuisance to the vendors.
sjl+ 
Fr. Terry Gensemer will be visiting Church of the Messiah during the last weekend in March. Fr. Gensemer is the International Director of 
In November of this year, I tested positive for COVID-19. It happened, even though I was double vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine. I ended up very sick for several days, and continued for a significant time not feeling well and being weak and tired. But I survived and, for this, I am grateful.
On Saturday, October 2nd, 
Father Scott Looker 
SJL 
