The week of December 26-30 the parish office will be closed.  We will not be having a service on Wednesday night, January 28th.

We will have a special service Sunday morning, January 1st, at 10 o’clock.  This will be the Eighth Day of Christmas, the day on which Mary and Joseph gave their child His Divine name.  This is a special day in the Church, the Feast of the Holy Name.  On the first day of the week and the first day of the new year, we will hear about what that name means and what God calls us as well.

On Wednesday night, January 4th, we resume our Wednesday Nigh Soup Supper Services by observing the Feast of the Epiphany.  We will begin our soup supper at six o’clock with a variety of soups for the adults and food appropriate for younger children as well.  The service begins at seven o’clock and we will celebrate the Epiphany when the Magi brought their gifts to honor the Christ-Child.  This year we are taking up an offering for Emergency Pregnancy Services of Jacksonville, our local pro-life crisis pregnancy center.  They need size 4-5 diapers and formula of any kind.

Finally, on Friday, January 6th, we will have our Epiphany Fellowship Dinner at Blackfinn Ameripub in the St. John’s Town Center.  The cost is $22 per person as we gather and have our Christmas Fellowship at a time when we can all relax and enjoy each other’s company with the stress of the season almost behind us.  You may purchase your tickets by putting a check in the offering basket or by selecting “Epiphany Fellowship Dinner” when giving on-line.  This dinner will be an adults only event.

We wish you the merriest of Christmases and invite you to join us at all of these events as we celebrate the season together!

Christmas Eve, December 24th, at 7 pm We will have our family service with additional special activities and worship from our children and youth, a special children’s sermon as well as Christmas carols by candlelight.  This is a wonderful Church of the Messiah tradition.  Everyone is welcome and it is sure to be a fantastic time for all.  We have created a Facebook event for this service so that you can easily invite friends and loved one.  To find the event, simply click the bold, underlined letters above.

Christmas Day, December 25th, at 10 am We will absolutely gather Sunday morning and celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior on the Lord’s Day. Christmas Day services are also a tradition at Church of the Messiah and have been for many years.  The service is a slightly abbreviated service as we are all aware and mindful of family obligations on this day.  As with Christmas Eve, there is also a Facebook Event for this service.  To invite people to this event, click on the bold, underlined letters above.

The Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, January 1st, at 10 am In Jewish tradition, children were named eight days after they were born so the “Eighth Day of Christmas” is a special holiday which we get to observe this year because it too falls on a Sunday.  Join us on the first day of the week and the first day of the year as we hear what God calls us and how we are called to live in 2017.

The Epiphany, January 4th, at 6 pm Our Wednesday night services resume with the observance of the Epiphany on Wednesday, January 4th.  The soup supper will begins at six o’clock and lasts until 6:45 and our Epiphany service begins at seven o’clock.  All throughout Advent we are collecting diapers (size 4 and 5) and formula (any type) for Emergency Pregnancy Services of Jacksonville so that, just like the Wise Men, blessed the Baby Jesus, we can bless our local pro-life crisis pregnancy center.  This will be an amazing night to be sure.

Christmas & Epiphany Fellowship Dinner, January 6th, at 6 pm We will be celebrating the close of the holiday season with a fellowship dinner at Blackfinn Ameripub in the St. John’s Town Center.  The cost will be $22 per guest to be paid to Church of the Messiah in advance, either by by giving a check on Sunday or by paying on-line.  Dinner will be served from menu of dinner options beginning at 6 o’clock.  This will be an adults only event.