On December 18, Patrica “Patti” Russell went to be with The Lord, ending her battle with cancer. Patti was best known to Church of the Messiah as the sister of Fr. David Paysinger. Church of the Messiah will hold a memorial service for Patti on Saturday, December 29th, beginning at noon. The family will receive visitors for one hour prior to the service, from 11 am until noon. Patti’s obituary can be seen on-line by clicking this LINK. Please keep all of the Russell and Paysinger family in your prayers during this difficult time.
Rest eternal grant to Patti, 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.
This August, Church of the Messiah will celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary and we have planned a special celebration twenty-five years in the making. We will have special guests every Sunday in August as well as incredible fellowship and reunion events. Here is all that we have planned for the celebration.
Sunday, August 5th–Our special guest preacher will be Bp. David Epps from the Mid-South Diocese of the Charismatic Episcopal Church. Bp. Epps is a mighty man of God, a pastor, a writer, and an incredible story-teller. Church of the Messiah plays a key role in his transition into the Charismatic Episcopal Church. His visit is sure to be one we talk about for years to come.
Saturday, August 11th–We are hosting a Youth Group Reunion. Anyone who has ever attended Church of the Messiah’s Youth Group (or old St. David’s Youth Group, for that matter) or been a Youth Pastor or Youth Leader is invited to return to Church of the Messiah for a special night of fun and fellowship. There will be music, skits, and time to reconnect with friends you haven’t seen in years (except on social media).
Sunday, August 12th—Fr. David Paysinger, the Archdeacon of the Diocese of Florida and Rector Emeritus of Church of the Messiah, returns to the pulpit for the first time since his retirement in 2015. Fr. Paysinger was pastor of Church of the Messiah from 2006 until 2015. He is known throughout the CEC as an incredible pastor, counselor, and prayer warrior. His return to COM’s pulpit is sure to be anointed.
Saturday, August 18th–Church of the Messiah has always been known for its incredible praise and worship ministries and, as part of our 25th Anniversary Celebration, we are “getting the band back together” for a Call to Worship! Join us for an incredible night of praise and worship with friends who have worshiped at Church of the Messiah over the last twenty-five years. We are grateful that this event will be hosted at The River Church at Jacksonville (click HERE for a map).
Sunday, August 19th—Archbishop Charles Travis of the Apostolate of St. Chad (CEEC) will be returning to Church of the Messiah after many years. Abp. Travis and his family attended Church of the Messiah for many years when we knew him as “Doctor Chuck.”
Saturday, August 25th–Church of the Messiah will host a Community Fish Fry from 11:00 to 1:00. Come join us as Earl Shimp and his team fry up amazing fish, hush puppies, and other incredible fixings. Invite your friends; this is open to everyone! Please RSVP on the event page, at church on Sunday, or by contacting the office. We want to make sure we have plenty of food for everyone!
Sunday, August 26th–Our very own Bishop David Simpson of the Diocese of Florida will join us to cap off our month of celebration. This Sunday is our actual anniversary and we’ve got lots of surprises in store. It’s going to be an incredible and anointed service to be sure!
All events (except the Call to Worship) will be hosted at Church of the Messiah (click for a map). All Sunday services begin at 10 o’clock. Click on the dates to visit the Facebook events for each celebration. For more information, call or email Church of the Messiah at 904-721-4199. Everyone is welcome and we can’t wait to celebrate all that God has done in Church of the Messiah over the last twenty-five years!
This August Church of the Messiah will celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary and we have an entire “month of Sundays” and even more planned to commemorate this incredible milestone for our community. Grab your pencil and your calendar and “save these dates” because you will not want to miss any of what we have planned in August!
Sunday, August 5th:Bishop David Epps, the Bishop of the Mid-South Diocese of the Charismatic Episcopal Church will visit and bring the Word of God.
Saturday, August 11th: We are having Youth Group Reunion for anyone who has ever worshiped in Church of the Messiah’s Youth Group over the last twenty-five years!
Sunday, August 12th:The Venerable David Paysinger, Rector Emeritus of Church of the Messiah, will return to the pulpit for the first time since retiring and share his memories from the very beginning of Church of the Messiah.
Saturday, August 18th: We will be having Worship Reunion Night! Church of the Messiah has always been known for its incredible praise and worship and throughout out twenty-five years we have have phenomenally talented musicians and singers join us in praising the Lord. We are issuing a call to “get the band back together” and call together all those who have worshiped with us in the past to praise Him together again. This event will be hosted by The River Church at Jacksonville.
Sunday, August 19th:Archbishop Charles Travis, Archbishop of the Apostolate of St. Chad (Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches) and long-time friend of Church of the Messiah, will join us and share how Church of the Messiah helped to form him personally and has impacted the world.
Saturday, August 25th: We are hosting a Community Fish Fry and Family Fun Day. We will have amazing fish and incredible sides with great fellowship and fun for the whole family. Everyone is invited!
Sunday, August 26th:Bishop David Simpson, Bishop of the Diocese of Florida and the Caribbean, will join us to celebrate our actual Twenty-Fifth Anniversary. This will be a celebration twenty-five years in the making and one you will not want to miss!
On Trinity Sunday, May 31, while on his annual visit, Bp. David Simpson informed the congregation that he had reluctantly accepted Fr. David Paysinger’s resignation as Rector of Church of the Messiah. Bp. Simpson admitted that this had been a matter of prayer between himself and Fr. David for many months, and that they had both been diligent to affirm that this was, indeed, the will of God. The exact date of Fr. Paysinger’s retirement is not set, although it will occur sometime this August and coincide roughly with Fr. Paysinger’s seventieth birthday. While Fr. Paysinger will be retiring as rector of Church of the Messiah, he will continue to serve as the Archdeacon for the Diocese of Florida and as one of the members of the Bishop’s Council, serving Bp. Simpson as one of his senior priests and advisors.
David Paysinger was one of the founding members of Church of the Messiah who transitioned from St. David’s Episcopal Church in the Fall of 1992. He was ordained to the Diaconate in December of 1993, appointed Archdeacon for the Diocese of Florida and the Southeastern Province in May of 1995, and ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests in November of 1995. During his many years of ministry, Fr. Paysinger has traveled extensively throughout the Southeast Province–and even internationally–for the sake of ministry. Fr. Paysinger has served on both the Provincial Council for the Southeastern Province as well as on the Bishop’s Council of the Diocese of Florida. On May 28, 2006, Fr. Paysinger was installed as the Rector of Church of the Messiah. The announcement of his retirement comes nine years almost to the day of his installation as Rector.
Throughout his 23 years of ministry, his wife Janice has been ever-present by his side. Janice has served in countless roles in Church of the Messiah including working in the Nursery and Kids’ Church, chairing the Women’s Ministry, heading up Care and Comfort and Hospitality ministries, and recently filling in as parish secretary while serving as the parish bookkeeper. In the Fall, Janice will likewise retire from her position at Church of the Messiah so that she can remain ever-present with her husband as they travel and enjoy their retirement together.
Church of the Messiah and the Paysinger family covet your prayers as Fr. David and Janice begin to transition into this new phase of their life and ministry.
SJL 
On December 18, Patrica “Patti” Russell went to be with The Lord, ending her battle with cancer. Patti was best known to Church of the Messiah as the sister of Fr. David Paysinger. Church of the Messiah will hold a memorial service for Patti on Saturday, December 29th, beginning at noon. The family will receive visitors for one hour prior to the service, from 11 am until noon. Patti’s obituary can be seen on-line by clicking this LINK. Please keep all of the Russell and Paysinger family in your prayers during this difficult time.
