Church of the Messiah to Join the March for Life St. Augustine

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.

Church of the Messiah at the March for Life St. Augustine

Click image for details.

This Saturday morning, January 15th, Church of the Messiah will join churches from across Florida and Georgia as we take a stand for Life together in participate in the March for Life St. Augustine.  The March for Life St. Augustine began in 2007 as an alternative for those who were unable to travel to Washington, DC, for the March for Life located there, and has grown from 700 attendees at its first event to over 3,000 in 2019.  Pro-Life advocates from as far south as Miami and as far north as Savannah gather in the Oldest City to take a stand for life and make their voices hear each year.  This year, Fr. Scott Looker has been invited to give the closing prayer and blessing at the March.

For a full schedule of events, either click the image on the left or visit the March for Life St. Augustine website.  We invite everyone to join us at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche this Saturday morning and join us as we take a stand for Life and the Pre-Born.  Also remember that this Sunday, January 16, is the Feast of the Lord the Giver of Life.  To read the Patriarch’s message about this important upcoming feast, you can click HERE.  We invite everyone to join us this weekend, as we loudly proclaim that All Life Is Sacred.

March for Life at Church of the Messiah

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.

For more information on any of these services, please contact Casey Harlow or Fr. Scott Melanson.

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.

Church of the Messiah to Hold Liturgy for the Pre-Born this Wednesday Night

This Wednesday, January 16th, beginning at 7 o’clock, Church of the Messiah will hold a Liturgy for the Pre-Born in place of our usual Wednesday night worship services.  The date for this liturgy was chosen in anticipation of the March for Life and the Feast of Our Lord and Giver of Life, both of which occur later on in the week.  Church of the Messiah has been holding the Liturgy for the Pre-Born on the last Saturday morning of every month since March of 2018, but those services have been outside A Woman’s Choice, one of Jacksonville’s local abortion clinics.  This Wednesday night people have an opportunity to experience the Liturgy for the Pre-Born at Church of the Messiah.  The Liturgy for the Pre-Born was developed by Fr. Terry Gensemer, Executive Director of CEC for Life and longtime friend of Church of the Messiah, who based the service on the service of Last Rites and intended the Liturgy to be both prayers to bring and end to abortion and memorial prayers for those children murdered by abortion who have no one to mourn or pray for them.  The Liturgy for the Pre-Born this Wednesday night will also include a time of praise and worship as well as the Holy Eucharist, two elements which are not logistically possible outside on the sidewalk.  Childcare will be provided although our Youth Group will participate in the Liturgy for the Pre-Born.  We encourage everyone to join us this Wednesday to experience the Liturgy for the Pre-Born and to pray for an end to abortion in America and throughout the world.

Pancake Breakfast this Sunday to Send Our Youth to March for Life

Some of Church of the Messiah’s representatives at the 2018 March for Life

This Sunday morning, beginning at nine o’clock, Church of the Messiah’s Youth Group will be hosting a pancake breakfast in order to raise funds for their annual trip to the March for Life in Washington, D.C.  Taking a stand for life and proclaiming the truth that all life is sacred, our youth will be heading to Washington, D.C., this January to meet up with member of the Charismatic Episcopal Church throughout the country as well as hundreds of thousands of others gathering there.  In order to raise funds for the trip they will be providing an amazing pancake breakfast for those attending church on October 21st.  There will be blueberry pancakes, chocolate chip pancakes, lots of syrup, and fifteen pounds of bacon!  All that the Youth Group is asking is that you give a love offering to help support them in their efforts to go to Washington, D.C., this year.  Since the Youth Group is only taking offerings, they want everyone to be able to enjoy the breakfast and ask that everyone comes regardless of whether they make a donation or not.  If you cannot be here this Sunday and still want to support our youth, you can click HERE, follow the link, and choose “Youth March for Life” to give on-line.  Be sure to skip breakfast this Sunday morning and come to church hungry with a little extra in your pocket to support the Youth Group!

 

Some of the CEC representatives who were present at the 2018 March for Life

Upcoming Pro-Life Opportunities

As Fr. Shiell discussed in his sermon on Sunday, The March For Life will be January 27th, 2017, in Washington, D.C., and we should all begin preparing to head to our nation’s capital now in order to be ready when the big day arrives.  But we do not have to wait until January to start choosing Life right here in Jacksonville today!  There are plenty of opportunities in the upcoming weeks to show your support for local Pro-Life ministries.  Below is information on some of these upcoming events.

jericho-marchJericho March on September 24th—Saturday morning beginning at nine o’clock, Christians from throughout Jacksonville will begin walking around the property surrounding Jacksonville’s Planned Parenthood.  They will march around the property a full seven time and pray for the facility to close and for abortion to come to an end in Jacksonville and throughout America.  For more information contact Rob Barnaby at (904) 504-1412.

 

kick-off-rally40 Days For Life Kick Off Rally Events on Tuesday, September 27th—An evening of special events begin the annual 40 Days for Life campaign.  Prince of Peace Roman-Catholic Church will observe and celebrate a Holy Hour and Mass from five o’clock until 6:30.  Following the Mass, there will be a Kick Off Rally at the Women’s Help Center (a Pro-Life center located in between two abortion clinics) from 6:45 to 7:30.  The Kick Off Rally will include an overview of the 40 Days For Life campaign, an invitation to join in, an opportunity to tour the Women’s Help Center, as well as light refreshments.  Church of the Messiah’s Fr. Scott Looker has been invited to lead one of the opening prayers at this year’s rally.

40dfl40 Days for Life Annual Campaign, September 28th—November 6th—Since 2004, Pro-Life activists in over 25 different countries have taken a peaceful and prayerful stand against a culture of death.

40 Days for Life is a focused pro-life campaign with a vision to access God’s power through prayer, fasting, and peaceful vigil to end abortion. The mission of the campaign is to bring together the body of Christ in a spirit of unity during a focused 40 day campaign of prayer, fasting, and peaceful activism, with the purpose of repentance, to seek God’s favor to turn hearts and minds from a culture of death to a culture of life, thus bringing an end to abortion.

This year, the 40 Days for Life campaign will be gathering in the public right-of-way outside A Woman’s Choice of Jacksonville from 7 am to 7 pm.  To get involved or stay up to date on upcoming events in the 40 Days For Life campaign, visits Jacksonville’s 40 Days For Life web-site.