In order to insure that there is adequate parking to accommodate quests and visitors to the Grand Opening of our New Sanctuary and Church Office on November 10th, we are asking that members who are able to do so park in an available overflow lot.  Once you pass Church of the Messiah’s regular parking lot, and Ft. Caroline Presbyterian Church’s regular parking lot, there is a very clear and easy to drive dirt road.  This road leads just behind Ft. Caroline Presbyterian Church and their playground and opens up into a wide mown grass field which will easily fit twenty to twenty-five cars.  As one parishioner phrased it, “it’s a lot better parking lot than we had at JU!”  On Sunday morning, there will be an usher by the road making sure that no one misses the entrance.  From the parking lot, it is a short walk to the courtyard in between the two churches.  If you feel that you or someone you are with would be unable to make the walk, please, feel free park in the normal lot and everything will be fine.  This is just a precaution to insure that we have plenty of extra parking for our visitors.  Thank you for being flexible and gracious hosts!

In order to get everything finally ready for the big Grand Opening of Our New Sanctuary and Church Office on Sunday, November 10th, we are holding one final FALL WORK DAY this Saturday, November 9th, beginning at 9 o’clock.  On Saturday, there are four specific tasks we need to accomplish:

1. We need to clear out and prepare the Youth Room and New Moms’ Nursery for use and for the Grand Opening.
2. We need to clean up the bushes in between Ft. Caroline Presbyterian Church’s parish hall and our own building using hedge-trimmers.
3. We need to prepare Ft. Caroline Presbyterian Church’s parish hall for the reception after our Grand Opening service, including setting up tables, laying out table cloths, plates, silverware, and generally getting ready for a fancy soiree, and
4.  If anyone has a working pressure-washer, we would love to pressure wash our sidewalks.

Every year each church in the CEC in American takes up an offering to support developing churches in Africa.  In years gone by, we did this at Christmas.  Two years ago, the Patriarch’s Council and the United States’ House of Bishops decided in consensus that it was best to move the collection of that offering to the Sunday closest to All Saints’ Day (November 1st).

100% of the money collect goes directly to Africa under the direction of Bishops Bernard Njoroge, Emmanuel Ngarimpatse, and Francis Gogo.  The Patriarch has created vehicles for accountability that are available on CEC Development’s Web-Site.  We encourage all of our members to participate inasmuch as they are able, confident that this money is being responsibly managed and strengthening the churches of the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church in Africa.

You may click below to download additional resources:

The Patriarch’s Letter on the All Saints’ Offering

The Accountability Report from the 2012 All Saints’ Offering

This Thursday night, Halloween, from 6:30 to 8:30, Church of the Messiah will host its yearly All Saints Festival.  This is a safe and Christian alternative to wandering about neighborhoods knocking on random doors.  There will be fun and games, free food including a cotton candy machine and bagfuls of candy to give away, and even two different bounce houses!  Everything is free to anyone who wants to come.  Invite your friends; invite your neighbors.

We still need volunteers!  We need adults who will not be supervising their own children who can volunteer to run booths, hand out food and cotton candy, and give away goodies during the night.  Please contact Amanda Paysinger as soon as possible to help coordinate the night.  We look forward to seeing everyone there!

This Sunday morning, October 27th, we are starting our services 30 minutes earlier at a new time!  Don’t forget that our services will begin at 10 o’clock starting this Sunday morning.  This is just one of a whole passel of changes and surprises we have in store coming up in the next few weeks.  Come a little early and get a sneak peek.  Also, the Rector’s Council will be meeting to pray for the congregation at 9 o’clock.  Everyone is welcome and encouraged to joined them.  We’ll see you in the morning!

It is truly with hearts full of praise and  thanksgiving to Almighty God, that the people of the Church of the Messiah proudly announce the Grand Opening of our New Sanctuary and Church Office on Sunday, November 10th, at ten o’clock in the morning.  We will celebrate this wonderful day in the life of our congregation by offering Great Thanksgiving to Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through the Holy Eucharist, and then, afterwards, we will fellowship with one another at a reception to follow on the premises.

This is a glorious day in the history of our church and we are inviting everyone to join us in the celebration.  Please feel free and encouraged to invited your friends to join us for this festive occasion.  You can invite people in a number of ways.  You can share this announcement or you may use the invitation in the corner by clicking on it and printing it up to give it to friends personally.  Additionally, an event has been created on Church of the Messiah’s Facebook Page where you can RSVP and invite your friends on Facebook.  As always, letting us know if you will be attending helps us know how to plan.  For more information, please call the parish office at 904-721-4199.

We look forward to being blessed with everyone of you at the Grand Opening on November 10th!

On Saturday, October 26th, we will be coming together as a congregation to work on our new home. We will be preparing both the inside of the building and our grounds for the upcoming All Saints’ Festival (on October 31st) and our Grand Opening (on November 10th).  We will need teams of people to handle painting, housekeeping, grounds keeping and tree-trimming.  If you can come, we have a job for you!  This is an “All Hands On Deck” event and, as the saying goes, “many hands make light work.”  Of course, lunch will be provided!  You can click on the flyer on the left for a larger image and more details.  If you are on Facebook, please RSVP by going to Church of the Messiah’s Events’ page and clicking on the LINK.  This will help the office staff coordinate the event and prepare lunch.  We look forward to having everyone together so that we can labor together as a community to prepare a place to both reach out to our neighborhood and worship the Lord.

We had an amazing time at Church of the Messiah this past weekend, thanks largely to our Patriarch and his lovely wife Archbishop Craig and Cathy Bates.  Cathy took several fabulous photographs which we added to our Photo Gallery and Archbishop Bates’ powerful sermon is already up on-line and a part of our Sermon Library.  Be sure to share that message with your friends who either missed it or need to hear it!

As amazing as the last week was, the next two weeks promise to be just as powerful.  This Thursday, COM’s Greg McGrew is serving as the Rector at the Men’s Tres Arroyos in  Deland along with a number of our men.  Then, next week, several of our women will be heading down to Deland to serve on the Women’s Tres Arroyos weekend.  Whether you have been to a Tres Arroyos or Cursillo or any other type weekend as a candidate or team member, please be in prayer for all of our brothers and sisters who will be serving God apart from us over the next two weekends.

The first Saturday event for the 40 Days for Life campaign is this Saturday morning beginning at 8am.  If you are going to be in town on Saturday, please make plans to attend this important prayer rally.  We have received word that Planned Parenthood intends to open this clinic on October 7, so it is all the more important that Pro-Life Christians gather in prayer and ask God to spiritually bring down the walls of this stronghold of abortion in Jacksonville.

As the flyer says, we will gather at Planned Parenthood (click HERE for a map) at 8am and march around the building seven times, praising God with loud shouts of acclamation on the seventh time.  This is a city-wide event and Christians from many different churches will be present.  Parking will be available at the end of University Boulevard Court under the University Blvd overpass (see the map below).  You can also RSVP and find more information at Church of the Messiah’s Events Page.  Thank you for supporting this important event.

Parking for the Jericho March

The Unstoppable Movie Night is tomorrow night, Tuesday, September 24!  If you have missed the announcements, award-winning actor, writer, and producer Kirk Cameron has created a documentary film in response to the question: “Why does a loving God allow horrible things to happen to good people?” He calls this his “most personal project ever.”  If you would like to meet up with other Church of the Messiah people and talk about the question and the movie either beforehand or afterwards you must either RSVP on the Unstoppable Movie Night Event on Church of the Messiah’s Facebook Page (by clicking the link) or by contacting Fr. Scott Looker directly TONIGHT.  This is a one-night only showing sponsored by Liberty University and, since there is only one showing, you should probably buy your tickets in advance.  (Click HERE to buy the tickets on-line.)  We would love for everyone who is interested to be able to attend together.  This could be a great conversation starter and a fantastic means of discussing the Gospel with friends who are wrestling with these kinds of issues.