Well in advance of anything the men would have put together, the women already have their first flyer ready with all the information the ladies need to start planning for the upcoming women’s retreat this October.  Download the beautiful flyer created by Brooke Shimp by clicking HERE.  The theme for the weekend is “Empowered & Impassioned” and the retreat leader will be Amelia Gailliard.  The retreat will begin Friday, October 5, and run through Sunday morning, October 7.  Once again the retreat will be at the beautiful and scenic Epworth-by-the-Sea on St. Simon’s Island, GA. Mark your calendars now and start saving.  It looks like it is shaping up to be an amazingly anointed weekend!

There is an Ultreya tonight, July 9th, at the home of Greg and Diane Looker (Click HERE for a map).  Dinner is pot-luck and begins at 6pm with the grouping beginning at 7pm.  We will conclude with the Holy Eucharist.  Childcare will be provided.  The Ultreya is open to anyone who has attended Tres Arroyos or any other three-day retreat along the lines of Cursillo, Walk to Emmaus, Awakenings, Lighthouse Via De Christo, etc…

The Ultreya that was scheduled for this Tuesday has been cancelled.  The next Ultreya will be Tuesday, July 9th, at the home of Greg and Diane Looker.  We apologize for the inconvenience.

An old friend of Church of the Messiah, Mark Goodman has gone to be with the Lord this week.  Wednesday afternoon, with his wife and children around him, Mark ended his three year battle with cancer.  There will be a memorial service this Saturday, May 25th, at The Covenant Center in Lakeland, Florida (click HERE for a map).  The service begins at 3pm.  Please keep the family in your prayers.

Rest eternal grant to Mark, O Lord:
And let light perpetual shine upon him.

May his soul, and the souls of the the faithful departed,
Through the mercy of God, rest in peace.  Amen.

Join us in thanking the Lord for the healthy birth of Eden Rose Jordan, Fr. Bill and Kathy Jordan’s first grand-child!  Eden was born to David and Tess Jordan last night, May 19th, at 11:32pm, in Malmo, Sweden.  Fr. Bill and Kathy Jordan were long time members of Church of the Messiah going back to “the St. David’s Days.”  In 2003, Fr. Bill and Kathy left Church of the Messiah when Fr. Bill became pastor of Prince of Peace, our CEC parish on the west-side of Jacksonville.  Sarah Jordan, David’s sister and now Eden’s aunt, after a year-and-a-half sojourn with the African Children’s Choir, continues to be a member of Church of the Messiah.  May God bless Eden Rose.  Congratulations to all the family!

Please join us in grieving and praying with the McGrew family as they lay their father and grand-father to rest in the coming days.  This Sunday, May 19th, the McGrew family will receive friends and family from 3pm-5pm at the Oxley-Heard Funeral Home in Fernandina Beach (click HERE for a map).  The following morning, May 20th, John McGrew will receive the Mass of Christian Burial at St. Michael’s Catholic Church (click HERE for map) with Fr. Gerald O’Shea celebrating.  John will then be laid to rest in Jacksonville National Cemetery with military honors.

If you would like to provide meals for the McGrew family during the next several days, please contact Suzie Kirkpatrick.  For more information, or to find phone numbers, please contact the Parish Office at 904-721-4199.

Rest eternal grant to John, O Lord:
And let light perpetual shine upon him.

May his soul, and the souls of the the faithful departed,
Through the mercy of God, rest in peace.  Amen.

We received word this afternoon that John McGrew, Greg McGrew’s father, went to be with the Lord this morning after a prolonged battle with cancer.  The funeral arrangements will be handled by John’s home parish and we expect those details to be announced later this week.  We will distribute that information as soon as we have it.  For now, please keep Greg, Carrie, Christian, Alexa, and the entire McGrew family in your prayers.

Rest eternal grant him, O Lord:
And let light perpetual shine upon him.

May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace.  Amen.

Church of the Messiah now has its OWN brand new Twitter account and Facebook page.  In the past we have been publicized off of Facebook “groups” or other people’s personal pages, but we are changing that now.  If you have a Facebook account, be sure to “Like” us and recommend us to your friends.  If you have a Twitter account, we are @mycomjax, so be sure to follow us.  There may still be a few bugs to be worked out, but we will get them worked out quickly!  Look for more upgrades soon!

Posters and brochures for the 2013 Provincial Convocation are now available below.  The Southeast Province consists of Charismatic Episcopal Churches in six states: Florida, Georgia, Alabama, North and South Carolina, and Tennessee.  Every summer, clergy and lay people from these states gather together in order to worship and fellowship with one another.  Though the location of the convocation rotates, this year the Convocation is at the Wyndham Resort in Orlando!  The opening service begins at 7pm on June 19th, with morning sessions from 10am til noon and afternoon workshops on Thursday and Friday.  There will be worship services each night of the convocation.  There will be ample opportunities for rest and relaxation as well as time for fellowship, teaching, and worship.  Additionally, Fr. Scott and Lizz Looker will be leading youth activities each day so you can bring your youth and make it a family vacation.  Download the Poster and Brochure below.  Be aware: the dead-line to reserve rooms at the $92/night rate is May 20!

Poster for Southeast Provincial Convocation

Brochure for Southeast Provincial Convocation

The April Prayer Calendar and E-News Newsletter are available below.  Click the links to download.

April Prayer Calendar

April E-News Newsletter