This Sunday, Church of the Messiah is blessed to have Ronald L. Scalisi join us.  Mr. Scalisi is the owner of Ronald Scalisi Architects and will bring the congregation proposed images of what could become our new Sanctuary home.  Fr. Paysinger and the Rector’s Council interviewed several architects and felt the Lord leading us towards Mr. Scalisi.  Now, as we draw closer to nailing down an actual site, we are very excited to present actual drawings of what our new building might look like.  Be sure to be at Church of the Messiah this Sunday to catch a glimpse of what the future might hold for COM.  The service will be at 10:30am in the Sam R. Marks Chapel on the campus of Jacksonville,

This Sunday, Fr. Looker will begin a new weekly Bible Study on The Acts of the Apostles.  The series will go weekly for six weeks and end on the Feast of Pentecost (June 12).  The Study will be held in the Student Council Building at Jacksonville University from 9:15 until 10:00 and give everyone plenty of time to make it to the chapel in time for services.  We hope to see you there!

Here is the schedule for our Holy Week services.

Wednesday: No Bible Studies or Youth Group

Maundy Thursday–7pm at the Sam R. Marks Chapel at Jacksonville University.  Join us as we observe the institution of the Holy Eucharist and Christ’s betrayal.  For information on the Youth Holy Week Lock-In, click HERE.

Good Friday–12noon at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church (across from JU).  Come sit vigil with us for the three hours that Our Lord hung on the cross.  Church of the Messiah joins with Prince of Peace (CEC) as we meditate on the sayings of Our Lord on the Cross.

Easter–10:30 at the Sam R. Marks Chapel at Jacksonville University.  Celebrate the Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ.  There will be a children’s parade and flowering of the cross.  Also, there will be no Bible Study Easter Morning before Mass.

Don’t forget to purchase Easter Lillies to decorate the Church on Easter Sunday.  We will set the lillies up on Easter Day and, immediately following the service, you can take them home and enjoy them for weeks to come.  Lillies are $18 and may be given in honor of a departed loved one on in thanksgiving for something the Lord has done in your life.  Proceeds go to the youth group to off-set the cost of youth events.  Contact Lizz Looker for further information.

I have been out of town for a week so not much has happened on the web-page.  Now I am back home and the page is back in business.  Here is all the news that’s fit to print and the Prayer Calendar for the month as well!

April COM E-Newletter

April Prayer Calendar

On Tuesday, March 8, the legislative Senate in the Philippines began deliberation on a new Reproductive Health Bill.  The bill would greatly expand accessibility of abortions in the Philippines.  In response, Archbishop Loren Hines, Primate of the philippines, issued a call for unity throughout the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church.  He has called on everyone to:

1. Pray for the pro-life movement in the Philippines;
2. Wear their “All Life Is Sacred” T-shirts or any all black T-shirt throughout Lent;
3. Change their Facebook (or other social media) Profile Picture to the image used in this posting. 

You may read the full call on CEC Home by following this link.

Join us for Ash Wednesday as we observe the beginning of the penitential season of Lent.  The service will include a litany of penitence, the imposition of ashes (made from last year’s palms from Palm Sunday), and the Holy Eucharist.  The service begins at 7pm in the Sam R. Marks chapel. 

We’ll see you there!

This year’s Southeastern Province Convocation for both clergy and laity is being held June 15-17. The convocation will be held at the Ramada Plaza Beach Resort in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Details of the convocation are forthcoming. However, this is a perfect time to go ahead and reserve your room for the event.

According to Archdeacon Brent Keith of the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast, a block of 70 rooms have been reserved for the convocation. Prices per night is as follows:

Beachfront Two Doubles: $159.00
Poolside Two Doubles: $151.00
Courtyard Two Doubles: $135.00
Parking Lot Two Doubles: $127.00

These rates are also available for three nights before or after the convocation making it possible to turn this event into a wonderful vacation for the family. You may book the event using the following information below. Be sure to tell them you will be attending to Southeast Province Convocation to be sure to get the reduced room rates.

Ramada Plaza Beach Resort
1500 Miracle Strip Parkway SE
Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548
Toll Free 800-472-1790
Hotel Operator 850-243-9161 x 7561
Fax 850-244-5763

This Sunday, March 6, for the first time ever on a Sunday morning, we will explain why we do all the things that we do on a Sunday morning service.  We will skip the sermon and in stead the service will pause at various points in the service while one of our priests takes a moments and explains the in’s and out’s and up’s and down’s of what is going on.

This is a fantastic opportunity to bring friends to Church, especially if they have come before and had questions that you could not answer.  There will be a special annotated bulletin with additional explanations, room to take notes, and even a glossary. 

Contact the Church office for further information.

On Sunday, Father David announced that he wanted to see Church of the Messiah have 100% participation in our Inner City Mission Trip this coming weekend, March 4th-5th.  The response was wonderful!  We have four trays of food donated, three people volunteered to go along (including our much needed female chaperon!), and we received at least four scholarships already (and the count is not finished yet)!  There are still opportunities available.

• We still need volunteers–we have eleven volunteers and we would like to have twenty people helping.  You can come Friday night and stay through the whole time or you can come for any part of the event.
• We still need food–we need to feed around 70 people and we have food for forty right now.  Make a caserole, buy a frozen lasagna, make a run to Sam’s, BJ’s, or Costco’s and pick up some treats for the kids.
• We still need money–We’ve already received four scholarships, but it is $39 per participant, not just per child.  If we are taking twenty people, we need $780!

You can still participate.  Click here to see how and view testimonies.   Call Fr. Scott or Lizz Looker for more info. 

Remember: Our Goal is 100% Participation!