Memorial Services for Cathie Shimp

This Friday, September 25th, on what would have been Cathie’s birthday, we celebrate Cathie having entered into eternal life with her Lord and Savior.  Cathie went to be with The Lord after suffering a sudden, unexpected illness in March of this year, just as the lockdown was beginning.  Now we will finally be able have a memorial service and thank The Lord for her life.

This service will be streamed through Church of the Messiah’s Facebook page beginning at 6:30 on Friday evening.  For the sake of the family and in order to maintain social distance, we ask that everyone who wishes to join us in the service do so on Facebook Live.  To participate in the service once it has begun, if you are on already on Facebook, you can find Church of the Messiah by typing “mycomjax” in the Facebook search bar or by clicking this LINK if you are not already on Facebook.

We understand that this is not a traditional way to hold a memorial service, but we are grateful for the opportunity to gather, even virtually, and celebrate Cathie’s life and Our Lord.  We appreciate everyone’s graciousness at this time.   Please feel free to leave your kind words, thoughts and prayers in the comments of the live stream where Earl, Brooke, and other loved one may read them later.

 

Rest eternal grant to Cathie, O Lord;
And let light perpetual shine upon her.

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

 

 

Church of the Messiah Celebrates Twenty-Five Years!

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!

An Amazing Weekend at Church of the Messiah

Saturday and Sunday are shaping up to be one of the most exciting weekends we have had in a long time at Church of the Messiah.fish-fry3

On Saturday, we will have our annual community Fish Fry!  Beginning at 11:30, Earl Shimp and his highly trained crew of sous chefs will be frying up some of the very best local fish the First Coast has to offer.  Bring either a side dish or a dessert to share and Church of the Messiah will provide the fish, tartar sauce, and appropriate goodies!  Janice Paysinger is coordinating this event and can use some help.  You can e-mail her or call her directly at 904-703-9866.  The Fish Fry will run from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm and will be in Showalter Hall, the fellowship hall of Ft. Caroline Presbyterian Church, the same location where we had our Epiphany Dinner.  We will also be joined this year by the bishop of Florida, Bp. David Simpson.

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Then, on Sunday morning, we will have one of the most powerful services of the Summer!  Bishop Simpson will join us on his annual episcopal visit to consecrate and dedicate our new building, preach the anointed word of God, Confirm two new members, and celebrate the Holy Eucharist with us!  Although we have been in our building for close to nine months now, we have yet to have an opportunity for our bishop to come and formally set apart the place to the glory of God and impart an apostolic blessing upon it.  Similarly, the Sacrament of Confirmation is a convergence sacrament wherein the recipients make a mature profession of their faith, receive an impartation of the Holy Spirit, and receive the Bishop’s blessing to minister in the Church.  This will be a very exciting service for everyone involved.  The service begins at 10 o’clock and will begin in the hallway of the church so that we may process in together and begin the process of dedicating the consecrating the building together!