Join Us Sunday August 6 with Fr. Jim

The Rev Jim Craig is Preacher and Celebrant this Sunday

Join us after Church August 6 for A Birthday Cake

Celebrating Church of the Messiah's Tenth Anniversary

Fr. Jim is preaching and leading worship this Sunday, August 6 at Ten o'clock am. Jim and Vicar John lead worship in rotation according to a schedule that is posted at the church door. John is back leading worship at Messiah August 13.

In the Church Calendar, this Sunday, August 6 is the Feast of the Transfiguration. This annual feast day commemorates the revelation of Jesus to his disciples in his heavenly glory. As told in Luke's Gospel, Chapter 9,on a mountain top with Peter, James and John, Jesus' visage glowed in shining white light. Moses and Elijah appeared with them in this other-worldly experience. You can read the Bible stories at this link. Rev Jim Craig will give you his revelation of this story at 10am this Sunday.

The Tenth Anniversary of The Church of the Messiah

Ten years ago this Sunday, Messiah was founded as a congregation on Sunday August 4, 2013. The church rented classrooms on 79th avenue to hold our first worship services. We had to move our furnishings in and out each Sunday. Fr. Wilmot Merchant, Rector of Saint Stephen's, North Myrtle Beach, helped us connect with the Methodists, who gave us space for over a year at their 65th avenue school property near the ByPass. In the fall of 2014 we found temporary space with the Saint Philip Lutheran Church, and in November of 2014 we were recognized by the Diocese of South Carolina as a mission Congregation, Messiah. In 2019, we moved to our current location where we have full use of our own rental property. Our next step iw to partner with the Episcopal Church Building Fund and the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina to find ourselves a new home! No one wants to be a refuge forever!

Messiah Visioning Retreat Concludes

The Parish Planning Process Begins!

Four Planning Teams Formed,

Brief Meeting Sunday, August 6 after Messiah's Birthday Cake

Friday and Saturday, July 13 and 14, over 40 parishioners joined us for one or both days of our two-day retreat. About 35 people were with us for some or all of Friday, and over 27 finished the work with us on Saturday (photo above). I’m excited that our Visioning Retreat with Ann Fleming of the Episcopal Church Building Fund is now complete. Now, the planning work begins.

At a meeting with the Vestry and other church leaders, after church on Sunday, July 15, Ann outlined the planning process whose goal is the creation of a new Church of the Messiah at a new location in Myrtle Beach. We imagined 4 Teams and a Steering Committee that will lead this research and planning.

The Steering Committee organizes the work of the four teams, and assembles an application to the Episcopal Church Building Fund and the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina for the re-establishment of Messiah at a new Location in Myrtle Beach. Kristi Burch and Peggy Kovacs are the Co-Chairs of the Steering Committee that will coordinate the tasks of the 4 teams. The Steering Committee Leadership Team, which is Kristi and Peggy joined by Vicar Fr. John, Charlie Jordan and Warden Rick Stall, has been working for two weeks to clarify the team tasks, goals and a time-line. We now have four teams and a leader.

The Data Team, led by Monica Orosz will assemble demographic, national church and parochial data, civic numbers and research to guide us in church placement, mission goals and to help us understand the larger community which is Myrtle Beach. Data helps us discern who we are and where we live and who God has called us to be in Myrtle Beach. What justifies the our and our partners' anticipated financial support for Messiah Church in Myrtle Beach? Members: Maggie Burch, Allen Jeffcoat, Skip Williams & George Welles.

The Finance Team, led by Al Wiggins will assemble our historical financial data, our operating budget, and create a church-planting budget to help us grow and own property at a new location. This includes funding requirements, capital resources, fundraising goals, are all part of this team's work. How do we pay for this venture? Members: Pat Patterson, David Martin, Skip Williams

The Parish Ministry Team, led by Charles Evans, will begin to dream what our core ministry is as Church of the Messiah. What parish Life aspects are central to our existence? What is our vision for a church in Myrtle Beach? What is our spiritual core that will capture the imagination of our members and donors for an Episcopal Church in Myrtle Beach? What spiritual practices do we need to sustain ourselves as a congregation? Members: John Manley, David Hardin, Sharon Williams.

The Interim Site Selection Team. Led by David Martin, with Mary Jeffcoat & Fr. John, this group will begin the relocation process by exploring a temporary location for Messiah during the transition. This team's work will become the Site Selection Team that looks to find our "final" location, but we may find ourselves in a temporary location during the interim.

These teams, along with others who might join them will begin work immediately. The Goal is to have a report and a proposal ready in draft form to present to the Diocese of South Carolina and our potential supporters and collaborators. When this stage of the work concludes, Ann will visit us again, perhaps in October to review that work and the application and plan our next steps.

This is an exciting time for the Episcopal Church of the Messiah in Myrtle Beach. As your Vicar, I deeply appreciate the dedication of the forty or more people who spent many hours on the two-day retreat, beginning a Visioning Process for Messiah. I'm equally grateful for those who volunteered for the four teams, and for those who are waiting for an opportunity to participate. Our future is bright!

Many Blessings,

Fr. John Sorensen

Vicar