Vicar John Sorensen is Preacher and Celebrant

this Sunday November 19, 2023

Dear Friend in Christ:

This Sunday, November 19, we will baptize into Christ's Body two infants, Sophia and Arthur, who are the grandchildren of our seasonal members Ann and Michael Jordan, and the children of Joseph and Nuala. Baptism is always an exciting time for a family and for a church. It marks our interconnectedness as the people of Christ, and is a sign of the Light of Christ that is in each of us. Both the families of the children and the church community pledge, in this ancient liturgy, to "do all in our power to support these persons in their life in Christ."

The Bible lessons for this Sunday, November 19, can be found at this link. In the Old Testament lesson from the Book of Judges, we find the Children of Israel living uncomfortably in the Promised Land. That is, they are in the Land of Canaan, living among the Canaanite People, trying to co-exist with them and other tribal groups, such as the Philistines. While the Book of Joshua likes to portray the migration movement of the Israelites into Canaan as a "conquest", it is more of a migration where the various tribal groups take over different sections of the land, and attempt to live alongside each other. However, they do not live peaceably, but disputes over land, wells and regions often spill over into skirmishes or full warfare. The stories from the Bible Book of Judges are from this era, where the different Tribes of Israel form armies of protection, under the leadership of a Judge, to meet an urgent security need to vanquish an enemy enough to make a treaty and get along.

Deborah is one of these Judges, a female leader who is well-regarded in the annals of Israelite History. She serves as the military leader, gathering ten-thousand troops to defend Israel from Jabin, the King of Hazor.

In the Gospel reading, Jesus tells the Parable of the Talents. This is a story about risk, investment, innovation and trust . . . that can be interpreted both spiritually and secularly. Well see how that fits into Sunday's sermon at Baptism!

Our Episcopal Church of the Messiah

2024 Stewardship Program is About to Begin!

The week before Thanksgiving, we will be sending the Messiah Congregation our annual Thanksgiving Stewardship Appeal! The Stewardship Team, consisting of warden Rick stall, treasurer Peggy Kovacs and parishioner Kristi Burch, is putting the finishing touches on the appeal which will take place during Advent. A "commemorative design" 2024 pledge card from your Vicar is enclosed below for you to print and complete! You can also find a regular pledge card at the Church entrance, to place in the mail, or place in the offering basket during Advent worship. Let's build Messiah's Future Together!

Angel Tree

Join Us By Participating In the

Christmas Giving Tree Program

Messiah will once again sponsor an Angel Tree with our friends at Fostering Hope. Each tag lists a child, his or her age, and a wish. Please sign your name in the notebook beside the name you choose and check the appropriate box when you return the gift.

Return gifts UNWRAPPED and securely packed in a bag with the tag attached by Nov. 26 so we can get them to Conway by their deadline.

... Monica Orosz

Our October Visioning Retreat II Concludes with Recommendations for Building a New Messiah Church

Our second visioning retreat with Ann Fleming of the Episcopal Church Building Fund (photo above) concluded Monday afternoon, October 30, with five specific recommendations for building the new Messiah Episcopal Church on a new property in Myrtle Beach. You will be hearing more from the Steering Committee in the coming weeks, and the Vestry will consider the recommendations at their November 19 meeting. But here is a brief Summary of the Recommendations of our team, pictured above.

(1) begin the process of calling a full-time residential priest to Messiah by Summer of 2024, and provide a paid support staff for the office to support our clergy and ministry

(2) Grow and Expand the Messiah Congregation, and redevelop and improve existing parish program and ministry offerings

(3) Proceed with the purchase of a 1.4 acre lot that we believe is the future location of the Episcopal Church of the Messiah in Myrtle Beach

(4) Develop a financial and business plan to fund 1-3 above and lay out the timeline and steps that will lead to the construction of our new church within five years. This report will become our plan to be presented to and approved by the diocese in December or January for support and funding for this new future!

(5) Meet with the Diocese for acceptance and funding.

Stay tuned for more news, and keep our congregation in prayer. This will require the time, talent and treasure of each of us!

Many Blessings,

Fr. John

Messiah Sunday Children's Program

Our regular worshippers include at least three families with young children who have difficulty attending the entire worship service. Most churches consider it a part of their ministry to all their members to provide a childcare opportunity during Sunday worship. Our Fall Childcare program began September 10.

Chelsea, our new childcare person has enjoyed working with our children and will continue to do so. With your support and encouragement, Messiah will develop a quality, predictable Sunday Children's Program. This is an important component to church growth! We are can report that Chelsea will offer childcare for our 7pm Christmas Eve Service!

A Short History of Episcopal Church of the Messiah

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 is 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! That process is underway!

Dear Reader:

Messiah Episcopal Church is a congregation in transition, seeking to rebuild at a new location after losing our church property in a schism that started over ten years ago. It's an exciting time to be part of a congregation! Please join us at Church Sundays at 10am, or email me at lakesinai@comcast.net. We are located in a shopping center at 4201 North Kings Highway, adjacent to (behind) Finish Strong Fitness.

Many Blessings to you,

Fr. John Sorensen, Vicar