Join Vicar John for Worship this Sunday

at Messiah, Myrtle Beach!

The Annual Parish Meeting Will be Held during

Coffee Hour! Elect your new Vestry Candidates

Dear Friend in Christ:

The collect for the this Sunday, January 21, the Third Sunday of Epiphany:

Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The theme for this Sunday is TIME! The lessons are all about the urgency of time: How much time is there, How long do we wait, What is time to God, When is it time for us to act, or to respond to God's Call in Time.

You can click this Link to read this Sunday's Bible Lessons.

In today's reading from the Book of Jonah, God had to give his WORD to Jonah two TIMES before he delivered it. When Jonah preached to Ninevah, the Assyrian city was described by the TIME it took to walk through it. Nineveh was given 40 days TIME to repent. In the Letter to the Corinthian Church, the Apostle Paul declares that the TIME is "short" and that people should live like it~

Jesus, in the First Chapter of Mark, is starts his ministry "proclaiming the Good News of God!" However, his TIMING is important to Mark. Jesus waits until John the Baptist is arrested, and therefore no longer active, before he starts his new ministry. Jesus' proclaiming is about TIME, saying:

The TIME is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.

Jesus Ministry of Proclamation is immediately followed by calling other people to Join him. He invites four fishermen to join him. All of them were at work in their boats, on the clock. Each of them leaves work "immediately" and follows Jesus.

Time.

Fr. John

GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY FOR THE ONE-DAY SHOWING OF "A CASE FOR LOVE" ON JANUARY 23: From Diocesan E-News

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry is one of several well-known Episcopalians featured in the upcoming documentary A Case for Love, which will only be in select theaters on January 23.

Our society is more divided than ever. Many have moved into tribal corners, seeing the world from an “us versus them” point of view. The teachings and writings of Bishop Curry inspired A Case for Love, a feature-length documentary that examines the question of whether or not love, specifically—unselfish—love, is the solution to the extreme societal and political divide facing the world.

In the documentary, the film team travels the U.S. searching for people living their lives selflessly and interviews them about how that way of living affects others and themselves, and often discussing where they’ve witnessed unselfish love and where they’ve seen its absence. Interviews include a number of people from across the country, including those with more recognizable names such as Pete Buttigieg, Al Roker, Sam Waterston, John Danforth, Becca Stevens, Jon Meacham, Russell Moore, Kelly Brown Douglas, and Jim Clyburn. Finally, Bishop Michael Curry places all we’ve seen into context.

Find out where it is playing near you, and explore opportunities for group ticket sales if your congregation would like to view it together, on this website.  Episcopal News Service shared an article last month about the documentary. Read it at this link.

Thursday Morning Bible Study

A Thursday morning Bible Study on the Book of Daniel is now meeting at 10am Thursdays in the Upper Room. However, they will not meet this Thursday, January 25. Cindy Craig is the leader (left in the photo below). There's room for You!

Church of the Messiah Epiphany Worship Schedule

Sunday, January 21, 3rd Epiphany, Annual Meeting, Ten AM: Fr John

Sunday, January 28, Fourth Sunday after Epiphany, Ten AM: Fr Jim

Sunday, February 4, Fifth Sunday after Epiphany, Ten AM: Fr. Jim

Sunday, February 11, Last Sunday of the Epiphany, Ten AM, Fr. John

Two Bible Studies During Epiphany and Beyond

Tuesday Evening Study Group

There is a Tuesday Study group meeting at the home of Charles and Amy Jordan. This group, led by Charlie, hosted by Amy has been meeting for over a decade. A new study season will started January 9 for Epiphany. The topic of study is the Season of Epiphany. You can view the lessons at Charlie's Blog by clicking this link.

Charlie & Amy invite members and friends of Messiah to attend, here are the particulars for the Tuesday evening meetings:

Dinner is at 6 at 1523 Brookgreen Drive, Myrtle Beach. Dinner is served. Discussion about 6:45. Compline at 8. If you have not joined us in a while, please consider making us a part of your new year. All you will need is a bible, and if you do not have one, we have extra here. 

Bible Study on Daniel, Thursday Mornings

Cindy Craig, parishioner and spouse of Rev. Jim Craig, is inviting parishioners to join her for a Bible Study on the Book of Daniel. The Course has 11 sessions and began January 11, in the Upper Room, from 10-Noon. It is a discussion and video format, and the author of the course is the former Baptist Bible Teacher, Beth Moore. The sessions are as follows:

I.                    Choices to Make

II.                  A Dream and a Kingdom

III.                No Smell of Fire

IV.               Farewell Lessons from Nebuchadnezzer

V.                 The Handwriting on the Wall

VI.               In the Lions Den

VII.              The Ancient of Days

VIII.            Foreshadowing the Little Horn

IX.                Unexpected Answers to Prayer

X.                  Kings in Succession

XI.                Go your Way

For questions, see Cindy at Church or email her at c.k.craig@hotmail.com

The Annual Parish Meeting

Sunday, January 21, 2024, at 11:30 after Church

Elections for Vestry and Annual Diocesan Convention Delegates

Messiah's Annual Parish Meeting will be held on Sunday, January 21 at 11:30 after church. The annual parish meeting is a great way to find out about the business and ministry of the church, because annual reports are part of the meeting. That will include a budget for the 2024 year.

At the Annual Parish Meeting the Parish Vestry Members are elected, as are delegates to Diocesan Convention.

Three Vestry Nominees

Nominees: This year, we have three nominees for terms expiring for Vestry Members David Martin and Monica Orosz, and the unexpired year of Alan Jeffcoat's term. Monica is running for another term, Jim Kieffer is the nominee for a full term, and Eileen Fairchild is the nominee for a partial term.

Written reports to be included in the handout at the Annual Meeting should be emailed to Patty Tate at messiahatthebeach@icloud.com. The Deadline is Monday, January 15.

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 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!

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. We are located in a shopping center at 4201 North Kings Highway, adjacent to (behind) Finish Strong Fitness. To reach me directly, you can email me at lakesinai@comcast.net. Soon, the office email will be functioning as well.

Many Blessings to you,

Fr. John Sorensen, Vicar