Come Worship With Us! Whether you call Messiah your home church or you're a visitor, we believe you will fall in love with the people and their hearts for God. From the minute you arrive, to the second you leave, we want you to feel at home. Our Sunday worship service features praise and worship, Biblical preaching and Holy Communion. Nursery care is available for infants and toddlers, as well as Sunday School for kids K-5. To learn more about what to expect during Sunday service, click here . Our worship services are also livestreamed to our Facebook page, and recordings of past services and sermons are available online. To learn more out our online worship options, click here . Every Monday at 7:00 p.m. Messiah hosts a parish-wide prayer meeting via Zoom, where we gather online to pray for our congregation, community, and country. To join, enter Meeting ID 928 2372 1136 into your Zoom app, or click here to join via your web browser. WHAT TO EXPECT WHO WE ARE FAQ Service Times Sunday Worship: 10:00 a.m. | In-Person & Online Monday Online Prayer Meeting: 7:00 p.m. | via Zoom Meeting ID: 928 2372 1136 Or click here to join. Church of the Messiah 816 Kempsville Road Chesapeake, VA 23320 www.ChurchoftheMessiah.org www.facebook.com/churchofthemessiahchesapeake I'M NEW

Saturday, March 23 , 2024 | 5 pm The Passover Seder celebrates God setting Israel free from Egyptian bondage, delivering His people from slavery to freedom. Believers in Y'shua the Messiah participate in Passover because through Him, our lives have passed over from death to life. We have been redeemed by the Passover Lamb, through the Perfect Atonement through His Blood. Each food on the Seder plate symbolizes a part of this redeeming act of God. Each person has a little taste of each food, coming together to participate in what God has done for His people. The Seder gives us the historical Jesus, putting into perspective what He did for us. We participate in the life of Y'shua and celebrate this through the Cup of Redemption, which is a part of the Passover Seder. We become one with Jesus through receiving His Body and Blood, remembering He celebrated this dinner with his disciples the night before He was handed over to suffering and death. Come join this celebration on Saturday, March 23, at 5:00 p.m. Please sign up by Sunday, March 17, so we can plan our seating and supply needs. There are sign-up sheets for both attendance and for helpers and donations. We ask that each family bring the following: Last name A-L: A dessert that will feed 8 people and a v egetable dish or salad for 8.* Last name M-Z: A meat dish that will feed 8 people and a vegetable dish or salad for 8.* A bottle of grape juice for your family. If you're coming solo, just bring double what you would eat yourself. The Seder ceremony takes place before dinner, so please provide a snack beforehand for young children, so they will not become too hungry. *Please, no shellfish, pork, lamb, dairy, or anything with leavening (yeast, baking soda/powder.)

Father's Love Letter MY CHILD… You may not know me, but I know everything about You … Psalm 139:1 I know when you sit down and when you rise up … Psalm 139:2 I am familiar with all your ways … Psalm 139:3 Even the very hairs on your head are numbered … Matthew 10:29-31 For you were made in my image … Genesis 1:27 In me you live and move and have your being … For you are my offspring … Acts 17:28 I chose you when I planned creation … Ephesians 1:11-12 You were not a mistake … Psalm 139:15-16 For all your days are written in my book … Psalm 139:15-16 You are fearfully and wonderfully made … Psalm 139:14 I knit you together in your mother's womb … Psalm 139:13 And brought you forth on the day you were born … Psalm 71:6 And it is my desire to lavish my love on you … Simply because you are my child and I am your Father … 1 John 3:1 I offer you more than your earthly father ever could … Matthew 7:11 For I am the perfect Father … Matthew 5:48 Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand … James 1:17 For I am your provider and I meet all your needs … Matthew 6:31-33 Because I love you with an everlasting love … Jeremiah 31:3 My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore … Psalm 139:17-18 And I rejoice over you with singing … Zephaniah 3:17 Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart … Psalm 37:4 I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine … Ephesians 3:20 For I am your greatest encourager … 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles … 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you … Psalm 34:18 As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart … Isaiah 40:11 One day I will wipe every tear from your eyes and take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth … Revelation 21:3-4 I am your Father and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus … John 17:23 For in Jesus my love for you is revealed … John 17:26 He is the exact representation of my being … Hebrews 1:3 And He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you … Romans 8:31 And to tell you that I am not counting your sins … 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled … 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you … 1 John 4:10 If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me … 1 John 2:23 And nothing will ever separate you from my love again … Romans 8:38-39 Love, Your Dad Excerpts from Father’s Love Letter compiled by Bany Adams © 1999. Visit the interactive website at www.FathersLoveLetter.com. Father's Love Letter MY CHILD… You may not know me, but I know everything about You … Psalm 139:1 I know when you sit down and when you rise up … Psalm 139:2 I am familiar with all your ways … Psalm 139:3 Even the very hairs on your head are numbered … Matthew 10:29-31 For you were made in my image … Genesis 1:27 In me you live and move and have your being … For you are my offspring … Acts 17:28 I chose you when I planned creation … Ephesians 1:11-12 You were not a mistake … Psalm 139:15-16 For all your days are written in my book … Psalm 139:15-16 You are fearfully and wonderfully made … Psalm 139:14 I knit you together in your mother's womb … Psalm 139:13 And brought you forth on the day you were born … Psalm 71:6 And it is my desire to lavish my love on you … Simply because you are my child and I am your Father … 1 John 3:1 I offer you more than your earthly father ever could … Matthew 7:11 For I am the perfect Father … Matthew 5:48 Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand … James 1:17 For I am your provider and I meet all your needs … Matthew 6:31-33 Because I love you with an everlasting love … Jeremiah 31:3 My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore … Psalm 139:17-18 And I rejoice over you with singing … Zephaniah 3:17 Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart … Psalm 37:4 I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine … Ephesians 3:20 For I am your greatest encourager … 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles … 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you … Psalm 34:18 As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart … Isaiah 40:11 One day I will wipe every tear from your eyes and take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth … Revelation 21:3-4 I am your Father and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus … John 17:23 For in Jesus my love for you is revealed … John 17:26 He is the exact representation of my being … Hebrews 1:3 And He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you … Romans 8:31 And to tell you that I am not counting your sins … 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled … 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you … 1 John 4:10 If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me … 1 John 2:23 And nothing will ever separate you from my love again … Romans 8:38-39 Love, Your Dad Excerpts from Father’s Love Letter compiled by Bany Adams © 1999. Visit the interactive website at www.FathersLoveLetter.com. PRINTABLE VERSION

Listen to different speakers share practical ways to experience Lent during deeper explorations of topics from the sermon series, "Abiding in the Living Word ." 2/25 "Praying Through the Scriptures" Fr. Dominick Hankle Watch | Slides 3/4 Going Deeper Vivian Hayes Watch | Slides 3/11 What Are My Plan Options? Pastor Nile Gomez Watch | Resource Sheet 3/18 The Big Story Ken Shomo Watch 3/25 Prophecy Fulfilled Theresa Newell Watch Module 1 Module 2 Module 3 Module 4 Module 5 Module 6

Sermon Archives December 28, 2025 | First Sunday of Christmas The Incarnation Established a New Covenant - Rev. David Martin WATCH December 21, 2025 | Fourth Sunday of Advent Salvation's Joy - Pastor Ken Shomo WATCH December 14, 2025 | Third Sunday of Advent Embracing the Fullness of the Kingdom - Pastor Vivian Hayes WATCH December 7, 2025 | Second Sunday of Advent A Highway Made Straight - Aaron Bennett WATCH November 30, 2025 | First Sunday of Advent How Should Christ's Return Affect My Life Today? - Pastor Marty O'Rourke WATCH November 23, 2025 | The Feast of Christ the King A Thankful Christian is a Compelling Witness - Pastor Marty O'Rourke WATCH November 16, 2025 | Twenty-Third Sunday After Pentecost He Who Wins Souls Is Wise - Tim Maurer WATCH November 9, 2025 | Twenty-Second Sunday After Pentecost The Holy Spirit: Our Source of Boldness - Pastor Marty O'Rourke WATCH November 2, 2025 | Twenty-First Sunday After Pentecost The End of the Story - Pastor Vivian Hayes WATCH October 26, 2025 | Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost Grace and Gratitude - Bishop Chris Warner WATCH October 19, 2025 | Nineteenth Sunday After Pentecost The Healing of Our Heart - Pastor Ken Shomo WATCH October 12, 2025 | Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost The Healing of Our Community - Pastor Marty O'Rourke WATCH October 5, 2025 | Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost Sitting at the Feet of Jesus - Rev. Bisoke Balikenga WATCH September 28, 2025 | Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost Healing of the Body - Pastor Marty O'Rourke WATCH September 21, 2025 | Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost The Healing of Our Spirit - Deacon Vivian Hayes WATCH Septermber 7, 2025 | Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost God Wants Us Whole - Pastor Marty O'Rourke WATCH August 31, 2025 | Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost What Is the Next Step of Obedience God Is Calling Us to Take? - Pastor Marty O'Rourke WATCH August 24, 2025 | Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost The Word and the Spirit - Pastor Ken Shomo WATCH August 17, 2025 | Tenth Sunday After Pentecost What Master Are We Serving? - Pastor Marty O'Rourke WATCH August 10, 2025 | Ninth Sunday After Pentecost LIfe Is More - Deacon Vivian Hayes WATCH August 3, 2025 | Eighth Sunday After Pentecost Is the Power of the Holy Spirit Expanding in Me and Through Me? - Pastor Marty O'Rourke WATCH July 27, 2025 | Seventh Sunday After Pentecost The Mastermind - Pastor Ken Shomo WATCH July 20, 2025 | Sixth Sunday After Pentecost By the Holy Spirit - Pastor Marty O'Rourke WATCH July 13, 2025 | Fifth Sunday After Pentecost Beyond the Comfort Zone - Aaron and Winnie Horvat WATCH July 6, 2025 | Fourth Sunday After Pentecost Let Freedom Ring - Tim Maurer WATCH June 29, 2025 | Third Sunday After Pentecost Holy, Holy, Holy - Pastor Marty O'Rourke WATCH June 22, 2025 | Second Sunday After Pentecost God's Spirit of Adoption and Us - Deacon Vivian Hayes WATCH June 15, 2025 | Trinity Sunday The Holy Spirit and the Heart of the Gospel - Pastor Ken Shomo WATCH June 8, 2025 | Day of Pentecost Come Holy Spirit - Pastor Marty O'Rourke WATCH June 1, 2025 | Seventh Sunday of Easter Look Up, Look Within, Look Around - Pastor Jim Brown WATCH May 25, 2025 | Sixth Sunday of Easter Holy Spirit Acts In Us - Elder Arthur W. Devine, Jr. WATCH May 18, 2025 | Fifth Sunday of Easter The Marriage Feast of the Lamb - Pastor Marty O'Rourke WATCH May 11, 2025 | Fourth Sunday of Easter Who Is Your Shepherd? - Deacon Vivian Hayes WATCH May 4, 2025 | Third Sunday of Easter Resurrection and Eternal Life: Life Beyond the Grave - Pastor Marty O'Rourke WATCH April 27, 2025 | Second Sunday of Easter We Must - Deacon Vivian Hayes WATCH April 20, 2025 | Resurrection Sunday Why Do You Seek the Living Among the Dead? - Pastor Marty O'Rourke WATCH April 13, 2025 | Palm Sunday The Unexpected Kingdom - Pastor Ken Shomo WATCH April 6, 2025 | Fifth Sunday in Lent How Scripture Forms Us to Be Like Christ - Chaplain David Martin WATCH March 30, 2025 | Fourth Sunday in Lent Solitude: Securing Space for Our Relationship with God - Pastor Ken Shomo WATCH March 23, 2025 | Third Sunday in Lent Overflowing Abundance, the Heart of Christian Giving - Tim Maurer WATCH March 16, 2025 | Second Sunday in Lent Obstacles to Becoming Like Jesus - Pastor Marty O'Rourke WATCH March 9, 2025 | First Sunday in Lent The Transfiguration: Heaven Touches Earth - Pastor Ken Shomo WATCH March 2, 2025 | Last Sunday of Epiphany (Transfiguration Sunday) God Has a Plan: Trust Him - Deacon Vivian Hayes WATCH February 23, 2025 | Seventh Sunday of Epiphany The Surprising Call of God - Pastor Ken Shomo WATCH February 16, 2025 | Sixth Sunday of Epiphany God Is Our Refuge & Our Strength, an Ever-Present Help in Trouble - Pastor Marty O'Rourke WATCH February 9, 2025 | Fifth Sunday of Epiphany Through the Valley - Pastor Jim Brown WATCH February 2, 2025 | Fourth Sunday of Epiphany The Life Giving Power of Water- Pastor Marty O'Rourke WATCH January 19, 2025 | Second Sunday of Epiphany The Speed of Love - Pastor Jim Brown WATCH January 12, 2025 | First Sunday of Epiphany - Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ Gifts - Deacon Vivian Hayes WATCH January 5, 2025 | Second Sunday of Christmas Epiphany: Jesus, the Light of the Whole World - Pastor Ken Shomo WATCH LOAD MORE

FOREIGN MISSIONS The Foreign Missions Committee oversees the financial and spiritual support we provide to missionaries and organizations outside the United States, as well as to individuals from our congregation who go on short-term mission trips to other countries. The list here describes some of the areas we support. If you feel led to donate to any of our foreign missions, please click here . If you would like more information about any of these missions, please contact the church office . GET INVOLVED Eastern Europe: Aaron & Winnie Aaron and Winnie have been working with teens in Eastern Europe since 2009. Their youth center ministers to middle- and high-schoolers through music, drama and the arts. They have also been active with supplying humanitarian aid and witnessing to many refugees fleeing from Syria. Middle East: Betsy & David David and Betsy have ministered for over 20 years to a small but growing Christian community. They have also responded to the desperate needs of refugees from Syria by seeking out ways to welcome in and care for these refugees and provide medical aid. Central America: Carmen & His Love in Action School for the Deaf Since 1989, Carmen and His Love in Action School and Vocational Training Institute have been educating and training hearing impaired children. FELLOWSHIP CHRISTIAN EDUCATION SERVING THE COMMUNITY CHURCH MINISTRIES

The Rev. Dr. Martin K. O'Rourke Rector If the alumni of my graduating high school class gave an award to the person who ended up in the least likely job, I believe I would win. As a teen, I was constantly trying to prove myself through sports and by being accepted by others. It is alarming to consider where I would be today if the Lord Jesus Christ had not changed my life. I am still amazed that the Lord called me to be a pastor, and my passion is to see lives transformed by Jesus Christ. My first call in ministry is to trust and love the Lord with all my heart. I am also called to love my wonderful wife as Christ loved the church, and to be a godly father to my four children and two grandchildren. I am very thankful for God’s call on me to be a pastor, serving the people of Messiah. We seek to make disciples who in turn make disciples by emphasizing mentoring relationships. I am very encouraged by the growing diversity in our church as people connect across generations, ethnicities, economic and social backgrounds, and with those who have disabilities. We also serve our community by providing Joyful Noise Club, an outreach to young people with disabilities; having a companion relationship with a church in Portsmouth that has a ministry to the poor; and participating with other ministries, including CAST, a ministry to the homeless, Heart of Compassion, and Serve the City. I have a heart for building fellowship and unity among local church pastors, so Messiah holds a monthly gathering for ministers from various denominations. God used my heart for local church pastors to develop a training titled Guard Your Heart , designed to equip Christian leaders to walk in purity. For fun and exercise, I ride my bike five days a week with my wife, and two days a week I play racquetball. Before coming to Church of the Messiah in 1995, I served as Rector at Church of the Resurrection near Akron, Ohio; as Associate Rector at St. Martin's in Monroeville, Pa.; and as Youth Advisor to the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

WHO WE ARE VISION & VALUES CLERGY & STAFF VESTRY ABOUT JESUS We are people of various races, ages and backgrounds, some with disabilities, and all in need of the Savior’s grace and love. Denominationally, we are an Anglican Church and part of the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA). As a people, we come from various church traditions—including Baptist, Catholic, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Charismatic, nondenominational, and no church tradition at all. We are a place where people can come and be refreshed by the Living Water of the Holy Spirit. Those who have been physically or emotionally wounded or are weary of running the race are being renewed, restored and healed. The outpouring of God's Presence is bringing healing to the brokenhearted, setting free those who have been held in bondage and restoring Jesus as our first love. We are very relational and embrace the Lord’s heart to put the lonely in families. This is especially lived out through our home groups, men's and women's ministries, and fellowship events. Many of our young adults are in cross-generational friendships with older people in our church because we are seeking to make disciples who in turn make other disciples. Our services are both joyful and reverent. Our worship is not something you just watch or listen to—we enjoy participating in worship and experiencing God’s presence together. During our services, children have a special time for learning and growing, then join the church family for Communion. Our Lord has called us to serve those around us as Christ has served us. We are involved in local ministries such as Crisis Pregnancy Center, Hope Charities and C.A.S.T. (Chesapeake Area Shelter Team). On Tuesday nights, we host Joyful Noise Club , our club for young people with disabilities. We believe that the Word of God is the final authority over everything we are and do. In addition to preaching the Gospel every Sunday and teaching the Word to our children in their Sunday classes, Messiah hosts two Community Bible Study classes during the week. God has also called us to take the good news of Christ to the entire world. People connected with our church are serving the Lord in Croatia, Honduras, and Turkey. Join us any Sunday morning at 10:00 — you’ll receive a warm welcome! I'M NEW WORSHIP WITH US WHAT TO EXPECT FAQ

PRINTABLE VERSION Liturgy for the Ritual of Morning Coffee Meet me, O Christ in this stillness of morning. Move me, O Spirit, to quiet my heart. Mend me, O Father, from yesterday’s harms. From the discords of yesterday, resurrect my peace. From the discouragement of yesterday, resurrect my hope. From the weariness of yesterday, resurrect my strength. From the doubts of yesterday, resurrect my faith. From the wounds of yesterday, resurrect my love. Let me enter this new day, aware of my need and awake to your grace, O Lord. Amen From Every Moment Holy by Doug Mckelvey PRINTABLE VERSION

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Proverbs 4:23 The Rev. Dr. Marty O'Rourke has served as a local church pastor for over 35 years in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Medina, Ohio; and Chesapeake, Virginia. He is passionate about equipping Christian leaders to finish well. While researching sexual misconduct in the church for his Doctor of Ministry dissertation, he discovered that prevention training of leaders reduces the likelihood of moral failure. Most prevention training has primarily a psychological approach, whereas the "Guard Your Heart" prevention training that Pastor Marty developed is grounded in the Scriptures and the social sciences. Many Christian leaders do not finish well. Paul, who finished well, writes to his spiritual son, Timothy: "Set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity" (1Timothy 4:12). The primary purpose of this training is to empower pastors and Christian leaders to finish their race well, by understanding the unique temptations leaders and their families face in a culture where temptation, especially sexual, abounds. Click the link above to watch the opening session of the Guard Your Heart training. Escaping Sexual Sin Before It's Too Late , By Rev. Marty O'Rourke. Click here to view article published on CBN.com Contact: Rev. Marty O'Rourke Church of the Messiah 816 Kempsville Road Chesapeake, VA 23320 (757) 436-2545 morourke@churchofthemessiah.org Marty has presented the Guard Your Heart training numerous times to the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA); M.Div and D.Min. classes at Regent University; chaplains at Portsmouth Naval Hospital; the Falls Church staff in Falls Church, VA; Mid-Atlantic Christian University, and hundreds of pastors and church planters in Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. What others are saying about "Guard Your Heart" As an Executive Pastor I had my staff attend the Guard Your Heart workshop led by the Rev. Marty O'Rourke. I have been a pastor for over twenty years, and my wife and I have been in ministry in several different churches over the years. I have also had my staff take several different workshops on prevention of misconduct of various kinds. I found the Guard Your Heart workshop to be the most helpful in addressing issues straightforwardly, but from a positive Christian point of view. (The Rev. Dr.) Frederick Wright Senior Associate Rector, The Falls Church Falls Church, Va. 22046 We are greatly privileged to have such an experienced, encouraging, well-equipped presentation. You know whereof you speak, making it accessible for students to understand and practical to apply. I have no doubt that you prevented problems in our students' lives and ministries, and equipped them to serve others better. Mark A. Jumper, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Theological and Ministerial Studies School of Divinity, Regent University The Guard Your Heart training seminar is an asset to any ministry or organization, one of the most powerful tools available today is a preemptive strike against the problems of integrity and sexual misconduct before they happen. My opinion should be an essential part of all leadership preparation I strongly encourage you to consider this seminar for your ministry or organization. I would be delighted to comment further on this seminar resource contacted by phone or email. Sincerely, Dr. James T. Flynn Associate Professor of Practical Theology Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program School of Divinity, Regent University jamefly@regent.edu 757.352.4527 My husband and I have been married for 33 years. We have been in ordained ministry for 28 of those years. Entering parish life after seminary was something we were not prepared for. The demands of "The Church" and the demands of a family can become overwhelming. I wish we had heard this teaching before leaving Seminary. There are so many "mine fields" in the ministry. Rev. O'Rourke shared practical ways to prevent getting "blown away." His message was proactive, like the Priests having an accountability partner, and letting your wife know about all your appointments, especially when women are involved. There were many other great suggestions. Penny Rauh Church of the Epiphany-Anglican Herndon, VA To: Whom It May Concern From: Charles J. Cunningham Jr., Lt Gen, USAF (Retired) Joint Forces Staff College Subject: Improper Behavior, Temptation, and Avoiding Trouble This is my personal endorsement of, and professional judgment regarding a very important program designed by the Rev. Dr. Marty O'Rourke to prepare leaders to do the right things when associating with others, especially those under their leadership.

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Grasp God’s character and His work on behalf of His people, in the past and present, as a catalyst to a more intimate relationship with Him. Learn how to practically extend joy, hope, peace, and love to others during this Advent season. Fuel your worship of Christ with a deeper understanding of Advent. Sermon Series | Advent 2019 December 1, 2019 LIVING HOPE Pastor Marty O'Rourke Slideshow Presentation December 8, 2019 THE PEACE OF CHRIST Rev. Mark Cartledge December 15, 2019 WHY IS OUR JOY SO IMPORTANT TO THE LORD? Pastor Marty O'Rourke Slideshow Presentation December 22, 2019 LOVE: GOD LOVED Pastor Nile Gomez December 24, 2019 HOW DID GOD SHOW HIS LOVE AMONG US? (recording not available) Pastor Marty O'Rourke Please reload