A Parish Family on North Main Street
The Church of the Messiah sits at 241 N. Main Street in downtown Winter Garden, a short distance from City Hall on the city's brick-paved main drag. It is an Episcopal parish in the Diocese of Central Florida, and on any given Sunday it hosts six different services, ranging from a quiet 8 a.m. traditional worship to a 7 p.m. casual communion with contemporary music, with five of those services held on the campus itself and one in French and Haitian Creole for Winter Garden's growing Haitian community. Average Sunday attendance is around 300, the congregation runs on an annual budget of $700,000, and the parish has been continuously active in West Orange County since 1950.
What defines Messiah in the parish's own words is its aim to be "a soft place to land in a hard world." The vision is to "change the world with Jesus: one child, one person, one family, one community at a time," and the parish describes its strategy as a "Roundabout" with many ways in and many ways out. The working statement of purpose is simple and direct: "We love God. We love our neighbors. We love one another."
From the American Legion Hall to a Six-Service Parish
Episcopalians in the Winter Garden area had no local Episcopal church in early 1950. The nearest were St. Matthias in Clermont and Holy Spirit in Apopka. Betty Barley and Dorothy Ficquette asked the Diocese of South Florida to approve a new mission, and the request was granted. The Rev. George L. Granger of St. Matthias led the first service on September 17, 1950, in the American Legion Hall in Winter Garden.
The young congregation met in different locations around town before building its first church at the corner of Woodland and Tilden Streets in 1954. A meeting hall was added in 1963, an educational building in 1975, and in 1985 the original sanctuary was substantially enlarged. A parish hall and office complex to the west of the original buildings was completed in 2008, and future plans call for a new educational complex. The parish became self-sustaining in 1972.
The current rector, the Rev. Tom Rutherford, has led the parish since August 1996 and is its longest-serving rector. He came to Messiah from St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in Nashville, Tennessee, where he spent eleven years as youth minister, and from interim and assistant work at St. Christopher's in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He trained at Sewanee. He and his wife Debbie have five grown children and five grandchildren.
Six Sunday Services, One Family
Messiah offers five Sunday services in English and one in French and Haitian Creole.
8:00 a.m. Traditional Worship. Held in the church sanctuary, this service uses hymns, a choir, some chant, and the pageantry of processions, colors, and candles. Communion is celebrated every Sunday.
9:30 a.m. Family Service. Held in the sanctuary and livestreamed on YouTube, this service blends hymns with contemporary music led by the choir. Children's Church for PreK through fifth grade meets during the sermon, and the children return to their families for the Peace and Holy Communion. Nursery care is provided for children five and under.
11:00 a.m. Contemporary Praise. Held in the Parish Hall with a praise band of keyboard, guitars, bass, drums, and singers. All liturgy and lyrics are projected on the wall, and the music is the kind familiar from Christian radio. Children's Church and nursery care are available.
4:00 p.m. French and Haitian Creole Service. A full Episcopal communion service in French and Creole, also livestreamed on YouTube.
7:00 p.m. Casual Communion. Held in the sanctuary with a small worship ensemble of keyboard, bass, violin, and singers, with vestments, processions, colors, and candles but a much more informal atmosphere. The music is mostly contemporary.
Services typically last about an hour and include Scripture, prayer, music, and Holy Communion. Lessons are read from the Revised Common Lectionary, so the parish reads most of the Bible together over a three-year cycle. Worship is described as user-friendly, with page numbers and gentle stage directions printed in the bulletin so newcomers know when to stand, sit, or kneel. The primary goal, the parish says, is "to encounter God," not "to do things correctly."
The French and Creole Service
The 4:00 p.m. French and Haitian Creole service was added in 2019 and has been led by the Rev. Soner Alexandre, a priest who came to the Diocese of Central Florida in 2017 from the Episcopal Church of Haiti. He was ordained in Haiti in 2001 and 2002, served three parishes there over fourteen years, and represented the Church of Haiti in regional theological education and in a state commission on AIDS funding before relocating to Florida. He has been at Messiah since 2018.
The congregation gathers, as the welcome text reads, "united in one faith, singing God's praises and hearing God's word in our own language." The service is held in the church sanctuary and is one of the two Sunday services livestreamed on the parish YouTube channel.
Wednesdays at the Messiah
On Wednesday mornings the parish offers a Healing and Holy Communion service at 10:00 a.m. in the sanctuary, with music, a sermon, and an opportunity for personal prayer for healing. Bible study follows at 11:00 a.m. in the church library, led by Father Tom. Both are designed for those who can't make it on a Sunday or want a midweek touchpoint with the parish.
Bible Study for Every Stage
Five regular Bible study options anchor the parish's teaching ministry.
Diving Deeper with Father Tom meets Sunday afternoons from 4:30 to 5:30 in the Parish Hall, with a Sunday supper to follow. The current year-long series traces the history of the church from the apostles forward to the second coming of Christ.
Men@Messiah gathers Monday evenings at 5:15 p.m. in the Parish Hall (except the second Monday of the month, when it moves to the library). Each session looks ahead to the readings appointed for the upcoming Sunday. Participants need only a Bible and a willingness to read aloud, mark, learn, and inwardly digest.
Wednesday Morning Bible Study runs from 11:00 a.m. to noon in the church library, also led by Father Tom.
Home Groups meet on different days of the week in members' homes in Winter Garden, Ocoee, Clermont, and Windermere, on schedules that fit each. Anyone can join an existing group or begin a new one by reaching out to Father Tom.
Book Club meets periodically in the evening for fellowship and discussion of a chosen title.
Children, Preschool, and Kids' Club
Children are central to the Messiah vision. Children's Church meets during the 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. services. The children begin in worship with their families and then are dismissed with the cross to a meeting room for a lesson and activity. They pray together during the Prayers of the People and rejoin their families for the Peace and Communion.
Kids' Club runs Sundays from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. in the Youth Hall for children in kindergarten through fifth grade. Led by the children's minister, the program includes scripture, games, crafts, stories, and occasional off-site adventures.
Children of the Messiah Preschool has been on the Messiah campus since August 1999 and now serves infants through pre-K, including a Mom's Day Out program for children under two. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to noon, with an extended enrichment program running to 4:30 p.m. The preschool is directed by Barbara Ellerbe, a third-generation Floridian who has been with the school since 2003. Tuition for the 2026-2027 school year ranges from roughly $3,250 to $7,850, depending on age and days, with sibling discounts and a $150 annual registration fee.
The curriculum integrates Christianity with language development, social skills, motor skills, music and movement, art, science, social studies, and basic math, with age-appropriate goals for two-year-olds, three-year-olds, and pre-K four-year-olds. The school's biblical foundation is Jesus's words: "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
Music Across Six Services
The music ministry at Messiah is built around the conviction that music should "enhance worship, open one's heart to hear the Word of God, and enable us to lift praises to Him." Three ensembles serve the parish's varied worship styles.
The Messiah Choir sings at the 9:30 a.m. service and sometimes at 8:00 a.m., with Wednesday evening rehearsals at 6:15 p.m. and open membership for vocalists of any age. The Worship Band leads the 11:00 a.m. contemporary service and rehearses Wednesdays at 7:15 p.m. Evening Praise leads the 7:00 p.m. casual communion and rehearses Sundays at 6:30 p.m. The music minister, Ricky Jackson, is also building a Youth Band and Music School program for younger musicians.
Pastoral Care, Prayer Chain, and Recovery on Campus
Pastoral Care at Messiah looks after members who are ill, hospitalized, in need, or grieving. The Prayer Chain, coordinated by Wilna Brown and Amy Eiden, gathers two dozen prayer partners who lift up requests emailed to prayerchain@churchofthemessiah.com. A Casserole Patrol delivers meals to those who are sick, hospitalized, have had a baby, or have suffered a bereavement. Lay Eucharistic Visitors bring Communion to those unable to attend Sunday worship. Volunteers provide rides to church for those who can't drive themselves, and clergy visit the homebound and hospitalized. In the spring and fall, "Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death" is offered as a grief support group, facilitated by the Venerable Julie Altenbach.
For more than a decade Messiah has also hosted Alcoholics Anonymous on its campus, in a separate building behind the church near the preschool playground on Woodland Street. Three Legacies Group meetings run every day of the year, with open meetings most evenings and on Friday and Sunday, a Tuesday women's meeting, a Thursday men's meeting, and a Sunday beginners' meeting. Parking is available in the lot behind the AA building and on Woodland Street. Messiah hosts the meetings but is not affiliated with the fellowship.
Deacon the Rev. Tim Wetherington works in the community as a Certified Financial Planner and is active in Kairos Prison Ministry.
Men@Messiah and Adult Small Groups
Adults at Messiah are invited into "casual friendships and deliberate small groups to equip, encourage, and care for each other." In addition to the many Bible study offerings, several small groups meet weekly year-round in homes around West Orange County, with details in the most recent newsletter, bulletin, or by contacting the office. Food and fellowship gatherings are scheduled regularly, and Men@Messiah has become one of the most visible entry points for adult connection in the parish.
The Library
The parish library is open daily and houses a circulating collection of books and other materials that members and guests can browse and check out using a paper borrowing log. The recommended borrowing period is twenty-one days. Three searchable spreadsheets of the catalog - by author, by category, and by title - are kept up to date. Donations of used books in good condition are welcome, and a Collection Development Plan guides acquisitions.
What We Believe
As Episcopalians, members at Messiah confess the Nicene Creed together each Sunday and celebrate Holy Communion every week. The parish describes its worship as healthy and varied, sacramental, biblical, and open to the work of the Holy Spirit. Communion is open to all baptized Christians; those who prefer not to receive are invited to come forward for a blessing. Scripture is read from the Revised Common Lectionary, and the parish follows the Book of Common Prayer.
Worship follows the same outline Christians have used for two thousand years and observes the seasons of the liturgical year. The parish describes its services as user-friendly, with page numbers and stage directions printed in the bulletin so newcomers can follow along. The primary goal, the parish says, is "to encounter God," not "to do things correctly."
Loving God happens in the rich buffet of parish worship, prayer, and Bible study, and individually in personal prayer, study, and daily life. Loving neighbors happens in service that radiates out into the community and the world. Loving one another happens in casual friendships and deliberate small groups.
Confirmation and Reception
For those ready to take a next step, Messiah runs a Confirmation and Reception preparation each year. Confirmation is for anyone twelve or older who was baptized as an infant or child and now wants to make their own adult profession of faith, with the bishop laying hands and praying for the Holy Spirit to empower the candidate to keep promises to God. Reception welcomes Christians confirmed in the Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox Church into the Episcopal Church, with the bishop shaking the candidate's hand in welcome. Those baptized in traditions that don't practice Confirmation may choose either Confirmation or Reception.
Preparation takes place during "Diving Deeper" sessions held Sunday afternoons in September in the church library, followed by a Sunday supper. Attendance does not obligate anyone to be confirmed or received, but those who want to take this step meet with Father Tom to talk, answer questions, and choose a place to serve in the community or the parish family. The annual Confirmation and Reception celebration is led by Bishop Justin Holcomb at St. Richard's Episcopal Church in Winter Park, and Messiah members carpool over to take part.
Plan Your Visit
Visitors are warmly welcomed. Free parking is available on both the Tilden Street and Main Street sides of the campus and in lots across Tilden and Woodland Streets, with accessible parking, ramps, and seating for those who need them. Coffee and tea, along with fellowship, are offered before and after services.
Attire is whatever makes a visitor comfortable. Some come more formally dressed, others come casually. The parish's summary is simple: "You are welcome just as you are."
Children's Church is offered during the 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. services for children in PreK through fifth grade, with nursery care for children six weeks to five years. All baptized Christians are welcome to receive Holy Communion; those who prefer not to are invited to come forward for a blessing.
The 9:30 a.m. family service and the 4:00 p.m. French and Creole service are livestreamed on the parish's YouTube channel for those worshiping from home. Sermon notes are posted for each Sunday, and the parish publishes a monthly newsletter called The Messenger.