A PC(USA) church serving Jesus Christ & our neighbors in Portsmouth, OH since 1875
WORSHIP
Worship with us on Sundays at 9:30 a.m.
- in the building,
- by listening to the service on WIOI (92.1FM 1010AM),
- or by watching the live stream on our YouTube channel (search for Second Presbyterian Church Portsmouth, OH).
The time we spend in worship feels utterly unlike any other time in our week - peaceful, calming, nonanxious. Our beautiful old sanctuary brings us deep peace; the traditional hymns, choir, and organ keep us connected to our roots; and thoughtful sermons provoke us to think about things like faith and life and service from a new perspective. We leave feeling like we've drawn closer to God.
Following worship, we enjoy a light coffee hour together in the parlor (10:30 a.m.-ish) and then a multigenerational discussion group Sunday School class where we talk about everything from the sermon to current events in the world to current events in our lives (11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.-ish). (Usually this is a sermon post-mortem.)
In addition, bulletins can be mailed or emailed to any who would like to have a copy in their hands. (We normally drop them off at the post office by noon on Thursday.) Please call (740-353-4159) or email (secondpres@yahoo.com) to be added to our list!
If you're looking for a place to worship, there's a place for you with us.
(Thanks to friend of Second Pres Jon Burton for the photo of the sanctuary.)
God's Pantry
God’s Pantry (our 40+ year-old choice-based food pantry) is open on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Wednesdays of each month from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (One visit per month.)
To visit the Pantry, you'll fill out a form and need to bring a valid ID (driver's license or state ID), proof of residency in Scioto County, and social security numbers for anyone in your household.
Please contact the church office at 740-353-4159 if you have questions, are interested in donating, or would like to know about volunteer opportunities.
Ours is a choice-based pantry where our neighbors can shop for items using points determined by household size. Emergency food is available through the church office on days when the Pantry is closed. (Emergency food counts as that month's visit.)
UPDATE FROM GOD’S PANTRY:
During November, we served a total of 374 people from 189 Scioto County households including 81 children, 198 adults, and 95 seniors. We also gave out 10 bags of emergency food.
During October, we served a total of 410 people from 227 Scioto County households including 78 children, 230 adults, and 102 seniors. We also gave out 15 bags of emergency food.
During September, we served a total of 266 people from 139 households including 42 children, 146 adults, and 78 senior citizens.
NOTE: If you would like to directly care for our most vulnerable neighbors who struggle to regularly put food on their tables, monetary donations are always welcome and give us the most flexibility to buy what we need at any moment.
Partners in the Pantry - Socks & Shoes
Pastor Thayer Wallace and our friends from Central Church Portsmouth are distributing (new) socks and (new and gently used) shoes to our neighbors in need when God's Pantry is open.
If you have questions, please call the Central Church office at 740-353-5846.
Social Media
LIKE & FOLLOW us to keep up with what God is doing at Second Pres!
Facebook: Second Presbyterian Church – Portsmouth, OH
Instagram: @secondpresportsmouthoh
YouTube: Second Presbyterian Church Portsmouth, OH
(livestreamed worship services and concerts)
Send us an email to be added to our weekly Constant Contact newsletter:
Giving Tree for God's Pantry
This Advent, we're focusing on the needs of our neighbors who come to God's Pantry with a Giving Tree.
The Giving Tree is set up in the parlor with tags that have item requests.
Please take a tag (or tags) home with you, shop, and return your donations by the end of the month.
(Donations can be left under the tree or on the bench leading into the sanctuary. Also, monetary donations can be made to God's Pantry to purchase Giving Tree items.)
Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols
Second Presbyterian Church invites you to our annual Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols on Tuesday, December 16, at 7:30 p.m., at 801 Waller St. in Portsmouth (across from PHS).
Rooted in a tradition begun in England more than a century ago and cherished here for over 30 years, this service weaves together congregational hymns, Scripture readings, and musical reflections that tell the unfolding story of God’s promise of peace through the birth of Christ.
This year’s service features a 30-voice community choir made up of singers from area churches and an orchestra of musicians from across the tri-state region as community pastors share in the Scripture readings included in this long-standing and meaningful tradition.
The service is free and open to the community; an offering will be received to support future special music offerings. Accessible parking and entrances are available in the back of the building (by the PHS track).
Gather with us in this moment in time, because we have heard a promise of peace in the Newborn King, and we have faith that its day will come.
Christmas Dinner
Many thanks to those who joined us for our Christmas dinner!
And many, MANY thanks to those who decorated, cooked, served, and cleaned up after.
(And thank you for making enough food that we could invite the SSU students to stick around after rehearsal to join us!)
Shawnee State University Fall Semester Choir Concert
A Christmas Concert & Final Semester Recital
Thanks to all those who came to the SSU concert! It is a joy for the musicians to see your faces in the pews. And we also also grateful to those who watched online.
This concert marked the culmination of a semester of musical growth and collaboration by students and community singers. The program included Charpentier’s "Midnight Mass for Christmas," beloved carols, music from Latvia, and John Rutter’s joyful "The Very Best Time of the Year" - plus other seasonal reflections.
A link will be available soon if you want to watch it (or watch it again!).
Program: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nW2kcLS_dM3qljNGX-gmSjzu2G8D-YWk/view?usp=sharing
Christmas Eve
Join us this Christmas Eve, Wednesday, December 24, at 6:00 pm for a warm and wonder-filled service as we celebrate the birth of Christ together.
We’ll gather for a traditional worship experience filled with beloved carols accompanied by our pipe organ, the beauty of special music by harpist Tehya Hazelbaker and a Brass Ensemble, and the joy of celebrating the sacrament of communion.
We’ll close the night by lighting our “Silent Night” candles, letting their gentle glow remind us that Christ’s light still shines in the darkness.
Welcome the birth of Jesus, the Newborn King, with song, sacrament, and candlelight.
Early Bird NYE Celebration
Do you want to celebrate New Year’s Eve, but you don’t want to stay up that late?
Good news - our Early Bird NYE Game Night is back!
Meet us in the parlor on Weds, Dec 31 at 6:00 pm as we have fun and ring in 2026 (while still getting to bed by 9:00 pm!).
Bring a game and a snack to share. (Or just bring yourself – you’re enough!)
150th Anniversary - one last hurrah!
APPRECIATING OUR PAST
CELEBRATING OUR PRESENT
ANTICIPATING OUR FUTURE
150 Years of Ministry at Second Presbyterian Church
“Thus far the Lord has helped us.” — 1 Samuel 7:12
As we come to the close of our 150th anniversary year, we give thanks for God’s faithful presence across generations. This year, we have seen once again that we do not walk alone—God has accompanied this congregation every step of the way.
From creating a living timeline and anniversary artwork, to special music, an Open House, donations for emergency clean-up buckets, and welcoming new members, this year has been rich with joy, generosity, and shared life.
Our church building has been at the heart of it all—a home for worship, music, learning, friendship, and service. As we look ahead, we trust that the same God who has sustained us thus far will continue to dwell among us in the years to come.
One Last Anniversary Invitation
If you would like to join in one last hurrah for our anniversary, we invite you to consider a gift to support the care of our church home. Your generosity helps preserve a place where God’s faithfulness is remembered, shared, and lived out daily.
Ways to Give:
• Check or cash
• Online giving
• QR code
Gifts received by December 31 are fully tax-deductible for 2025.
Optional donation form available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/13wLq-rir1Buaps5wckbAUdqcrWIGP9GV/view?usp=drive_link
Dwelling in the Word
A year of Scripture, reflection, and conversation - step into God’s Word in 2026
Choose your adventure:
Cover to Cover – read the whole Bible in a year
Between the Lines – dive into themes like justice, love, mercy, and the life of Jesus.
Daily readings and quarterly meals make it easier to grow, reflect, and connect with others in faith and fun.
Holy Hygge
Holy Hygge sermon series in January 2026
As winter settles in after Christmas, the dark months can leave us tired and disconnected.
Our faith invites us to slow down and notice God in ordinary moments, and the Danish practice of hygge—creating warmth, comfort, and welcome—offers a helpful companion. Holy hygge names this as a spiritual practice, encouraging us to nurture our spiritual life, our mental health, and our relationships through simple, restful rhythms.
Starting Sun, Jan 18, our five-week worship series will explore holy hygge through the themes of Presence, Hospitality, Gratitude, Rest, and Comfort.
Alongside worship, you’re invited to try Fredagshygge, a simple Friday evening meal ritual with quiet reflection and activities, at church or at home. It’s meant to be a soft place to land each week and a way to experience Christ’s peace.
Spirituality and Mental Health
Second Pres is part of a group of churches gathering to explore how we can better support mental health.
The group will meet in January 2026 to discuss ways to encourage open conversations, mutual support, and connections to professional help. Plans include offering mental health first aid training, suicide prevention training, and resources on spiritual practices that promote well-being.
Talk to Pastor Allison to get involved!
Nurturing mental health in our local faith community
PipeScreams Spooktacular Organ Concert
Thanks to all those who participated in and donated toward our PipeScreams Organ Concert Spooktacular! (This is a fundraiser for our Organ Preservation Fund to keep Ma Kilgen singing.)
Thanks to Stan Workman for orchestrating another "Ex-Stan-a-ganza;" to Jerry Martin for his organ-playing, theremin magic, and tech production skills; to organists, Aaron Shows, Patrick Torsell, Stan Workman, Doug Leightenheimer, and Jerry Martin; to the Second Pres singing nuns: Mariah Ginn, Julie Hines, Kathryn Ogden, Aimee Sundeen, Lio McElroy, Val Webb, Tracey Henderson, and Pastor Allison; and Second Pres Choral Scholars, Kathryn Ogden, Lio McElroy, Jarod Emerson, and Josiah Burton.
Watch the remastered PipeScreams video here: https://youtu.be/LDnqD0vQNFg
Coffee & Conversation
The Coffee & Conversation group (folks from Second and other churches) meets at 10 a.m. on Mondays at Tim Hortons (1130 Chillicothe St) for coffee and conversation about life, faith, and current events.
There’s a chair for you around the table!
God's Pantry
Can you help our choice-based food pantry that’s been in operation for 40+ years?
Choose us as your Kroger Community Rewards organization, and when you shop with your rewards card, the people we serve benefit!
Our NPO (Non-Profit Organization) number is BB589 – “GOD’S PANTRY SECOND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.”
And make sure you say, “Please round that up!” when you check out!