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 (106.7FM 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.)
Ours is a choice-based pantry where our neighbors can shop for items using points determined by household size.
Emergency food available is available through the church office on days when the Pantry is closed. (Emergency food counts as that month's visit.)
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.
Serving Our Neighbors
In January 2025, we served a total of 256 people from 131 Scioto County households, including 63 seniors, 146 adults, and 47 children.
In December 2024, we were only opened 2 for Wednesdays and still served 328 people from 159 households in Scioto County, including 91 seniors and 58 children.
Our most recent quarterly check from Kroger Community Rewards arrived: $177.27 from 36 households. (Thank you to our new households!)
(The last check was $ 178.98 from 34 households.)
Please round up at the checkout. And pick God’s Pantry at Second Pres as your "Community Reward Program" (BB589) choice.
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.
Lent 2025
Full to the Brim - an e x p a n s i v e Lent
Our theme for Lent and Easter is "Full to the Brim" from A Sanctified Art.
The Gospel readings for Lent are filled with parables and promises of God's abundant and expansive grace - all examples of grace we don't deserve. Like water that spills over.
This is an invitation to be authentically who you are (flaws and all), to counter scarity and injustice at every turn, so you can pour out even more grace.
Live fully. Pursue justice and hope. Trust that we belong to God.
Devotionals
We have 2 options for Lent devotionals this year:
1. Photo-a-day from our friends in the UMC. You don't have to be an accomplished photographer for this practice - you just have to pay attention to the world around you and how God is already at work. Then, snap a picture!
2. "Coming Back to Life: Devotions and Activities for Lent" - During the winter, the world goes to sleep. In the Spring, an amazing thing happens: the world comes back to life. The word "Lent" means lengthen, and as the days lengthen, the world wakes up. Lent is 40 days of waking up and getting ready for Easter.
Lenten Worship Schedule
Weds, March 5 Ash Wednesday
8:00 am at Second Pres (ashes + communion)
5:30 pm at Pleasant Green Baptist with First Pres (ashes)
Sun, March 9 - First Sunday in Lent
9:30 am at Second Pres (communion)
Sun, March 16 - Sun, April 6 - Sundays in Lent
9:30 am at Second Pres
Palm/Passion Sunday - April 13
9:30 am at Second Pres (choir service)
Maundy Thursday - April 17
6:00 pm at First Pres
Good Friday - April 18
5:30 pm at Second Pres
Service of Shadows
Easter Sunday - April 20
9:30 am at Second Pres (communion)
2025 -- 150th anniversary!
SESQUICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
We are knee-deep in planning for our 2025 SESQUICENTENNIAL (150TH) CELEBRATION!
Anniversary Festivities (February 2025)
Thanks to everyone who joined us for the kickoff event for our 150th Anniversary Season of Celebration on Sun, Feb 9 – that’s the exact date of our official organization/charter date in 1875. (It was a Tuesday in 1875, but providentially, it's a Sunday in 2025!)
It was especially a delight to be joined by Pastor Ron Johnson and our friends from First Pres, our Mother church, and to hear from First Pres elder Julia Wisniewski about the Second Pres "origin story" from the First Pres perspective. And it was a joy to have Rev. Emily Krause Corzine from the Presbytery of Scioto Valley with us as well. (See the collage of pictures at the top of the page.)
Folks who joined us were able to take a little piece of Second Pres home with them in the form of a roof tile and a cookbook from the Women's Association.
And Pastor Allison appreciated help from the youth to pack the first of our 150 emergency clean-up buckets as our anniversary service project.
Save the date for June Anniversary Festivities
In June, we will host the heart of our Sesquicentennial Anniversary (when the weather is better for travel!) with an organ recital, a choral concert, an open house, and a special Pentecost worship service with lunch to follow.
These events will take place Thurs, June 5 – Sun, June 8, 2025. Please mark these dates on your calendar!
Second Pres 150th Anniversary Lunch
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2025 is the Year of the Bible at Second Pres!
19 participants (+ Pastor Allison) are on the Year of the Bible Adventure! She's providing weekly emails to help keep us all on track and give us some things to think about.
If you want to jump in, contact the church office, and we'll be glad to add you to the group. ("The Year of the Bible" by James E. Davison books are $13 and available from the church office or you can order a copy online.)
We're also meeting monthly to be accountable for keeping up with the readings, discuss questions, and try to figure out what all this meant what it was written then and what it means now.
Celebrating 99 years!
This year, Wilma is turning 99 on February 10!
In celebration, the Deacons are donating $99 to the Harry James Scholarship Fund (through the Scioto Foundation) – a scholarship which is near and dear to Wilma’s heart.
And they invite members and friends of Wilma to consider donating in her honor to this scholarship by March 9. Give online HERE to the Scioto Foundation or mail a check to: Scioto Foundation 303 Chillicothe Street, P.O. 911 Portsmouth, OH 45662.
Growing in Grace
New members + a confirmation class!
We're excited to share that we’re having a new members class and a confirmation class this Spring!
If you’re interested in joining and haven’t already mentioned it to me yet, now’s the time as we start to make some plans.
Contact me for more info by calling the church office 740-353-4159 or sending us an email: secondpres@yahoo.com.
Valentine's Day Game Night
This year, Valentine’s Day falls on a Friday, and we love a game night holiday theme, so if you don’t have plans, join us for fellowship and fun in the parlor on Fri, February 14 starting at 7:00 pm.
Bring a game and a snack to share. Or just bring yourself – you’re enough!
Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols
Thank you to all who joined us at Lessons & Carols, graciously hosted by Cornerstone Church while our boiler was being repaired. (Thanks be to God for heat!)
If you missed it or want to watch it again, an edited video is available on our YouTube channel HERE.
Lessons & Carols
Coffee & Conversation
Every week, a group of folks from Second and other churches meet on Mondays from 10am-12pm for coffee and conversation at Tim Horton’s to discuss life, faith, current events, and whatever else is on their hearts and minds.
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!
BUILDING RESTORATION PROJECT
From Pastor Allison:
I still remember the first time I saw Second Pres.
It was February 22, 2016. I had already had 2 Skype interviews with the pastoral nominating committee and was feeling hopeful about our first in-person conversation.
It was my first time in Portsmouth, and when I pulled up to the stoplight at the corner of Waller and 9th Street, I looked up at this big, beautiful, sprawling building, and my mouth dropped open. Then I took a picture since the light was still red – a picture I still have on my phone.
Later, when I walked into the sanctuary, I felt like I was coming home. It was similar to churches I had known before and yet it was different. The space was larger, the stained glass more stunning, and the soft organ music from the chancel more beautiful than any I had heard before.
I knew that this was a special place. That I was standing on holy ground.
(Read more HERE.)