Practicing the Sacred Rhythms of Silence and Solitude Together
Last week, four of us gathered in the sanctuary from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. for solitude and silence together. And in the words of one of the folks who attended, “As I was sitting there, I truly understood the meaning of the word ‘sanctuary.’ I felt peace.”
This week, it was five people. And Pastor Allison mentioned that while she tries to practice silence and solitude at home, it's so much eaiser for her to do it in the sanctuary. When she's at home, she's distracted by all the chores she should be doing; but at church, she remembers that she's a human being, not a human doing; all she needs to do is practice being still and watching the candles flicker.
We’re going to gather again this Wednesday, so if you too need some sanctuary and peace, join us! There will be some guided prayers to use, or you can just practice being still.
Giving up the pursuit of perfection for the pursuit of good enough
Pastor Allison's blog on on Kate Bowler's book Good Enough: 40ish Devotionals for a Life of Imperfection is LIVE!! And she wants you to read with her!
Here's the plan:
1) Read the day's "good enough" devotional
2) Check out her "good enough" blog post, and
3) Leave a "good enough" comment with your questions or thoughts or thoughts on her questions!
The first post - a Prelude of sorts - is here.
Day 1 is here.
And this is the link that will take you to most recent post.
We still have some books available at the church if you'd like to pick one up or for us to send one to you! You can also download a copy to the Kindle app or as an audiobook. (We normally give books away for free but if you'd like to throw $10 in our direction for this one, we'd appreciate it.)
Food Justice Exhibit at museum Yields Harvest for God's Pantry
Critter Encounter: Sat, June 25, 2022
One of our biggest joys in 2021 was seeing the churchyard filled with families and animals of all sizes at our Critter Encounter that we used as a fundraiser for the Animal Welfare League!
Many wonderful memories were made that day, especially for us as we worked alongside members of the recovery community to create an educational and entertaining experience that was affordable for families ($1 admission).
It was such a hit that, due to popular demand, we’re planning to do it again on Sat, June 25, and BARKer Farms and Paul’s Cool Scales (reptiles!) are already booked!
If you’d like to help plan or volunteer with this event, please contact Rebecca in the office: 740-353-4159 or secondpres@yahoo.com.
Help for Ukrainian Refugees
The motto of the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance program is "Out of chaos, hope."
We are always glad to support their efforts but especially as they provide an emergency response for millions of people fleeing their homes in the Ukraine.
To date, we have collected over $1600 that has be donated to PDA. If you'd like to add to this donation, please mail or drop off a check at the church or use our online giving service, putting "Ukraine" in the note box.
march 2022 HOSTING A LOW-INCOME SPAY/NEUTER CLINIC WITH THE ANIMAL WELFARE LEAGUE
OPEN OFFICE HOURS
Every Thursday at 10:00a.m., a group of folks from Second Pres and friends from other churches and the community gather at Coffee at the Lofts to "spiritually loiter" at one of the crossroads of our community.
Everyone is welcome to drop in and say hi or to to linger for a while. (When the weather's nice, we like to meet under the "cabana" next to the coffeeshop!)
Location: Lofts Coffee Company & Roastery (842 Gallia St, Portsmouth, OH 45662)
god's pantry
A CHOICE-BASED FOOD PANTRY
We are grateful to all of our God's Pantry volunteers and donors for all their support during the COVID-19 pandemic!
God's Pantry is open on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Wednesdays of the month from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Look for the sign near the entrance.
There are no income requirements for our pantry, and "points" to spend on food, household and cleaning items are determined by household size.
The Pantry is also accessible from the ramp entrance (facing the PHS track) with a chairlift from the first floor to the basement. Contact the church office to use this alternate entrance.
Emergency food is also available by contacting the office (740-353-4159) when the Pantry is not open. Other community resources are available here.
covid-19 update (02.20.22)
A letter from Pastor Allison
Dear Members & Friends of Second Pres,
I am so grateful that while our building was closed from March until June 2020, the ministry and mission of Second Presbyterian Church never stopped! We have found new ways to love God and our neighbors even during the COVID-19 pandemic - it's exactly what I think Jesus would want us to do.
Each month, our board of elders (called the "Session") re-evaluates our COVID-protocols. At their February meeting, they decided to move from mandating masks to strongly encouraging them throughout the building and resuming small coffee hours following Sunday worship. As always, these changes are subject to review and revision depending on what's happening in our life together.
We continue to provide Worship on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. in multiple ways:
- In-person at 9:30 a.m. (Prelude begins at 9:25 a.m.)
- Live radio broadcast simultaneously on WIOI (106.7FM 1010AM)
- Livestream on the church's Facebook page
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!
Be of good courage & know that you are loved,
Pastor Allison
#wearamask #washyourhands #sayyourprayers