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).
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.)
Poinsettia orders
In order to have the poinsettias in time for Lessons & Carols, orders (forms available by the bulletins or by contacting the church office) are due by Weds, Nov 30.
Pricing:
8-inch red poinsettia ($19)
6-inch white poinsettia ($10)
8-inch white poinsettia ($19)
Poinsettias can be donated in honor or in memory of a loved one or an event, and checks can be made payable to Second Presbyterian Church with poinsettia in the memo line.
Please pick up poinsettias after Christmas Eve service on Sat, Dec 24.
The Christmas Dinner is BACK!
Mark your calendars for Sun, Dec 4th.
The Wassail Bowl is at 5:00 p.m. and dinner starts at 5:30 p.m.
Please RSVP for the dinner by noon on Tues, Nov 29 by contacting the church office (740-353-4159 or secondpres@yahoo.com).
PS: If you’re interested in helping out, we could use some extra hands with the dinner too!
Giving back during Christmas!
THREE WAYS to help local families this Christmas ...
1. Portsmouth Ambulance Stuff-a-Squad -- monetary donations will be received through Sun, Dec. 4 to buy presents for families in Scioto County school districts. (See Jody Findlay for more info.)
2. Mylee's Missions -- 13th annual Mylee's Missions Christmas Event taking place on Sat, Dec 3. Volunteers are needed! (See Mikes Raies for more info.)
3. St Francis Outreach Angel Tree -- 20 tags will be available for local kids if you want to go shopping for their requested items. (See Suzie Hunter for more info.)
Questions? Contact the church office: 740-353-4159 or secondpres@yahoo.com).
Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols
Tues, Dec 13, 2022
7:30 p.m.
First marked at Second Pres in 1992 (Dr. Stanley Workman’s first year as our Director of Music), this Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols has grown from a modest worship service into a grand celebration of glorious choral music accompanied by a full orchestra. Each year, the Second Pres Chancel Choir is joined by musical friends from the community to create an event that, for many, marks the beginning of the Christmas season.
We hope you will join us as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of our Lessons & Carols service and hear again the story of the Newborn King!
Christmas Eve Worship
Sat, Dec 24
6:00 p.m.
Join us for our traditional Christmas Eve worship service featuring carols, candles, and communion as we gather to celebrate the newborn King!
P.S. We will gather for worship as usual on Christmas day on Sun, Dec 25 at 9:30 a.m.!
The arts are for kids too! (Thurs, Nov 10 - South Webster Elementary School field trip)
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.
We follow the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services income guidelines, 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.
OPEN OFFICE HOURS
Every MONDAY 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)
this old beloved church
Building Restoration Projects Begin (Aug 2022)
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.
This old beloved church has stood tall through fires and floods.
It has watched the city of Portsmouth grow and struggle, and it continues to watch as Portsmouth tries to rebuild itself again.
It has provided shelter and gathering space for thousands of members and friends who have passed through its doors for worship services and Sunday School classes and Bible studies and Women's Circles and weddings and funerals and celebrations and board/committee meetings and dance rehearsals and Election Day Lunches and cake walks and dessert auctions and book studies and prayer meetings and Lessons & Carols services and seminars and support group meetings. It has fed countless numbers of our neighbors for over forty years through God’s Pantry. It has seen its doors close during a global pandemic only to open them again to face a new world where nothing is as it was before.
While the landscape around it has changed dramatically in recent years, this building remains the same, just as Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8).
And on Friday, August 26, scaffolding started to go up around the 8th Street entrance as we embark on a major building project to restore "this old beloved church" so that it will continue to be the home base for our mission and ministry for another 100 years.
The 8th Street entrance, the Waller St entrance, and the bell tower will all receive much-needed attention. There is more work to be done after this, but these are the places where the Durable Restoration Company suggested to the Board of Trustees that work should begin.
You'll notice the final picture in that scrolling gallery is of the pieces of the building that I've been collecting on my desk in the past 8 months – pieces of the building that keep falling, often bouncing off of and breaking roof tiles which then allows water to creep into the building.
This phase of the project is intended to shore up the mortar that is failing way up high and to prevent more pieces of the building from breaking away.
I am grateful for this opportunity to preserve our beautiful old beloved church; there’s not many other buildings like this one left.
If you would like to contribute financially to this project, please use our online giving service or mail a check to the church (Second Presbyterian Church 801 Waller St Portsmouth, OH 45662 with "building restoration" in the memo line.)
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.-ish)
- Live radio broadcast simultaneously on WIOI (106.7FM 1010AM)
- Livestream on the church's YouTube channel.
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