a season of love
Helping Others in the Season of Love
Each December, we participate in a number of activities related to helping families at Christmas.
Particularly this year, we're looking for volunteers to join with other churches to assist with Mylee's Missions is THIS Saturday (Sat, Dec 4), as they hand out gifts, food, coats, a blessing box, and a bag of goodies to families with children ages 2-12, as well as bags of baby care needs for all infants.
If you can lend a hand, please contact the church office or Mike Raies to let us know you are interested!
The other project we're working on is the "Stuff-a-Squad" project started in 2018 by Portsmouth Ambulance and Portsmouth Motorcycle members that benefit families and children by connecting with the 13 school districts in Scioto County during the Christmas season. Make donations out to Second Pres with "Stuff a Squad" in the memo line -- donations are due this Sunday (Dec 5)!
festival of nine lessons & carols
Worship with us in person, by livestream, and on the radio!
Our annual Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols service is BACK -- Mon, Dec 13 at 7:30 p.m.!! After going virtual last year, we are pleased to present this beloved service LIVE for our community.
Recognizing, however, that we're still living in a time of COVID, we know that packing the house like we usually do for our annual Lessons & Carols service is not wise at this time.
Instead, we are limiting this service to 200 people, and you must have a free ticket to attend. Masks are also required. Tickets are available from the church office by calling 740-353-4159 or emailing secondpres@yahoo.com.
You may also attend the service:
1) by watching the livestream on our YouTube channel (Second Presbyterian Church Portsmouth, OH)
2) by listening to the WIOI radio re-broadcast on Christmas day!
*Donations will be received at this service to support our Second Pres special music program.
What's in your emotional first aid kit?
Emotional First Aid
We know that when we cut ourselves, we should clean it, put some medicine on it, and cover it with a Band-aid if needed. That’s how injuries heal: we take care of them.
But what about the injuries from the sharp pain of rejection, the ache of loneliness, or the disappointment of failure? These wounds are just as real as paper cuts or scraped knees, yet rarely do we take any action to heal these kinds of injuries for ourselves.
If you could use some “emotional first aid” training for yourself or someone you love, we hope you will join us for an in-person discussion in Sunday School following our 9:30 a.m. worship service.
Emotional wounds we're talking about include rejection, failure, rumination, and guilt among several others. Discussions start Sun, Nov 14.
covid-19 update (11.24.21)
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. Though we know some would like to make masking encouraged instead of required during worship, we feel this is not the time to make this change. It is our desire to follow Christ's mandate to protect those who are most vulnerable among us, so masks will continue to be required during the service.
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.)
As always, I want you to make the best decision for your situation when it comes to how you worship with us. Since what is known about COVID-19 is ever-changing, our goal is to monitor new information and alter our safety practices as needed.
Be of good courage & know that you are loved,
Pastor Allison
#wearamask #washyourhands #sayyourprayers
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. There are no income requirements for our pantry, and points to spend on food and cleaning items are determined by household size. Emergency food is also available by contacting the office (740-353-4159) when the Pantry is not open.
Other community resources are available here.