Christmas eve worship
5:30 p.m. Organ prelude by Dr. Jeremiah Martin (livestream begins)
5:45 p.m. Organ and brass ensemble (radio broadcast begins)
You are invited to join us for Christmas Eve worship with carols, communion, and candles at Second Presbyterian Church in Portsmouth, OH!
At this service, we are delighted to present special music led by Jonathan Burton, tenor (singing a duet of “O Holy Night” with our own Dr. Stan Workman); Dr. Jeremiah Martin, organ; and a brass ensemble.
After Pastor Allison’s sermon, we will celebrate the sacrament of communion together, so if you are worshiping with us from home or work or wherever you will be, please be sure to have bread/crackers and wine/juice/water ready to go.
Please join us in person, by livestream, or by tuning into the service on WIOI (106.7FM 1010AM).
LONGEST NIGHT SERVICE
A time of lament on the longest night of the year
Longest Night Services (traditionally offered on December 21 which is the longest night of the year) are for those who are mourning a loss or hurting during the holidays.
Since we are still living in a liminal, uncertain time - which may feel at odds with the holiday season - it makes sense to create a bit of space for lament. Frankly, this has been a significant season of loss and change for all of us, and acknowledging and grieving our losses will contribute to our ongoing healing. While we will lament our losses in this service, we will also rejoice that God is closest to us when we need God the most.
Before you hit play, try to be intentional with how and when you watch it. Create a quiet space somewhere if you can. There is a part where you can write some things down, so if that's your thing, be prepared for that. (It's about 18 minutes long.)
It's called a "Longest Night Service" so Pastor Allison also suggests watching it sometime after the sun has set (for additional ambiance, you know!).
Please join us as we gather together from our separate places to celebrate defiantly the hope we have in the Lord Jesus Christ.
alternative giving for christmas
"This Old (Beloved) Church"
Long before The Property Brothers and Chip & Joanna Gaines ever stepped foot in front of a camera, there was Bob Vila and “This Old House” in 1979! Together, Bob Vila, Norm Abram, and a host of contractors, electricians, roofers, plumbers, and drywallers have worked to renovate and restore houses for over 40 years!
In the Spring of 2022, Second Pres will be undergoing our own version of “This Old House” restorations – which we’re calling “This Old (Beloved!) Church.”
Knowing we have some major fundraising in our future, we want to get a jump on things by offering an alternative giving opportunity for those who would rather make a donation to “This Old (Beloved) Church” than buy someone another scarf or pair of slippers!
As always with donations of this kind, every gift comes with a thank you letter for you (for tax purposes) as well as a letter of acknowledgement that can be sent to the person you designate, maybe even in time for Christmas!
Gifts can also be made through our website’s secure online giving: www.secondpres-portsmouth.org.
More info here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ob8x-pEJAW_L2Hgb6Bq551cRTUe9DQNY/view?usp=sharing
festival of nine lessons & carols
Glory to the newborn King!
THANK YOU to all who worshiped with us at our Festival of Lessons & Carols -- from Portsmouth, OH to Dover, England and all the way to New Zealand ... according to the comments on the YouTube video!!
If you missed it, you can watch it below.
And don’t forget the WIOI 1010AM 106.7FM radio re-broadcast on Christmas Day at 3:00p.m.!
A Season of Extravagance: Unfathomable Hope
It’s the fourth week of Advent, a time of waiting and longing and anticipating the light of Christ who comes down at Christmas and someday will come again. Today, we're pondering what UNFATHOMABLE HOPE looks like – based on a conversation between Mary and Elizabeth in Luke 1 – as part of our Advent sermon series, "A Season of Extravagance,” (Hint: the ‘knock your socks off moments of life’ is not usually where you find unfathomable hope.)
Pastor Allison is glad to lead this worship service along with Dr. Stan Workman, our Director of Music, and the chancel choir. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!
If you have prayer concerns you’d like included in the service or shared privately with the Pastor and the Deacons’ prayer chain, please contact the church office: 740-353-4159 or secondpres@yahoo.com.
If you’d like to make a donation to the Mission and Ministry of Second Pres, please feel free to drop a gift in the mail to us (801 Waller St Portsmouth, OH 45662) or visit the online giving page of our website: www.secondpres-portsmouth.org.
*Permission to podcast/stream/reprint the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE with license A-724474. All rights reserved.
sunday school bible study
"It's a Wonderful Life"
It's one of the most popular movies of all time - "It's a Wonderful Life." Set on Christmas Eve in a post-World War II small town, it tells the story of the likable and selfless George Bailey, a small-town banker who suffers scandal and ruin of his own making only to be saved in the final act through intervention by God, family, and friends.
This movie reminds us how easily we can be distracted from what is truly meaningful in life as well as how the choices we make have consequences not only in our lives but in the lives of those around us. It's a battle between good and evil, selflessness and selfishness, and a story of faith.
Come with us on this little trip back to Bedford Falls beginning on Sun, Dec 19 in Sunday School following worship.
a season of love
Helping Others in the Season of Love
Many, many thanks to the Second Pres members who gave their time and energy to helping out with Mylee's Missions on Sat, Dec 4 to 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.
And also much gratitude to those who generously contributed to "Stuff-a-Squad," a project started in 2018 by Portsmouth Ambulance and Portsmouth Motorcycle members. This is another effort in our community to help children in need working with the 13 school districts in Scioto County during the Christmas season and beyond. Over $500 was donated to this worthwhile project!
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.