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).

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.)

A Glove from Above: UPDATE

UPDATE:

On Tuesday, a homeless couple, all bundled up against the cold, came in to see if our food pantry was open. It wasn’t, but we have emergency food for situations like this. As they filled out the forms for emergency food, we shared the list of other pantries in the county and answered their questions about other community resources. As they were getting ready to leave, Rebecca, our office person, noticed they didn’t have any gloves. And guess what we have plenty of! Gloves donated for James to give out!

So we opened up a pack and passed them out. They were grateful. If you see some extra warm gloves somewhere, think of us, and we’ll make sure they get to some cold hands, one way or other other.

ORIGINAL POST:

Our friend James - who we met sleeping on our 8th St porch a few years ago - is now clean and sober, employed, married, and looking to help others in the way he was first helped.

He's calling it "A Glove From Above" in honor of the time when he hit rock bottom, and someone from Second Pres offered him a pair of gloves matching the ones in the picture.

He writes, "I was homeless and addicted to drugs with no one to call on. I was so cold I could not concentrate." He also writes, "I have a soft spot for the sick and suffering, and I want to do an act of kindness like Mark done for me. I'm calling on all my brothers and sisters in Christ. If you can afford a pack of gloves to help someone who might not have out there in the freezing cold contact me and I will personally distribute to the ones we would normally drive past. I will walk in the cold down neighborhoods most would be scared to enter. I will give to homeless, prostitutes, and drug addicts. We will call it A Glove From Above. ... This is weighing on me heavy, and I know I can't do this on my own. No money needed just gloves."

Lent 2023

As the calendar turns to February, we know that Lent will begin on Ash Wednesday (Feb 22) later this month.

We will celebrate with a joint service at First Pres at 5:30 p.m., including the sacrament of communion.

Also, Stan Workman is coordinating another performance of Handel’s “Messiah” on Good Friday (Fri, April 7) between the Second Pres chancel choir, our friends from local church choirs, the SSU choir, soloists, and a full orchestra.

We'll have additional info on ways to observe Lent in the coming weeks, but make sure to put these days on your calendar now!

Radio Sponsors

It's a new year, so we're ready to start filling up the calendar for sponsors of our Sunday radio broadcast. Some of our oldest members are no longer able to come to us for worship, and this is one way for us to bring worship to them!

Services can be sponsored in honor or in memory of someone or to mark an important occasion, like a birthday or anniversary. A full service is $75 but you can also sponsor part of a service for $25 or $50.

If you have a specific Sunday in mind, contact the church office soon so you can claim it before it's gone! P.S. Forms are available from the church.

What are you living for?

Thomas Merton once wrote, “But if you want to identify me, ask me not where I live, or what I like to eat, or how I comb my hair, but ask me what I think I am living for.”

Do you know what you are living for?

You have a unique purpose based on your passions, abilities, and context. And if any of those have changed recently, you may feel lost or at loose ends.

Re-discover what gives your life purpose in this 4-week (or maybe longer?) conversation with Pastor Allison and others beginning in January 2023.

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.

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.)

Welcome to Second Presbyterian Church