A PC(USA) church serving Jesus Christ & our neighbors in Portsmouth, OH since 1875
WORSHIP
Worship with us on Sundays at 9:30 a.m.
- in the building,
- by listening to the service on WIOI (92.1FM 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). (Usually this is a sermon post-mortem.)
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.)
God's Pantry
God’s Pantry (our 40+ year-old choice-based food pantry) is open on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Wednesdays of each month from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (One visit per month.)
To visit the Pantry, you'll fill out a form and need to bring a valid ID (driver's license or state ID), proof of residency in Scioto County, and social security numbers for anyone in your household.
Please contact the church office at 740-353-4159 if you have questions, are interested in donating, or would like to know about volunteer opportunities.
Ours is a choice-based pantry where our neighbors can shop for items using points determined by household size. Emergency food is available through the church office on days when the Pantry is closed. (Emergency food counts as that month's visit.)
UPDATE FROM GOD’S PANTRY:
During December 2025, God's Pantry served 250 people from 129 Scioto County households including 67 seniors, 145 adults, and 38 childing. This is includes 10 bags of emergency food given out when the Pantry was closed.
NOTE: If you would like to directly care for our most vulnerable neighbors who struggle to regularly put food on their tables, monetary donations are always welcome and give us the most flexibility to buy what we need at any moment.
Partners in the Pantry - Socks & Shoes
Pastor Thayer Wallace and our friends from Central Church Portsmouth are distributing (new) socks and (new and gently used) shoes to our neighbors in need when God's Pantry is open.
If you have questions, please call the Central Church office at 740-353-5846.
Social Media
LIKE & FOLLOW us to keep up with what God is doing at Second Pres!
Facebook: Second Presbyterian Church – Portsmouth, OH
Instagram: @secondpresportsmouthoh
YouTube: Second Presbyterian Church Portsmouth, OH
(livestreamed worship services and concerts)
Send us an email to be added to our weekly Constant Contact newsletter:
Holy Hygge
Holy Hygge sermon series in January 2026
As winter settles in after Christmas, the dark months can leave us tired and disconnected.
Our faith invites us to slow down and notice God in ordinary moments, and the Danish practice of hygge—creating warmth, comfort, and welcome—offers a helpful companion. Holy hygge names this as a spiritual practice, encouraging us to nurture our spiritual life, our mental health, and our relationships through simple, restful rhythms.
Starting Sun, Jan 18, our five-week worship series will explore holy hygge through the themes of Presence, Hospitality, Gratitude, Rest, and Comfort.
Friday Night Holy Hygge Experiment
To accompany our Holy Hygge sermons, you are invited to experiment with a holy hygge night – a gentle Friday evening rhythm of shared warmth, rest, and low-pressure connection that helps us begin the weekend grounded and resting in God’s peace.
This is something you can do at home by yourself or at home with others OR at church with Pastor Allison on Fri, Jan 30 at 6:00pm in the parlor.
This will be a holy hygge night experiment – if it goes well, we’ll do it again! (Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?)
On the 30th, we’ll gather for a simple dinner by candlelight, a short communal reflection on a Scripture passage, and then a SILENT READING PARTY! This is a quiet way to be connected with God and with others at the end of a noisy week. (Bring your current book/magazine and wear your most comfortable slippers!)
GAME NIGHT
We were sorry to have to cancel our NYE Early Game Night due to illness, but we're feeling better now and ready to meet in the parlor on Fri, Jan 23 at 6:00 pm!
Bring a game and a snack to share. (Or just bring yourself – you’re enough!)
New Year, New Sign-Ups
A New Year means it’s time to update the directory.
The Deacons have a copy – they’ll pass it around before and after the service. Check your entry on the list. If something has changed, make the corrections. If it’s OK, put a check mark next to it.
And a New Year also means we’ve got a new coffee hour volunteer schedule.
If you’re willing to pitch in a few items here and there, please put your name on the sign-up sheet in the parlor.
Emergency Warming Shelter Donations
Ascend Counseling and Recovery Services on 6th St has been partnering with some local groups to operate warming shelters this winter, and a friend of the church let us know that they have more people finding shelter there than they have cots.
Second Pres is donating 3 cots and 10 blankets.
If you are also interested in supporting these acts of hospitality, please contact the office – they do have some specifics about the cots and blankets, and we can fill you in.
Dwelling in the Word
A year of Scripture, reflection, and conversation - step into God’s Word in 2026
Choose your adventure:
Cover to Cover – read the whole Bible in a year
Between the Lines – dive into themes like justice, love, mercy, and the life of Jesus.
Daily readings and quarterly meals make it easier to grow, reflect, and connect with others in faith and fun.
Winterreise - Winter Journey
Join Dr. Stanley Workman, Jr., tenor (and our Director of Music) and Edward Bak, pianist, for a performance of Schubert's monumental song cycle, Winterreise-Winter Journey, an epic tale of lost love and despair on Fri, Feb 6 at 7:30 pm at the VRCFA (Eloise Smith Covert Theater).
Rejected by his beloved, the protagonist sets out on a brutally icy and lonely journey, with only the snow, the bare trees and the occasional crow to keep him company.
The performance of the cycle will be sung in the original German, enhanced by projections of the English translation and artwork.
Christmas Eve Worship
Thanks to all who joined us for Christmas Eve worship.
If you missed it or would like to watch it again, here are the links.
Livestream link here: https://youtube.com/live/yRMU4W7GLwk?feature=share
Large-print bulletin here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ug6tiEni4yQJqtOA3TjSPa3LpUtiZmhc/view?usp=sharing
Large-print sermon here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hTLJ_i5-gr3-loUyXI6Ct4MXtncWqNqM/view?usp=sharing
Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols
There are no words to describe the experience of this year's Lessons & Carols. And how grateful we are to all those who helped to make this a spiritually transformative experience.
So we won't even try.
Here's a LINK to the livestream if you want to watch it or watch it again.
Spirituality and Mental Health
Second Pres is part of a group of churches gathering to explore how we can better support mental health.
The group will meet in January 2026 to discuss ways to encourage open conversations, mutual support, and connections to professional help. Plans include offering mental health first aid training, suicide prevention training, and resources on spiritual practices that promote well-being.
Talk to Pastor Allison to get involved!
Nurturing mental health in our local faith community
PipeScreams Spooktacular Organ Concert
Thanks to all those who participated in and donated toward our PipeScreams Organ Concert Spooktacular! (This is a fundraiser for our Organ Preservation Fund to keep Ma Kilgen singing.)
Thanks to Stan Workman for orchestrating another "Ex-Stan-a-ganza;" to Jerry Martin for his organ-playing, theremin magic, and tech production skills; to organists, Aaron Shows, Patrick Torsell, Stan Workman, Doug Leightenheimer, and Jerry Martin; to the Second Pres singing nuns: Mariah Ginn, Julie Hines, Kathryn Ogden, Aimee Sundeen, Lio McElroy, Val Webb, Tracey Henderson, and Pastor Allison; and Second Pres Choral Scholars, Kathryn Ogden, Lio McElroy, Jarod Emerson, and Josiah Burton.
Watch the remastered PipeScreams video here: https://youtu.be/LDnqD0vQNFg
Coffee & Conversation
The Coffee & Conversation group (folks from Second and other churches) meets at 10 a.m. on Mondays at Tim Hortons (1130 Chillicothe St) for coffee and conversation about life, faith, and current events.
There’s a chair for you around the table!
God's Pantry
Can you help our choice-based food pantry that’s been in operation for 40+ years?
Choose us as your Kroger Community Rewards organization, and when you shop with your rewards card, the people we serve benefit!
Our NPO (Non-Profit Organization) number is BB589 – “GOD’S PANTRY SECOND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.”
And make sure you say, “Please round that up!” when you check out!