praising god through music

Besides at home and at church, you are most likely to find Second Pres members hanging out the many musical performances at the Vern Riffe Center for the Arts at Shawnee State University, including the Musical Theatre student productions. 

Our favorite event is our yearly Festival of Nine Lesson & Carols where we gather with our friends from the community, some SSU choir students, and a full orchestra to celebrate Jesus, the newborn King. We regularly fill up our sanctuary that can fit about 500 people and delight in sharing the joy of the Christmas season with our community. 

Videos of individuals songs from previous Lessons & Carols services can be found by searching YouTube. 

Who knew an old choir room could be re-purposed into a dance studio?! 

Second Pres is pleased to be home to the Bone & Fiddle ARTS Collective - who became our upstairs neighbors in September 2018, using space in our unused second floor choir room. (They also occasionally use our Sunday School rooms for photo shoots!) 

Founder and artistic director Summer Logan is a friend of the church through our relationship with Shawnee State University. She is a performer, choreographer, and educating artist from Portsmouth, Ohio.  She holds a BFA from Ohio University and an MFA in Dance and Choreography from Saint Mary’s College of California. 

She is full time dance faculty at SSU serving as the education coordinator of the dance minor and resident choreographer. As an educator Ms. Logan holds certifications from American Ballet Theatre and has extensive knowledge of Somatic movement techniques. As a performer Logan has exhibited her work in Ohio, Kentucky, Utah, West Virginia, Virginia, Michigan, and California. 

Collective members are young adult students from the tri-state area, some of whom are also part of our choral scholars program. 

From their website:  It’s not a moment. It’s a MOVEMENT.
Bone & Fiddle Dance Collective is a group of professional dancers based in Portsmouth, Ohio. The Collective believes in enhancing and promoting culture through movement and dance. Founder Summer Logan delves into the experiential, social, political, and historic views of Appalachia. Bone & Fiddle Dance Collective explores gender roles, social engagement and issues of poverty through the lens of contemporary movement.