Earnest-Dancy wedding service held Saturday, September 16, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. at Second Presbyterian Church, 342 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC. Livestream available on YouTube.
Barger/Bahri Wedding
Barger/Bahri wedding service held Saturday, April 22, 2023 at 4:00 p.m. at Second Presbyterian Church, 342 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC. Livestream available on YouTube.
Christmas Eve Services
A Service of Lessons and Carols
A SERVICE OF LESSONS AND CAROLS
Tripp Carrington, Reader
Beloved in Christ, at this Christmastide let it be our care and delight to hear again the message of the angels, and in heart and mind to go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which is come to pass, and the Babe lying in a manger.
FIRST LESSON
Genesis 3:8–15, 17–19
God tells sinful Adam that he has lost the life of Paradise and that his seed will bruise the serpent’s head.
They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.” The Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”
And to the man he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
SECOND LESSON
Isaiah 11:1–4a, 6–9
The peace that Christ will bring is foreshown.
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see
or decide by what his ears hear,
but with righteousness he shall judge for the poor
and decide with equity for the oppressed of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
The wolf shall live with the lamb;
the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
the calf and the lion will feed together,
and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze;
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
THIRD LESSON
Luke 1:6–35, 38
The angel Gabriel salutes the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.
Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
FOURTH LESSON
Luke 2:1-7
St Luke tells of the birth of Jesus.
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no place in the guest room.
FIFTH LESSON
Luke 2:8–16
The shepherds go to the manger.
Now in that same region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger.
SIXTH LESSON
Matthew 2:1–12
The wise men are led by the star to Jesus.
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi from the east came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet:
‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah,
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.’ ”
Then Herod secretly called for the magi and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, they set out, and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen in the east, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
SEVENTH LESSON
John 1:1–14
St John unfolds the great mystery of the Incarnation.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.
There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.
Thanks be to God.
An Evening Honoring the Legacy of Denmark Vesey
An Evening Honoring the Legacy of Denmark Vesey
June 25 at 6:00 p.m. in the sanctuary
Presented by Second Presbyterian Church in partnership with the Charleston Gospel Choir
Second Presbyterian Church and Charleston Gospel Choir will honor the legacy of Denmark Vesey with an event featuring special narration and music provided by the Charleston Gospel Choir on June 25th at 6:00 p.m. in the sanctuary.
This event is free and open to the public and will pay homage to the extraordinary 200-year legacy and life of Denmark Vesey, a self-educated Black man who planned the most extensive slave rebellion in U.S. history in Charleston, 1822. The Charleston Gospel Choir will perform moving spirituals and gospel standards including “Lawd, How Come Me Heah,” “Heaven Help Us All,” and “To Be Young Gifted and Black.”
In a city-wide collaboration, Second Presbyterian Church, IAAM, the Gaillard, and Mother Emanuel A.M.E. are engaging the narrative of Denmark Vesey with events throughout June and July.
Our Faith Stories Event
Our Faith Stories
Second Presbyterian Church
Tuesday, March 22 at 6:00 p.m.
This event is hosted by the International African American Museum to heighten awareness, and spark conversations about the factors and dynamics at work 400 years ago that continue to shape the attitudes, beliefs, and traditions of Black congregations in SC and beyond. Meet the producers of an upcoming documentary film and engage in thought provoking discussion about ways we might constructively address events that occurred in the name of Christianity so many years ago and honor the ancestors who found powerful ways to serve their communities and make Christianity their own.
Introductions + Q&A: Rev. DeMett Jenkins & Rev. Dr. Cress Darwin
Panelists: Dr. Donald E. Green, Dr. Riggins Earl, Rev. Dr. Cleve V. Tinsley, IV, and Rev. Dr. Marquita Carmichael.
Soloist: Rosemary Griffin
Registration is required.
Stillman College Concert Choir
Stillman College Concert Choir
Sunday, March 13, 2022
6:00 p.m.*
Free, donations accepted.
*Please note the time change.
Faith and Climate Change Event
The Interfaith Speaker Series Keynote Address “The Integration of Ecospirituality and Ecojustice”
Second Presbyterian Church
Thursday, March 3 at 6:30 p.m.
Drs. Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim, senior Lecturers and Research Scholars at Yale University and co-directors of the Forum on Religion, will focus on the intersections of religion and the environmental crisis.
The call for environmental justice for communities adversely affected by pollution and climate change is rising. At the same time ecospirituality is showing us how we are part of a living Earth community. This talk explores these growing movements in religion and ecology.
A light meal will be offered following the keynote by Ragina Scott Saunders, Soul Food Chef and founder of Destiny Community Café. Registration is required.
Piccolo Spoleto
Second Presbyterian Church is looking forward to hosting a few Piccolo Spoleto Spotlight performances again as well as The Sandwich Stop this year in conjunction with the first weekend of the Piccolo Spoleto Craft Show.
PICCOLO SPOLETO SPOTLIGHT SERIES
Second Presbyterian will host several concerts in the Spotlight series:
Friday, May 28, 6pm on the portico
Hello Sax! Jonathan Kammer, saxophone quartet. Also Taylor Festival Choir professional a capella choral ensemble.
Saturday, May 29, 6pm in the sanctuary
Charleston Academy of Music Faculty: Abigail Kent, harp solo; Violin, cello and piano trio
New Muse ensemble, Lydia Chernicoff, violin
Charleston Symphony Orchestra string quartet
Sunday, May 30, 3pm in the sanctuary
Steve Rosenberg and Friends Renaissance and Baroque music
Margaret Fleming's Service of Ordination
Second Presbyterian is honored to host a service of ordination for Margaret Fleming tomorrow afternoon. The Charleston Atlantic Presbytery will conduct the service in our sanctuary on Sunday, April 18 at 4:00 p.m. and you are invited.
Margaret has been a member of Second Presbyterian Church since 2017. She resides in Mt. Pleasant with her husband Will, a fourth-year medical student at MUSC. She is a candidate for ordination to the office of Word and Sacrament to serve in the Ordered Ministry of Chaplaincy. Margaret is currently serving as a Chaplain Resident at Roper Hospital.
Baroque Music Concert
Enjoy your Sunday afternoon with beautiful music on March 21, 4:00 pm.
Freewill offering in person or via Venmo @johnsamuelroper
Celebrate JS Bach’s 336th birthday live or virtually!
John Samuel Roper, flute, Tim O’Malley, viola da gamba, and our own Julia Harlow, harpsichord, will play a concert both in-person here at the church (masked, distanced) and live streamed here.
Composers include Michel Blavet (French, 18th c.), Anna Bon (a child prodigy of mid-18th c. Italy), Georg Philipp Telemann and Johann Sebastian Bach.