Sunday Bulletin - April 10

THIS IS GOD'S HOUSE - ALL ARE WELCOME

 “Meeting people at their point of need, Inviting all into a dynamic relationship with Christ”

LET US KNOW YOU WORSHIPED WITH US TODAY - If you’re a visitor, online or in person, and would like more information please feel free to fill out a card or email Pastor Cress.

INFORMATION & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Are you looking for a church home where you can make a difference for the God we serve? Where you belong and you will be known, nurtured, challenged?  We welcome you and invite you to spend some time with us.

MASKS ARE NOT REQUIRED during worship as of March 2, 2022. Find out more about worship guidelines and COVID mitigation efforts here.

THE BELL TOWER REPAIRS – Read more about the repairs and details of the project here. And give toward the Steeple Fund here. →

Second Presbyterian is a church community where you will be known and nurtured. Have a prayer request? Please let us know here. Interested in joining Second? Find more about becoming a member here.

And get connected! Join a small group here. There are still ways to be involved and to offer your time, talents, and resources in service to others. Please reach out to our Director of Community and Communications Jordyn Pritchard to get connected.

Watch Second Presbyterian services and videos on YouTube, like Second on Facebook, and stay connected by signing up for our emails which offer a snapshot of upcoming church and missions events and announcements.

Tell and Show

Sunday morning worship at 10:30 a.m. in-person, following CDC guidelines, and live streamed here.

Find upcoming events and announcements here.

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SERMON SNAPSHOT: Sunday, April 10, 2022

Dear Friends in Christ –

Who’s up for a parade? If you had made your way to Jerusalem around 33 AD you could choose from two. Entering one gate the Roman Procurator on a high stepping, nostrils flaring charger. On the other side of town an itinerant prophet bouncing on the back of a donkey. Each to converge as principals in a narrative with cosmic consequences. 

This Sunday we focus on Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem - palms waving, coats laid on the road, shouts of Hosanna – Save Us! Can we celebrate knowing the end of the story? You betcha! Because we know that crucifixion isn’t the end of the story. Jesus has already said he is the way, the truth and the life. The end of the story is yet to be written, but we know it includes Jesus and life and us!

This Sunday the children will process, we will baptize Elizabeth Mae Willoughby and we’ll engage the last of the Six Great Ends of the Church – showin’ what it looks like to be a citizen of Messiah’s realm. Second Presbyterian, Doin’ Church! 

Let’s worship together this Sunday. Bring someone you love (or even someone you don’t). Let’s enjoy food, fellowship and the grace that is ours and ours to share. 

In great anticipation –

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This Lenten season we are exploring joy through sermon and study.

Rev. Darwin will lead us through the Six Great Ends of the Church as we explore the great joy of doing church together in our sermon series Doin' Church.

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Please worship from home if you are exhibiting any COVID-like symptoms, are aware of an exposure, or have been asked by a school or other institution to quarantine or isolate.

Interested in becoming a member of Second Presbyterian? Email Cress for more information and dates for upcoming new members classes.

Listen to sermon podcasts here. Click here to view all Second Presbyterian Church videos. Find upcoming events and announcements here.

Easter Egg Hunt 2022

Community Easter Egg Hunt

Saturday, April 16 at 9:30 a.m.

Wragg Square in front of Second Presbyterian Church

342 Meeting Street

Easter Egg Hunt in the park in front of Second Presbyterian Church in partnership with Greater St. Luke AME Saturday, April 16th at 9:30 a.m. Enjoy games, refreshments, and fellowship ahead of the egg hunt, which will begin promptly at 10:00 a.m. and include a scavenger hunt for older children.

Small prize and peanut-free individually wrapped candy donations to fill the eggs will be accepted through April 13. Thank you!

Invite your friends, family and neighbors! Everyone is welcome!

Parking available at the corner of John and Elizabeth Streets.

Lent Devotional 5: Loving What Is

Loving What Is

Many of us have heard the saying, “it’s easier said than done,” and we have probably said it a few time ourselves too. It’s one thing to say you are going to do something and it’s another to follow through and make the decision to take action.

When I first read this particular topic I felt a connection because handing over my worries to God and loving what is in the here and now is something I have always been working on. We tend to try and control every aspect of our lives days, weeks, and months in advance and we can forget about the present. We tend to forget that God can and will help us, but we have to continue to put our trust in him. And once we do that, God will handle all our worries and will give us the tools we need for everything. We have also heard people tell us what we need is right in front of us and I think that can be a reminder to take a pause and truly appreciate the present and what’s around us. We also need to fully immerse ourselves in particular moments to truly see all the beauty and blessings around us- to see all that God has given us- big, small and in between.

We have been programmed to think the future is what we have to live for when in actuality the most important is the present. God has created a beautiful world for us to enjoy for ourselves and with the people that mean the most to us. Soak up all the beauty and blessings surrounding you and trust that God will be right there to handle it.

- Michele Gray

Sunday Bulletin - April 3

THIS IS GOD'S HOUSE - ALL ARE WELCOME

 “Meeting people at their point of need, Inviting all into a dynamic relationship with Christ”

LET US KNOW YOU WORSHIPED WITH US TODAY - If you’re a visitor, online or in person, and would like more information please feel free to fill out a card or email Pastor Cress.

INFORMATION & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Are you looking for a church home where you can make a difference for the God we serve? Where you belong and you will be known, nurtured, challenged?  We welcome you and invite you to spend some time with us.

MASKS ARE NOT REQUIRED during worship as of March 2, 2022. Find out more about worship guidelines and COVID mitigation efforts here.

THE BELL TOWER REPAIRS – Read more about the repairs and details of the project here. And give toward the Steeple Fund here. →

Second Presbyterian is a church community where you will be known and nurtured. Have a prayer request? Please let us know here. Interested in joining Second? Find more about becoming a member here.

And get connected! Join a small group here. There are still ways to be involved and to offer your time, talents, and resources in service to others. Please reach out to our Director of Community and Communications Jordyn Pritchard to get connected.

Watch Second Presbyterian services and videos on YouTube, like Second on Facebook, and stay connected by signing up for our emails which offer a snapshot of upcoming church and missions events and announcements.

Doin' Justice

Sunday morning worship at 10:30 a.m. in-person, following CDC guidelines, and live streamed here.

Find upcoming events and announcements here.

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SERMON SNAPSHOT: Sunday, April 3, 2022

Dear Friends in Christ –

This is the Fifth Week of Lent, which marks our fifth engagement of the Six Great Ends of the Church, a statement of purpose for the community of God’s people. Proclamation, Nurture, Worship, Truth and Justice.

A few years ago a talk show host suggested you should ask your church authorities, “are you down with this social justice thing?” If they were to say, "yeah, we’re all in on this social justice thing," then, the radio host said, listeners ought to run and flee that church and report them. He went on to declare that social justice has the same philosophy as the Nazis and Communists. How sad. How dangerous.

Well, we’re doin’ justice.

The people of God are to promote Social Justice – caring for, equipping, and loving all of God’s people. We are down with dynamic, biblical social justice that leads to the dignity and worth of all. And we are down with loving God’s own as Jesus commanded. Let’s pray that someone comes into our worship and leaves to report that we are down with Jesus, down with God’s justice.

See you in worship. We’ll celebrate communion, the SPK kids will sing, and our spirits will be lifted.

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This Lenten season we are exploring joy through sermon and study.

Rev. Darwin will lead us through the Six Great Ends of the Church as we explore the great joy of doing church together in our sermon series Doin' Church.

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Please worship from home if you are exhibiting any COVID-like symptoms, are aware of an exposure, or have been asked by a school or other institution to quarantine or isolate.

Interested in becoming a member of Second Presbyterian? Email Cress for more information and dates for upcoming new members classes.

Listen to sermon podcasts here. Click here to view all Second Presbyterian Church videos. Find upcoming events and announcements here.

Palm Sunday Picnic

Palm Sunday Picnic

April 10, 2022

Fellowship, food and fun with lawn games and face painting

You are invited to the Palm Sunday church service at 10:30 a.m. followed by a picnic in the park (or fellowship hall if weather does not permit). Ham, turkey, rolls, fruit salad, and sheet cake provided by the deacons. Please bring a side dish to share.

Everyone is welcome!

Lent Devotional 4: When Words Fail

When Words Fail
Luke 19:28-42

Have you ever sent an email or a text message that someone read in a way you didn’t intend? Sometimes our words are ambiguous, or shrouded by double-meaning, or sometimes we project a tone that we don’t mean to convey. Other times, we just don’t have the words…

My words fail me most when I try to express my sympathies. Everyone has that day in their life when their world stood still; maybe it was the death of a loved one, the unexpected rejection of a loved one or a dream job, or maybe you got life-altering news from the doctor. Did anyone say anything to you to make that life-shattering moment better? Or instead, was there a friend who came over and brought some comfort food and a listening ear?

My wife loves home improvement; we’re always fixing things around the house. So on the day when we had our life-altering moment, my first instinct was to fix it. I offered solutions, I tried to find a reason for the tragedy, and I looked for something I could control, to keep it from happening again. When I saw how fruitless this was, my wife made it clear to me that she didn’t need any fixing or input. I just needed to listen.

In Luke 19, Jesus arrived in Jerusalem as a King in unorthodox form, on a colt with no saddle. Many were appalled by His apparent pride, especially the Pharisees, and they asked Jesus to rebuke those worshipping him like a god. But his reply was that of fact, not pride: “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” Whether his enemies knew it or not, Jesus was God, and no words could alter this fact. He then wept for the city that wouldn’t listen to His words, that would choose to kill Him rather than receive Him.

Our world is full of distractions: Our phone buzzes every time someone calls, our watch vibrates when we’ve been sitting too long, our tablet dings when we get an email. These are indeed wonderful inventions that help us maintain connections with our friends and family, but how often does it help us listen to the Lord? If we make a sincere effort to listen in this season of Lent, we can receive Him in a new light. Maybe that means turning off the devices for a few minutes, or going to the beach for a walk, or sitting alone in a quiet place. When we can truly listen and receive the Lord, we’ll find comfort and rest when words fail.

- Dan Tenpas

Sunday Bulletin - March 27

THIS IS GOD'S HOUSE - ALL ARE WELCOME

 “Meeting people at their point of need, Inviting all into a dynamic relationship with Christ”

LET US KNOW YOU WORSHIPED WITH US TODAY - If you’re a visitor, online or in person, and would like more information please feel free to fill out a card or email Pastor Cress.

INFORMATION & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Are you looking for a church home where you can make a difference for the God we serve? Where you belong and you will be known, nurtured, challenged?  We welcome you and invite you to spend some time with us.

MASKS ARE NOT REQUIRED during worship as of March 2, 2022. Find out more about worship guidelines and COVID mitigation efforts here.

6-WEEK LENT SMALL GROUPS information here.

THE BELL TOWER REPAIRS – Read more about the repairs and details of the project here. And give toward the Steeple Fund here. →

Second Presbyterian is a church community where you will be known and nurtured. Have a prayer request? Please let us know here. Interested in joining Second? Find more about becoming a member here.

And get connected! Join a small group here. There are still ways to be involved and to offer your time, talents, and resources in service to others. Please reach out to our Director of Community and Communications Jordyn Pritchard to get connected.

Watch Second Presbyterian services and videos on YouTube, like Second on Facebook, and stay connected by signing up for our emails which offer a snapshot of upcoming church and missions events and announcements.

Easter Lilies

Easter lilies are now available for order for $15 each. If you would like to make a donation this Easter season to honor a loved one or to the glory of God, please complete the order form below and submit your total donation online, place in the offering plate on Sunday, or deliver it to the church office.

Forms must be submitted by Wednesday, April 13, 2022 in order for memorials to be published.

Easter Lilies Order Form

"Izness"

Sunday morning worship at 10:30 a.m. in-person, following CDC guidelines, and live streamed here.

Find upcoming events and announcements here.

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SERMON SNAPSHOT: Sunday, March 27, 2022

The Preservation of Truth
The 4th of the 6 Great(!) – emphasis mine:) – Ends of the Church

Dear Friends in Christ –

Are you aware of the term absolute modifiers? Absolute modifiers are adjectives and adverbs that shouldn't be compared or modified because they have an absolute quality such as complete, perfect, final, total. Here’s an example – the word perfect means "having no room for improvement." I would add truth – that which is true.

In our public discourse it has been suggested that some things, some statements, some occasions offer an alternate truth. Don’t buy it. Don’t buy into it. 

The Apostle Paul offered this to the people of Philippi: "Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies."

This Sunday we approach, and we seek, God’s harmony. We’re better together –

See you in worship!

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This Lenten season we are exploring joy through sermon and study.

Rev. Darwin will lead us through the Six Great Ends of the Church as we explore the great joy of doing church together in our sermon series Doin' Church.

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Please worship from home if you are exhibiting any COVID-like symptoms, are aware of an exposure, or have been asked by a school or other institution to quarantine or isolate.

Interested in becoming a member of Second Presbyterian? Email Cress for more information and dates for upcoming new members classes.

Listen to sermon podcasts here. Click here to view all Second Presbyterian Church videos. Find upcoming events and announcements here.

Lent Devotional 3: Mediocrity for the Win

Mediocrity for the Win: Psalm 19

I’ll confess that I don’t even like the title for this devotional. I tried several times to come up with something else that wouldn’t make it look like I even knew how to think about or understood “mediocrity!” I’ll admit upfront that I’m competitive; I like to win. I like to do things right - the first time. I like for others to at least think that I know what I’m doing or good at what I do. 

I love to cook. I enjoy working in the kitchen with friends, preparing a wonderful meal, sharing stories and tasting as we add ingredients and spices. And the best part of all is serving up a meal for family, friends and strangers who sit at table together to enjoy a great meal! But don’t ask me for a recipe, because at best that’s where I started but it's nowhere close to where I end up. Afterall, if I followed the recipe, someone might see that I missed an ingredient or skipped a step in the process. They may expect it to taste one way and it end up very different! 

I love my woodworking. I am taken deep into my memories and cherish the thoughts of carrying on the craft that my father taught me years ago. When I smell the sawdust and fresh-cut wood in my shop, it is much like a balm to my soul and healing to my spirit. When someone asks me to make them a piece of furniture, I tell them that if they can find me a picture of something they like and give me the dimensions of what they want that I should be able to make them a nice piece. But you would be hard-pressed to find a plan with measurements, markings, instructions for how to build a cabinet, table or shelf just like the one in the picture. I’ve tried to make something “just like that” and it has never worked for me. So don’t send me a detailed plan - because I’d not want to disappoint you and make something that didn’t measure up to the plan or to what you really wanted from me. 

But tell me what you might like in the kitchen and then get out of the way and let me look and smell my way through the spice cabinet to come up with something that I’m pretty sure you’d enjoy. Tell me what kind of furniture or piece you’d like from my woodshop, step out of the way and let me be creative and work with the wood that is in front of me. Either way, kitchen or woodshop, when I trust in my own creativity; when I work with what I have available to me and use the gifts I have, I trust it will result in something pretty amazing - even if it might not measure up to the world’s standards. 

My challenge is to embrace and use the gifts entrusted to me by the Spirit. Your challenge is to do the same. And if indeed we use our gifts to add to God’s wonderful creation, then it will most certainly be “Mediocrity for the Win!” 

- William M Jewell

Sunday Bulletin - March 20

THIS IS GOD'S HOUSE - ALL ARE WELCOME

 “Meeting people at their point of need, Inviting all into a dynamic relationship with Christ”

LET US KNOW YOU WORSHIPED WITH US TODAY - If you’re a visitor, online or in person, and would like more information please feel free to fill out a card or email Pastor Cress.

INFORMATION & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Are you looking for a church home where you can make a difference for the God we serve? Where you belong and you will be known, nurtured, challenged?  We welcome you and invite you to spend some time with us.

MASKS ARE NOT REQUIRED during worship as of March 2, 2022. Find out more about worship guidelines and COVID mitigation efforts here.

6-WEEK LENT SMALL GROUPS information here.

WALK FOR WATER – Join us for the 2022 Walk for Water on Saturday, March 26th at 9 a.m. at Riverfront Park in N. Charleston. Together, we will raise funds and awareness to fight the global water crisis by building safe water solutions for people in need around the world.

THE BELL TOWER REPAIRS – Read more about the repairs and details of the project here. And give toward the Steeple Fund here. →

Second Presbyterian is a church community where you will be known and nurtured. Have a prayer request? Please let us know here. Interested in joining Second? Find more about becoming a member here.

And get connected! Join a small group here. There are still ways to be involved and to offer your time, talents, and resources in service to others. Please reach out to our Director of Community and Communications Jordyn Pritchard to get connected.

Watch Second Presbyterian services and videos on YouTube, like Second on Facebook, and stay connected by signing up for our emails which offer a snapshot of upcoming church and missions events and announcements.

Orthodox Worship

Sunday morning worship at 10:30 a.m. in-person, following CDC guidelines, and live streamed here.

Find upcoming events and announcements here.

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SERMON SNAPSHOT: Sunday, March 20, 2022

Dear Friends in Christ –

This week: Maintenance of Divine Worship. Orthodoxy... but it's not what you think.

There is a right way to worship and it is through orthodoxy – “ortho” meaning right, and “doxia” meaning praise. That's it.

In the years of the Reformation, one of the fathers of this denomination, John Calvin, looked around and realized that there were many groups who would call themselves Christian, so how was one to know? He came up with this:the true church is where the word of God is rightly preached, and the sacraments administered according to Christ’s institution.

See you in worship –

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This Lenten season we are exploring joy through sermon and study.

Rev. Darwin will lead us through the Six Great Ends of the Church as we explore the great joy of doing church together in our sermon series Doin' Church.

A Lenten devotional reflection is published on Mondays and there are small group times for devotion and discussion throughout the week based on a selection of Kate Bowler's Good Enough devotions. Find out more about the devotional study groups here.

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Please worship from home if you are exhibiting any COVID-like symptoms, are aware of an exposure, or have been asked by a school or other institution to quarantine or isolate.

Interested in becoming a member of Second Presbyterian? Email Cress for more information and dates for upcoming new members classes.

Listen to sermon podcasts here. Click here to view all Second Presbyterian Church videos. Find upcoming events and announcements here.

Lent Devotional 2: When Good Things Become Burdens

When Good Things Become Burdens

In the past several months, I have been working from this idea of pursuing practices that simply fit in order to create a life that fits me just right, like Goldie Locks. How beautiful to think that God wants to help us create a life, filled with practices that simply fit us like the perfect glove. Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie in Good Enough remind us that when we invite God into our lives, God can help us create the kind of life that fits. They write, “The little habits we create with God’s guidance will actually be made to fit us. Fit me. Fit you. The particular you, in this particular moment” (Bowler and Richie, p. 47).

The Lenten practice of giving something up or putting something on is designed, not to make us feel guilty if/when we do not accomplish it 100%, it is instead an intentional act of creating space to rely on God. This season of Lent, I chose to put on a practice that fit neatly into my life and is reminding me to rely on God.

I am looking for joy in my everyday ordinary life, letting it unveil the Divine in my midst, I then write about it. This practice did not require me to fundamentally alter anything in my life, it simply requires a little shift of perspective and the intention of sitting down and documenting it. God knew I needed a practice that would fit into my life, fit me by providing me with joyful opportunities to rely even more fully on God’s provision. It doesn’t feel like a burden, in fact it has been incredibly life-giving. Just like our authors assured me a practice co-designed with God would. And it is, by the grace of God, good enough.

- Margaret Fleming

You can keep up with Margaret’s Lenten practice on her blog at theversatilegirl.com/lent2022.

These weekly Lenten emails are reflections based on a selection of Kate Bowler's Good Enough devotions. 

A devotional reflection will be published each Monday during Lent. If you would like to receive devotionals and weekly updates please make sure you sign up for our email list. Join a "Good Enough" Lent devotion small group for discussion of these themes and other group devotions.

•      Midweek: 

Wednesday discussion group on Zoom at 8:00 p.m.

•      Sundays at 9:30 a.m.: 

Adults in the downstairs classroom with Sue & Aled

Youth "donuts and devotions" up in the conference room with Jordyn