Welcome to Second Presbyterian Church of Roanoke, VA
Finding direction by following Jesus.
Upcoming Events
Advent Workshop
Sunday, November 24 | 4:45-6:30 p.m. | Fellowship Hall
RSVP by Monday, Nov. 18
The annual Advent Workshop is a wonderful opportunity for households of every size and generation to join together for a special project that will help get your home ready for the season. This year, the CE Committee plans to help you make a nativity scene!
A potluck dinner is on the menu, so we hope you will come, bring a favorite dish to share, enjoy the good food and fellowship, and craft with family and friends!
Participants will rotate among tables to work on each figure or group of figures. The nativity is made from wooden blocks (1.5” deep, figure heights range from 5.25-6.5″). There is also a wooden star and a peg doll Jesus. Blocks will be pre-cut, and participants will sand, paint, and hot glue accessories such as twine belts, gifts, etc. One nativity scene per family.
Advent Workshop Schedule:
- 4:45-5:30 p.m. Dinner (beverages and hot chocolate bar will be provided)
- 5:30-6:30 p.m. Craft time
- 6:00 p.m. Kids’ Fellowship participants dismissed for pageant rehearsal (until 6:30)
Registration is now closed.
“Sing in Exultation” Advent Sermon Series
Sunday Mornings | December 1-29, 2024
Jesus was born into a weary world, bringing good news of great joy for all people. In a season of lament, his birth sparked joy and song from angels and elders, a new mother and an old priest. At Second Presbyterian, our Advent sermon series, “Sing in Exultation,” celebrates the good news of Jesus when and where we least expect it.
Join us for Worship this Advent and Christmas Season
Regular Sunday Morning Worship:
- 8:45 a.m. Early Service, Sanctuary
- 9:45 a.m. Sunday School for all ages
- 11:00 a.m. Late Service, Sanctuary/Live Stream
Christmas Eve Dec. 24:
- 12:00 p.m. Worship Service, Sanctuary/Live Stream
- 5:00 p.m. Family Worship Service, Sanctuary
- 10:00 p.m. Candlelight Worship Service, Sanctuary
Advent Sunday School Series
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol
December 1, 8, 15 & 22 | 9:45 a.m. | Fellowship Hall or Chapel
On December 19, 1843, A Christmas Carol was published in London, introducing the world to the elderly miser, Ebenezer Scrooge. As Scrooge is visited on Christmas Eve by the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley, and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come, we see the ways he is transformed over the course of one night.
Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol during a period when the British were exploring and reevaluating past Christmas traditions. On a visit to the Field Lane Ragged School, one of several organizations established to educate the region’s most impoverished children, Dickens was inspired. He imagined the tale of a selfish man, redeemed by his exposure and understanding to those less fortunate. The rest is history.
The book has never been out of print, and has been adapted many times over for film, stage, and opera. It is a well-loved tale that has stood the test of time. Debate surrounds the question of whether A Christmas Carol is a fully secular story or a Christian allegory. For Christians, it’s not hard to see the religious parallels.
Join Carter Brothers and his cast of characters for this Advent season’s 4-week course on this classic tale.
Dates and Locations:
- Dec 1, Fellowship Hall
- Dec 8, Chapel
- Dec 15, Chapel
- Dec 22, Fellowship Hall
Poinsettia Order Form 2024
Order by Monday, December 2
If you would like to give memorial or celebration poinsettias for the Christmas season services, please complete the order form and submit a payment of $12.50 per plant. Poinsettias will be displayed during services on December 15 (pink) and 22 through Christmas Eve (red). The deadline for receiving orders and payment is Monday, December 2.
Christmas Dinner and Pageant
Sunday, December 8 | 5:00 – 6:45 P.M. | Fellowship Hall/Sanctuary
Register by Sunday, November 24
Mark your calendar for our traditional family Christmas Dinner and Pageant on the evening of December 8. The evening begins with a delicious dinner by Lib & Amy Catering at 5:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. After, we will recess to the sanctuary for the delightful children’s Christmas Pageant. Come join the festivities!
Dinner Menu: Baked Chicken Breast, Macaroni & Cheese, Mixed Vegetables, Mixed Garden Salad (Balsamic and Ranch Dressings), Buttered Rolls, Assorted Desserts
We look forward to celebrating this wonderful season with our church family and hope to see you there!
Register by Sunday, November 24. Contact Meredith Koliba with questions.
The Longest Night Service
December 18, 2024 | 6:00 p.m. | Sanctuary
For those who have experienced loss, the holidays can be a particularly painful time, stirring up grief in acute ways. As a result, churches around the world have adopted the practice of having a “Blue Christmas” or a “Longest Night” service during the Advent season. In the Northern hemisphere, this service is often observed on or around the Winter Solstice, which is the longest night of the year.
A Longest Night service is designed to provide space for prayer, reflection, and remembrance amidst the holiday hustle and bustle. We hope this offering may provide a space of calm, quiet, and healing for many.
Join the Rev. Elizabeth Link at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 18 in the Sanctuary for this meaningful time of worship.
“Deep & Wide”
Christian Education 2024-2025
“Dig deep wells, and the cattle never wander.” This old proverb speaks to the wisdom of providing water, nourishment for lean times. On the surface, it offers a wise word to farmers and herdsmen, but perhaps another meaning is about the spiritual life. A faith that has depth will nourish in times of trouble and drought. Moreover, a deep spiritual life will sustain a person through a lifetime.
At Second Presbyterian Church of Roanoke, VA, we take our call to nurture faith seriously. For this reason, we provide opportunities for education at every stage of development. To assume that Christian education is only for children is to make faith sound like a childish endeavor. Indeed, we crave deep, living water our whole lives long.
What may look like play in a children’s classroom is the introduction of a God who finds joy in each and every child in our care. The sound of feet about to break through the ceiling is the expression of love in young people’s music and voices at children’s choir. What looks like a tasty meal for teens is a holy reminder of meals shared by Jesus and his friends in the Gospels. And what seems like adults in discussion is actually friendship being forged and spiritual nourishment given for the week ahead.
With Christian education, we are digging deep wells, we are inviting you to dive into this wide, expansive living water. Jump in. Join us. Drink from this well. See the Christian Education Booklet to learn about the ways you may grow in faith through education, fellowship, and discipleship throughout the 2024-25 church school year.
Second Presbyterian Church of Roanoke, VA is a vital congregation for people of all ages and circumstances seeking to know, love, and follow Christ.
Second Presbyterian Church Roanoke Welcomes You
Are you looking for ways to foster and nurture your family in an ever-changing world? Are you thinking about finding a church home? At Second Presbyterian Church of Roanoke, VA, our friendly staff and congregation strive to care for your family both spiritually and emotionally. To that end, this website is designed to ease the transition into the life of our church. Whether you decide to visit or join, we welcome you!
Meet our Pastors
Dr. George C. Anderson
Dr. George C. Anderson is the seventh Senior Pastor in the history of Second Presbyterian Church (Roanoke, VA). He began preaching at Second on February 22, 1998. Previously, he had been the Senior Minister at Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Jackson, MS, and an Associate Minister at First Presbyterian Church in Kingsport, TN. He is a graduate of St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg, NC, and Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, VA. Dr. Anderson is involved in every aspect of church life with an emphasis on preaching, teaching, visiting, and staff oversight.
George and his wife, Millie, have three daughters: Paige, Rachel, and Virginia. Virginia became a new mother to daughter Emory on November 1, 2017.
The Reverend Elizabeth N.H. Link
The Rev. Elizabeth N.H. Link joined the staff of Second Presbyterian in August 2011. She attended Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC, where she majored in history and religion: Christian education. Following graduation, she served First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach, FL, as Director of Christian education, and subsequently recognized the call to ordained ministry. In 2009, Elizabeth earned a Master of Divinity degree from Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, VA. Afterwards, she served as a Lake Fellow in Parish Ministry, at Second Presbyterian Church, Indianapolis, IN.
Elizabeth is married to Chris Link, and the two welcomed their first child, Eleanor, in the spring of 2018.
The Reverend Benjamin S. Brannan
The Rev. Ben Brannan joined the staff of Second Presbyterian as the Associate Pastor for Youth & Young Adults in March 2021 following a two-year pastoral residency at Myers Park Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. Ben has a long tenure in youth development, spending six years as Assistant Camp Director at YMCA Camp Cherokee, coaching high school and club soccer for nine years, even spending three years as a part-time substitute teacher. Following a career change, he felt God’s call to pursue theological education and earned a Master of Divinity degree from Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. While in school, Ben served as Youth Minister and Pastoral Intern at Second Presbyterian in Richmond. He brings joy, creativity, and deep faith to all he does.
Ben is married to Valerie Brannan, and they welcomed their first son, Camden, in March 2022.