We exist to connect people to full life in Jesus. Cultivating the sort of relationship with Jesus that yields full life is rooted in community –more specifically, a community that is striving to know Jesus. Below, you can find an up-to-date list of opportunities to get connected here at PCTR.
On Palm Sunday we remember the fanfare and jubilant welcome of Jesus as he rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey for Passover. Just days later he’d be arrested, tried, crucified, and buried by the same crowd. Join us for worship at our regular service times: Saturday, 5 pm (Contemporary Worship), Sunday, 9:30 am (Traditional Worship), or Sunday, 10:30 am (Contemporary Worship.)
If you'd like to donate an Easter lily ($12 per plant) in memory or celebration of a loved one, you can pick up a lily donation envelope in the Welcome Center or online at pctr.org/lily by 4/13
At this somber worship service, we remember the Last Supper and read through the scripture detailing the final days of Christ’s life from the Passover meal to his death on the cross. Join us for this unique and moving candlelight service on Thursday, April 17 at 7 pm.
Travel through the last hours of Jesus’ life and reflect on his death and sacrifice through this tactile, self-guided experience in our sanctuary. Stop by any time between 9 am and 1 pm on April 18 and take as long as you need to work your way through each prayer station.
Bring your best egg hunting basket, bucket, or bag (and your friends!) & head to the free parking lot located at 27 Irons St, Toms River any time between 12 – 3 pm on April 18 for our Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt. We’ll give you clues to help you find each egg stop in our hunt and share a bit of why Good Friday is so good! Stick around at Huddy Park after for food trucks, games, face painting, and the Easter Bunny! More info at pctr.org/egghunt
Meet us at Huddy Park on the river in downtown Toms River for this special early morning Easter service. Dress for the weather and bring a chair or blanket to sit on if you wish. This is a great opportunity to invite a friend to watch the sunrise over the river and attend worship with you.
Join us for worship this Easter (April 20)! There are three worship services at PCTR: 8:30 am (Contemporary), 9:30 am (Traditional), and 10:30 am (Contemporary) Get more info about each at pctr.org/easter
Kids (age 3 through 5th grade) send Mom and Dad out and join us for a bunch of fun at Parents’ Night Out on May 2 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm! We’ll share a pizza dinner and tons of fun with games and crafts! Register at pctr.org/parentsnight
Lace up your walking shoes and join our team for Villages in Partnership’s Water Walk. Our team, the PCTR Water Walkers, is aiming to raise at least $2000 in support of VIP’s work in Malawi. Join our team and walk with us or donate to one of our team members. Find more info on how to participate at pctr.org/waterwalk or grab an FAQ sheet in the Welcome Center. Walk & fundraise throughout the month of April!
Compassion International is a Christian child sponsorship organization working to release children from poverty by meeting their right-now and long-term needs in partnership with the local church. Learn more in worship on May 3 & 4.
Sometimes it’s just fun to have hang out together and that’s what Fun, Faith, and Fellowship is all about. If you're a student in grades 6 - 12, join us on May 5 at 6pm!
Grab your clubs and hit the links at Bey Lea in support of The Hope Center on May 8th for their 4th Annual Golf Classic. This will be a day filled with prizes, raffles, great food and a lot of fun on the green for an amazing cause! All proceeds benefit the mission of The HOPE Center. Register to donate & play at pctr.org/golf.
Presbyterian Women is sponsoring a Women’s Health & Wellness Expo on May 10 (9 am.) Join us for breakfast and stay for a series of discussions on topics related to women’s physical, mental, and spiritual health. There will also be an opportunity for some basic health screenings, as well as a question and answer period. RSVP to [email protected]
Our Confirmation students have spent the last several months learning more about God, His promises for them, and their faith. Join us on May 18th right after worship (about 12 pm) to celebrate their journey and support them as they share their statements of faith.
Seniors, you’re invited to an ice cream social on May 18 (2:30 - 3:30 pm)! Our Elder Care team is providing the ice cream and toppings for this “Flavors of Spring” gathering. Bring a friend with you for a sweet treat and stick around for the afternoon’s Americana Choral Concert at 4 pm!
Our Ocean Classic Concert Series will wrap our current season with an Americana Choral Concert featuring music for choir and orchestra. Join us on May 18, 2025 at 4pm.
What does it mean to be a member at PCTR? Find out at our next new member gathering. At the end of this 3 part class, you’ll have the opportunity to join the church as a member. Sessions will take place on Thursdays at 6:30 pm on May 29, June 5 and June 12. Register at pctr.org/newmember
Children ages 1-5 and one of their favorite adults are invited to join us on June 5 , 9-11 am for Mustard Seeds, a morning of crafts, Bible stories, music and, of course, play time! Together we’ll learn more about God’s love for us. Contact Christi with any questions at [email protected] or call the church office at 732-349-1331.
Do you see yourself the way the Father sees you or are you falling for the lies the enemy feeds you? We have the power in Christ to shape our thinking and we're going to explore what that looks like at this year's Women's Retreat, "Shaped by Faith: A Study in Philippians." We’ll start by walking through the book of Philippians and “Get Out of Your Head” by Jennie Allen during this two-day retreat. Registration at pctr.org/womensretreat
We all have a story to tell and if you’re interested in writing yours down, join our new Christian Writers’ Group! You’ll find motivation, supportive feedback, and the opportunity to encourage others! We’ll meet the second Saturday and the Fourth Tuesday of each month, June-August. Our first meeting is June 14 at 8:45 am.
Our Special Needs Ministry Friday Night Gatherings have grown! We’re looking for more volunteers to help us welcome our friends and their families. Consider joining us this Friday (6/13) to help serve pizza, play games, and spend time with our guests. Plan to join us around 6 pm. Email [email protected] for more info.
If you’ve got an excess collection of reusable shopping bags, help us support Pop the Trunk by building up their stock of bags! Each week, Pop the Trunk, a drive-through food pantry in our parking lot on Friday mornings, gives 3-4 bags of food per household to hundreds of households. They’re in need of bags to keep up with the demand. Bring them in to the Welcome Center any time between now and June 15.
Who knew such a short book of the Bible could have so much to consider! Join us on Sunday at 10:30 am or Monday at 6:30 pm for our Sermon Discussion Groups and dig a little deeper into this week’s message. These groups meet weekly. Make one of them part of your weekly routine!
Calling all 5th graders! Next Gen Student Ministry wants to welcome you to middle school! Join us on June 23 from 6 - 8 pm for an Ice Cream Social. Meet other new middle schoolers, our ministry leaders, and other students! Older students are welcome to join us.
We all have a story to tell and if you’re interested in writing yours down, join our new Christian Writers’ Group! You’ll find motivation, supportive feedback, and the opportunity to encourage others! We’ll meet the second Saturday and the Fourth Tuesday of each month, June-August. Our next meeting is June 24 at 7 pm.
As a VBS volunteer, you can be part of something special! There are lots of different ways to pitch in – from behind the scenes prep work before the big week to crew leaders, snack helpers, and station leaders during the August 4-8 stretch. Register online at pctr.org/volunteer. Volunteer orientation will be on June 26th!
There's a lot of work that goes into getting things VBS ready around here and we're looking for "Behind the Scenes" helpers to assist in pulling it all together. There are decorations to make, snacks to pack, crafts to prep, name tags to make, and so much more. That's why we have scheduled a series of work days this summer to get it all pulled together. Come to as many as you can. June 28 at 9 am, July 17 at 6:30 pm, and July 30 at 1 pm.
Church School continues all summer long and that means we need your help! Our school year volunteers take a well earned break over the summer. Summer Church School Volunteers like YOU make that possible! Stop by the Welcome Center or see Christi to sign-up for one (or more!) dates this summer to help. Email [email protected] with questions.
The school year has come to an end but we’re already prepping for September! We want to support K-5 students at Walnut Street Elementary by providing after school homework support. If you’re interested in learning how you can help, join us for an information session after each worship service the weekend of July 12 & 13.
We need some help building up our stash of snacks for Vacation Bible School! We’ve got a specific list of snacks foods we’re collecting. Before you go shopping, grab a list from the Welcome Center or use the following list: Goldfish, Snyder’s Pretzels, Oreos, Cheez-its, Pirate Booty, Ziploc sandwich bags, 8 oz bottles of water. Bring your donations back in by 7/13.
What does it mean to be a member at PCTR? Find out at our next new member gathering on July 13 and 27 at 12 pm. At the end of this 2-part class, you’ll have the opportunity to join the church as a member. Lunch is provided. Sign-up at pctr.org/new member.
Whether you sing every week in a choir or only sing in the shower, Summer Choir is for you! We will hold one rehearsal on July 16 and have three opportunities to sing. Music will be accessible and fun to sing. (We’re singing in worship on July 20, July 27 and August 3 at the 9:30 am worship service.)
There's a lot of work that goes into getting things VBS ready around here and we're looking for "Behind the Scenes" helpers to assist in pulling it all together. There are decorations to make, snacks to pack, crafts to prep, name tags to make, and so much more. That's why we have scheduled a series of work days this summer to get it all pulled together. Come to as many as you can. June 28 at 9 am, July 17 at 6:30 pm, and July 30 at 1 pm.
Our Human Trafficking Awareness team will be distributing literature to restaurants and hotels in Ocean County. The materials, provided by local officials, provides information about support services and safety to those who may be or may know a victim of human trafficking. Volunteers are needed to help distribute the materials on the evening of July 21. Training will be provided and groups of 4 will travel from PCTR to various locations.
Kids, if you’re headed into Kindergarten - 5th grade, bring your family and join us for some KidMin Tuesday fun this summer! On July 22 and August 19, we’ll play some games and enjoy some ice cream. Contact Christi with questions or to RSVP.
We’ll be painting classrooms and pitching in at Walnut Street Elementary School on July 28 & 29 from 9 am to 4 pm. This is a great opportunity for volunteers of all ages to support our neighborhood by blessing one of our township schools with some much needed TLC. Call the church office with questions or to RSVP at 732-349-1331 or email [email protected].
There's a lot of work that goes into getting things VBS ready around here and we're looking for "Behind the Scenes" helpers to assist in pulling it all together. There are decorations to make, snacks to pack, crafts to prep, name tags to make, and so much more. That's why we have scheduled a series of work days this summer to get it all pulled together. Come to as many as you can. June 28 at 9 am, July 17 at 6:30 pm, and July 30 at 1 pm.
We’re going on a wild adventure with this year’s Vacation Bible School! Join us August 4 - 8, 2025 as we take kids on the ultimate Alaskan adventure where northern lights glow over majestic mountains, racing rivers, and glistening glaciers. More info & registration at pctr.org/vbs
We know you're enjoying your summer, but it's time to talk about school supplies! We're collecting donations starting July 20-August 10th. Your contributions will be distributed to students who need them through our mission partners at the Hope Center and Urban Promise. Grab a list of items we’re collecting in the Welcome Center or at pctr.org/now
Join us on August 10 at 12 pm for an afternoon of good food and good fun! There will be activities for all ages, lunch, and ice cream. It’s a great opportunity to share life with other followers of Jesus! Come get to know others at PCTR, and some of our friends from VBS. This is a free event. Interested in volunteering? Excellent! We need your help with food service, games, and greeting. If you’re able to volunteer, stop by the Welcome Center or register at pctr.org/summercelebration
We want every person who joins us for worship to feel the warmth of God’s love for them through us. Our weekend hospitality team is a big part of making that happen - from greeters, to ushers, to Welcome Center hosts and parking lot attendants, our hospitality volunteers are an essential part creating a welcoming worship environment. We’re looking for some new, friendly faces to part of our team. Is that you? Stop by the Welcome Center for more info or call us in the office at 732-349-1331!
Keep up to date on what’s happening at Presbyterian Church of Toms River.