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.
The countdown to summer is on! Part of our countdown includes prepping our schedules for Summer Church School and helping our awesome volunteers sign-up for weekends to help in church school. If that’s you, swing by the Welcome Center this weekend or email [email protected].
Curious about what it means to be a member of PCTR? Find out at our next cycle of new member classes. At the end of this 3 part class, you’ll have the opportunity to join the church as a member. Sessions will take place May 23, May 30, and June 6 at 6:30 pm. Register at pctr.org/newmember.
Students, if you just completed 5th - 7th grade we’ve got an ice cream sundae with your name on it! Our Middle School Ice Cream Social will be June 19 from 5-7:30pm! It'll be a great opportunity to meet other middle schoolers, as well as another chance to get to know Kevin, our new Director of Next Generation Student Ministries.
Join us for a Summer Book Club! We’ll meet on June 23 at 9:30 or 10:30 with an introduction to our book, “Raised” by Margaret J Cotton as told by Charlie and Flori Mada. This book is a modern Lazarus account of the cascade of divine interventions that bring a family of non-believers to the foot of the cross. We’ll gather again in August after we’ve read the book to discuss it. Ten copies have been made available to borrow through the church, and additional copies are available for purchase.
How can contemplative prayer help you connect more fully to full life in Jesus Christ? Join us on June 24 at 7 pm to find out. We’ll explore what contemplative prayer looks like and how it can help you deepen your relationship with God, Scripture, each other and life in faith.
We’re looking for volunteers to dive into this year’s SCUBA Vacation Bible School with us! From snack helpers to crew leaders, if you’re available the week of August 5-9, register to volunteer at pctr.org/vbsvolunteer or in the Welcome Center.
Go & Serve our neighbors! We’ll be painting classrooms and pitching in at Walnut Street Elementary School on July 1st from 9 am to 4 pm. (We’ll head back on July 2nd if needed.) 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. Bring a lunch & water bottle. Meet us at the school at any time between 9 and 4. Call the church office with questions or to RSVP 732-349-1331 or email [email protected].
VBS prep is in high gear and we need your help! We’re collecting donations for snack time during VBS and for an ice cream bar at Summer Celebration. We’re collecting specific items for both, so grab a list from the Welcome Center and consider adding a few to your cart the next shopping trip! Items include: Goldfish, Snyder's Pretzels, Oreos, Cheez-its, Pirates Booty, Ziploc Sandwich Bags, 8 oz Bottles of Water, Mini Chocolate Chips, Chocolate Syrup, Caramel Syrup, Maraschino Cherries, Sprinkles. Note: must be peanut-free AND made in a nut-free facility
Can’t be here August 5-9 for VBS week but still want to help? Awesome! Come over on July 12 from 9 to 11:30 am for our next VBS workday. We’ll be prepping materials, making decorations, and more! (Know a kid who would enjoy VBS? Now is the time to get them registered at pctr.org/vbs)
Our Special Needs Ministry Teen & Young Adult Group meets the 2nd Friday of each month - and that means this coming Friday, July 12th is our next gathering! Mr. Magico will be joining us for a fun, entertaining evening. Volunteers are always welcome! Join us at 6:30 pm!
Warm up your voice and make a joyful noise with us this summer! Summer Choir is a great opportunity to try something new. We’ll practice once on July 18 at 7 pm and then sing at 9:30 worship the following three Sundays - 7/21, 7/28, 8/4. No experience necessary.
We are fully entrenched in the dog days of summer which means it’s time to pick up school supplies the next time you’re out at the store for our annual collection! Grab a supply list from the Welcome Center or refer to the graphic here. Items will be donated to The Hope Center and Urban Promise to help families in their communities. Items should be returned to the Welcome Center by August 11.
Join us in “The Crossing” after worship for coffee, snacks, and a chance to catch up with one another. Not sure where to find the Crossing? From Fellowship Hall: exit and head to the Welcome Center. Turn right at the corner of the Welcome Center and head down the hallway toward the church offices. The Crossing is the first door on the left. From the Sanctuary: exit the door to the left of the pulpit. Take the first left and head down the hallway toward the church offices. The Crossing will be the first door...
We’re *this* close to Vacation Bible School! Join us on July 30th at 1 pm for our final pre-VBS prep day AND on August 4th right after worship to help us turn our campus into an underwater oasis where kids and their leaders will experience the ever-flowing, never-ending love of God. Still need to register someone? Visit pctr.org/vbs
We’re *this* close to Vacation Bible School! Join us on August 4th right after worship to help us turn our campus into an underwater oasis where kids and their leaders will experience the ever-flowing, never-ending love of God.
We’re making a big splash with this year’s Vacation Bible School! Join us August 5 – 9, 2024 as we take kids deep into an amazing undersea adventure where they’ll experience the ever-flowing, never-ending love of God. For more information or to register, visit pctr.org/vbs.
We’ve got big plans for this year’s Churchwide Summer Celebration on August 11 (after worship) and we need YOUR help to make it an extra special day. If you’d like to volunteer to help set-up, man the dessert bar, watch over inflatables or clean-up, stop by the Welcome Center or register online at Volunteer Summer Celebration. (Click on image or headline to access full event listing with link.)
Mark your calendars for this year’s Churchwide Summer Celebration on August 11 after worship. Dessert bar, bounce houses, music and games. Bring money for the food trucks! This free event will be fun for all ages.
Grab a flyer from the Welcome Center and make plans for lunch or dinner at Three B’s Bar & Bistro (314 NJ 70, Lakehurst, NJ) on August 19th. A percentage of each meal will be donated to support PCTR’s 2025 Night to Shine, a prom for Special Needs Students 14 yrs and up sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation. This is the first of three upcoming opportunities to dine well and raise funds for Night to Shine! Keep your eyes out for future dates at other eateries.
How can contemplative prayer help you connect more fully to full life in Jesus Christ? Join us on August 19 at 7 pm to find out. We’ll explore what contemplative prayer looks like and how it can help you deepen your relationship with God, Scripture, each other and life in faith.
Want to learn to make beautiful music with handbells? Learn at Handbells 101 on 8/22 at 7:00 pm. We'll have some fun learning the basics and trying our hand at a few simple songs.
Join us for a Summer Book Club! We’ll meet meeting on August 25th to discuss “Raised” by Margaret J Cotton as told by Charlie and Flori Mada. This book is a modern Lazarus account of the cascade of divine interventions that bring a family of non-believers to the foot of the cross. We'll be sharing lunch and a conversation a Facetime visit with the Mada family. Click the button to register or swing by the Welcome Center to let us know you'll be coming.
Let’s kick off the new season & school year with an evening of food & fun at Family Fun Night on Sept 6 at 6 pm! Grab yourself a walking taco, play games with us, try some hands-on science experiments, and check out a couple of live science demos (at 6:30 and 7:30pm.) Bring a gently used kid’s book for a book exchange - add yours to the pile and take a new one home with you! Bring the whole family for this special kick-off event!
We have small groups meeting every day of the week and they’re all about to kick-off their fall studies! Stop by the table and talk to our Adult Discipleship team in the Welcome Center after worship to a group you can grow in or visit Register here for more information.
The countdown to autumn is on and we’re getting ready for a new year of groups and activities. Join us the weekend of Sept 7 & 8 for Kick-Off Weekend and a chance to learn more about what’s coming up. Kids & students, wear your team jersey, uniform, or school shirt! We’ll take a moment during the service to pray for you in this new school year.
Presbyterian Women is kicking off a new year and a new study! Join us for PW's Fall Kick-off on September 8 from 2 - 4:30 pm. We'll enjoy some refreshments and a chance to catch up, then explore this year’s study on “Generous Justice.” All women are welcome! Childcare is available for children aged 3 years to 5th grade. RSVP by emailing [email protected] or here: Kick-Off (Click the headline PW Kick-off to reach the full listing and registration link) $5 donation at the door to defer the cost of lunch.
As we try to navigate life after the death of a loved one, we can feel isolated and alone. This is the space Grief Share steps into. This weekly group offers support to people grieving the death of a loved one. It’s a place where you can be around others who understand the pain of your loss and how you feel as you come to terms with it.
Next Gen Students (grades 6-12), let’s kick this new school year off with a bash! Climb inside a human-sized soccer ball and let’s race! Bring your friends and let’s get this new school year off to a great start! We’ll “get the ball rolling” on September 12 at 5:00 pm.
Growing in groups is core to who we are and that includes our friends with special needs and their families. On the second Friday of each month, teens and young adults with special needs and disabilities gather for an evening of pizza, fun, and friendship.
Our Monday Night Groups are getting started this week, 9/16 at 6:30 pm! We’ll gather for snacks and coffee as one large groups and then break down into several smaller groups for discussion around a variety of topics. Join us this week to learn more and get started!
View Event We pack a bunch into Tuesday afternoons with our elementary-aged friends. We start with time to play together, then we get into smaller groups to talk with our friends and leaders about Jesus. And of course, there’s snack time, too!
If you served in any branch of the US Military, this one’s for you! Bring a friend. Bring your family. We’re going to have a BBQ complete with burgers, hot dogs, live music, and games (cornhole, anyone?).
Our Ocean Classic Concert Series will kick off the 2024-2025 season on September 22. The Fred Moyer Jazz Trio will perform standards from the Great American Songbook. It’s a great opportunity to invite friends and family to something at the church!
We’ve picked out some great titles for this year’s Book Discussion Group! Bring a lunch and join us to talk over our first book, The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray.
We are striving to make sure every person who joins us for worship feels the warmth of God’s love for them through us. To facilitate a warm and welcoming place each weekend, our hospitality team has a variety of roles that will need to be filled and your smiling face may be just the right one to fill some of them! Stop by the Welcome Center for details. There will be a training for new volunteers on October 9 at 7 pm.
Can you be a friend? We’re looking for volunteer buddies to help at Champions Club and our Special Needs Teen/Young Adult Group. You can serve weekly, once a month, or as you’re available. Champion’s Club, a small study group for individuals with special needs meets on Saturdays during our 5 pm worship. The Young Adult Group meets the 2nd Friday of each month. See Lori Tomenchok for more info or to volunteer.
Our mission is to connect people to full life in Jesus Christ. That mission guides everything we do and it takes a strong team of volunteers and staff to make it happen. We currently have two staff positions open - Director of Children's Ministry and Nursery Childcare Attendant. If you have the skills and a calling to serve God in this community in this way, we encourage you to review the information at pctr.org/jobsatpctr and then submit your resume to [email protected]. (Click on the image to open a window with active links)
What does it look like to live a life of justice empowered by an experience of grace: a generous, gracious justice? This fall, we’re going to explore that topic together. Stop by the Welcome Center to pick up your copy of Timothy Keller’s book “Generous Justice” ($15/book) and sign-up for one of our small groups to discuss the sermon series and the book. Groups will meet Sundays at 10:30 am, Mondays at 6:30 pm, Friday’s at 10 am, Fridays at 6:30 pm (Family Small Group), and Saturday at 10 am (Family Small Group).
Curious about what it means to be a member of PCTR? Find out at our next cycle of new member classes. At the end of this 3 part class, you’ll have the opportunity to join the church as a member. Sessions will take place October 12, October 19, and October 26. (Dinner provided) Click the image or headline for more details and a link to register.
One to One is a friendship ministry intended to share the love of Jesus with those in our congregation who are unable to attend worship and activities at the church and, as such, may be feeling isolated, out of touch, and undervalued. Volunteers will be paired with a care recipient and will “visit” by phone or in person once a week or once every other week. Stop by the Welcome Center for more information or to volunteer.
Our team is starting to plan for the 2026 Night to Shine on February 13, 2026 and we need YOUR help making sure our guests have a sensational time! Night to Shine is a prom-type event for Special Needs individuals age 14 years and up, sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation and hosted at the Presbyterian Church of Toms River. We’ve got an extensive list of volunteer roles to be filled and we’re opening VOLUNTEER registration for it now. Sign-up at pctr.org/ntsvolunteer. To find a full list of roles we're looking to fill visit Night to Shine Volunteer.
Our Homework Club is getting ready to start meeting with students from Walnut Street Elementary School. If you have considered volunteering to help but have not yet done so, now is the time! Contact the church office at [email protected] or call 732-349-1331.
Keep up to date on what’s happening at Presbyterian Church of Toms River.