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.
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.
Grab a meal at The Four Seasons Diner on October 23 & 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.
The leaves are changing color and the weather is getting cooler. That means it’s time to clean out your closets ahead of winter! Gather those gently used warm coats that you’re no longer using and donate them to our Coat Drive on October 26 and 27. Donated coats will be given to our neighbors in need through the Hope Center’s Gifts of Warmth distribution the following week.
The Hope Center will be distributing coats, hats, gloves, and scarves to our neighbors in need on November 2nd. Volunteers are invited to pitch in and help them with organizing the items to be given away, as well as to serve the day of the event. Interested? Contact Ashlee at [email protected] or call the Hope Center at 732-341-4447.
Kids grades K - 5th, come sing with us! We’ll be rehearsing November 3-17 and December 8-22. Then we’ll share our songs in worship on November 24 at our combined 10 am service and December 24 at our 4 pm Family Worship. Grab a postcard at Church School or the Welcome Center with time and details.
If you served in any branch of the US Military, this one’s for you! Join us for our Veterans Breakfast on November 9, 9 am - 12 pm. Grab a postcard invite (or two or three) in the Welcome Center to share with a friend!
No matter how long it has been since your loved one(s) died, grief can make the holidays a painful time. Surviving the Holidays is a special Grief Share seminar that will help you get through the holidays and discover new reasons to enjoy them again. Join us on November 9 at 10 am for this one session event. Grab a postcard invite from the Welcome Center to share with someone else who may benefit from this gathering.
We’ve picked out some great titles for this year’s Book Discussion Group! Bring a lunch and join us to talk over our next book, Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger.
Every Friday morning we host “Pop the Trunk,” a drive-through FulFill food bank. On November 22, Pop the Trunk will be giving away nearly 1,000 turkeys and other components of a Thanksgiving meal! Volunteers are needed to help pack and distribute! Join us in the parking lot on 11/22 (or any other Friday!) at 7:30 am to help sort food and distribute bags. Bring warm gloves (those frozen turkeys can make your hands cold!).
We are now confident that our mortgage debt will be paid IN FULL by Thanksgiving and we want to celebrate with you the way God’s been at work in our midst across the Freedom campaign. Join us on November 24 at 10 am for worship to celebrate FREEDOM with great joy and gratitude. Stay for a delicious catered lunch and continued festivities! (Please note, there is only one worship service this weekend.)
Did you know in 2023, the National Human Trafficking Hotline identified 170 cases of human trafficking in New Jersey, the highest total since 2019. Join us on November 25 at 6:30 pm for presentation from NJ Coalition Against Human Trafficking to learn more about this growing problem in our state. This is part of our Deacons efforts to better understand the problem and consider how God may be calling us to serve those at risk.
How can contemplative prayer help you connect more fully to full life in Jesus Christ? Join us on November 25 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 want to help our friends at the Hope Center ensure families in our community can celebrate Christmas with a delicious meal. We'll are collecting non-perishable food items in support of their holiday meal give away on December 18, Please pick up a list of specific items needed in the Welcome Center. Donations can be brought to the cart in the Welcome Center anytime between November 16 and December 1. * Canned sweet potatoes * Cranberry sauce * Boxed instant mashed potatoes * Stuffing & stuffing Mix * Canned fruit * Canned vegetables * Jars...
Women / Treble Voices in 4th grade and up, come make a joyful (Christmas!) noise with us! Our "Angel Choir" will be singing at the 8pm Christmas Eve (12/24) worship service and we'd love to you have sing with us. Rehearsals will be on Sundays (10:50 - 11:10 am) and Thursdays (6:25 - 6:45 pm) throughout December - come to one (or both) each week starting December 1. There's no audition or experience needed - just a desire to sing with joy for Christ's birth! Questions? Please contact Karin Gargone at [email protected]
We invite prospective parents and students (8th grade and older) to join us for lunch and a mandatory Confirmation Orientation on December 1 at 12 pm as we unpack the vision for the 2025 confirmation experience and spend some time answering the question, “What is Confirmation?” Got questions or want to RSVP? Contact Kevin at [email protected] or call the office at 732-349-1331.
Grab a meal at Outback Steakhouse (2770 Hooper Ave, Brick) on December 4 & 5 and a percentage of each meal will be donated to support PCTR’s 2025 Night to Shine. Night to Shine is a prom for Special Needs Students 14 yrs and up sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation. Funds raised will support the Presbyterian Church of Toms River’s event celebrating our special guests and their families on 2/7/25!
Presbyterian Women’s Christmas Tea is a great way to kick-off the season with lunch, tea, and dessert. All women are welcome to attend. A $10 suggested donation will be accepted at the door to defer the cost of the meal. RSVP to [email protected].
Parents, kick off your holiday season with a few hours to yourselves. We've got a great night of fun planned for your kids (potty-trained 3 year olds through 5th grade.) We’ll share a pizza dinner and tons of fun with games and crafts! Help us make sure we have enough pizza & pre-register at pctr.org/parentsnight
Stop by the table outside Fellowship Hall and buy a hand-decorated Christmas wreath from Next Gen: Students this weekend! Each wreath is $20 and proceeds support Next Gen Student initiatives like scholarships for this weekend’s high school service weekend with the Philly Project!
This is one of our favorite holiday traditions! This musical event features our choir and an orchestra performing holiday favorites. No ticket required. There will be an opportunity to make a donation to the concert series during the concert.
Grab a tag off the Giving Tree in the Welcome Center and buy the gift card listed on it to help us help our mission partners! Donated gift cards (returned no later than 12/15) will be distributed to those in need by The Hope Center and Urban Promise.
If you’d like to donate a poinsettia in memory or celebration of a loved one, grab an envelope from the Welcome Center or fill out the form online at pctr.org/poinsettia. Poinsettia’s are $12 and donations must be made by December 15th.
A meeting of the Congregation and Corporation of the Presbyterian Church of Toms River will be held on Sunday, December 15, 2024 at approximately 10:20 a.m. in the Sanctuary. The purposes of the meeting will be: to receive the report of the Nominating Committee, to elect Elders and Deacons for the class of 2024, and to address such other business as the Nominating Committee may bring forward.
Our annual Christmas Party is loads of festive fun including fire pits, games, food trucks, lights, roaming carolers, photos with Santa and more! Bring your family, friends, and neighbors to this free event! (Bring money for food trucks.)
Do you need a "silent night"? A park bench to rest on amid the holiday rush? Join us for a Contemplative Prayer workshop on Monday, December 16, at 7 pm in the Sanctuary as we consider the special nature of the relationship between us and God.
Join us for worship this Christmas! We'll have 4 worship services on December 24: 2 pm - Traditional Worship, 4 pm - Family Worship in the Sanctuary (Kids Choir will sing. “Candlelight” service with glowsticks!), 5:30 pm - Contemporary Worship in Fellowship Hall (Worship Band. Candlelight service.), 8 pm - Traditional Worship in the Sanctuary (Choir will sing. Candlelight service.) Our Sensory Room will be open with volunteers at the 2 pm and 4 pm worship services. A limited number of sensory bags with fidgets and headphones are available at each service. Children's activity bags...
Students (6th - 12th grade) let’s celebrate the New Year together! Join us on December 30 (5-8 pm) at PCTR for an evening of games and snacks!
Keep up to date on what’s happening at Presbyterian Church of Toms River.