Second Avenue Church

Second Avenue Church Global Methodist
Sunday service 10:15 AM
Sunday School for ages 4-adult 9-10 AM
Communion first Sunday each month (unless otherwise noted)

Sunday Service Times:
8:15 AM Traditional Worship (organ, hymns)
10:45 AM Contemporary Worship (praise & worship band) & Jr. Church


Our building is handicapped accessible with an elevator and lifts. Please contact the church office for more information. Make a Hope Chest appt by visiting their page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61567692903269

06/09/2026


TUESDAY, JUNE 9 ~ Read Genesis 18:9-15; 21:1-7
Sarah could not contain her laughter when she heard the strangers outside the tent renew the promise: Though her womb was barren and her husband good as dead, she would give birth to a son. That promise so filled with adventure when God first called Abram and Sarai to leave home now feels like a distant dream. They are in the middle space. For their hope, they have been laughed at by many.
The stranger interrupts Sarah’s laughter with a question: “Is anything too wonderful for the LORD?” The question frames our journey as God’s people. So often, God calls us to inhabit a middle space. We pray to become instruments of peace in a world hellbent on violence. We seek justice for our neighbors even when leaders and institutions of power are not listening. We long for forgiveness, though we do not know the first healing step.
Sarah’s laughter is the answer to the stranger’s question. God is faithful to the promise. A baby boy is born, Issac, whose very name means, “God made me laugh.” A beautiful reversal, Sarah laughing alone in heartbreak, transforms into a joyful exclamation: “Everyone who hears about it will laugh with me” (Gen. 20:6).
The people of God are those who discover themselves laughing with Sarah: the delight of Joseph when he sees his brother’s shock at his forgiveness; the surprise of Moses as he opens his mouth and does not stutter but preaches a word of deliverance to Pharaoh; the wondrous surrender of Mary, believing that her ordinary, insignificant life will become the womb of the world’s rebirth; the burning heart of Paul as he celebrates the laughable absurdity of the gospel (Rom. 5:6-8). Don’t be afraid to lean into their laughter if you are stuck in a middle space today.
Wondrous God, help us to trust that you will make a way when there seems to be no way. Amen.

06/08/2026


MONDAY, JUNE 8 ~ Read Genesis 18:1-8
Disappointment has a particular sting. It can shrink our imagination of what is possible in our world today. It can cut us off from the people who give us life.
Abraham and Sarah have lived through a cycle of monthly disappointment for years. At this point in the story, the promises of God seem far-fetched, like a cruel joke they must tell repeatedly whenever someone asks why they find themselves wandering through foreign lands. And yet they remain open.
In the heat of the day, Abraham sits at the front of his tent with his eyes on the horizon. Seeing three strangers, he runs to them and offers a gracious welcome. At the call of hospitality, Sarah scrambles as she puts together a feast made up of whatever is in the kitchen. In their acts of love, they receive a blessed company that will refresh their hopes.
Hospitality is a practice that opens us to the power and possibilities of God. When we make room in our lives for unexpected company, we often discover that we are the ones who receive the greatest blessing. Especially in seasons of disappointment, may we remain open to receiving the people of God, even when they arrive unexpectedly.
Generous God, help me make room in my heart for the people you love. Open my imagination to the power and possibilities of new and renewed friendship. Extend your expansive love and welcome through me today. Amen.

06/07/2026

A great way to start the day as we came together at Heritage Plaza to pray for the city and for the beginning of Saturate Altoona tonight.

06/07/2026


SUNDAY, JUNE 7 ~ Read Romans 4:13-17
Paul seems to be drawing a dividing line in this passage between those of the law and those who have faith. However, rather than drawing a division, Paul seeks to unite. He paints a vision of a community united by their identity as siblings in Christ and children of the God of Abraham. In this vision for community, law does not determine who is “in” and “out.” All are included.
When we think of our shared identity, we must remember that this unity should not erase our individual identities. We are all made in the image of God, which is reflected in our diversity. Our community is broken when we refuse to celebrate our diversity, falling to the powers of racism, sexism, ableism, antisemitism, xenophobia, homophobia, and transphobia, among many others. These powers seek to divide, placing certain people “in” and others “out.”
The prevalence of these powers make this vision of an inclusive and united community seem all the more impossible. But we can find hope in Paul’s reminder that we worship a God “who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.” Through God all things are possible, even an end to the injustices which pervade so much of our world. As Christians, we believe that this day will come, when all can flourish in God’s kingdom here on earth. Following God means working toward this day in whatever ways that we can. And when the work gets too hard, when we lose hope and begin to doubt, we are reminded that we follow a God who makes the unbelievable come true.
God of love, help me to have faith on this journey to follow you, especially when your kingdom feels far away. May I not be alone on this journey, but turn to your presence and my siblings in Christ. Amen.

06/06/2026


SATURDAY, JUNE 6 ~ Read Matthew 9:9-13
I n high school, where you sat in the lunchroom determined a lot about what others thought of you, such as whether you were viewed as popular or unpopular. The worst was having no one to sit with in the cafeteria. Many of us desperately wished for an invitation to sit with someone, because it meant that we were accepted, that we were not alone. It seems that not much has changed since Jesus’ time, for we see the Pharisees judging Jesus for who he sat with—tax collectors and sinners, social outcasts in their communities who just wanted an invitation to the table.
But why were the Pharisees upset? Were they upset because of who Jesus invited to the table, or because of what they thought that invitation meant for their place at the table? Perhaps the Pharisees thought the invitation to the tax collectors meant that the Pharisees must sacrifice their own seats. Yet as Jesus reminds us, he desires mercy, not sacrifice. Throughout Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus issues the invitation to all—Pharisees included—and the Pharisees are the ones who continually refuse to show up on Jesus’ terms. Jesus does not wish that anyone sacrifice their seat at the table, but rather invites all to the table. This inclusiveness is the gift of mercy, an invitation which is extended to everyone.
It can be hard to remember that accepting the invitation to Christ’s table means that we might not always like who is sitting next to us. But part of following Christ is recognizing that all are welcome at Christ’s table and extending that invitation to all, no matter where they sit in the lunchroom. For God loves all of us, as beloved children of God, made in God’s image.
God of mercy, as I accept your invitation to the table, may I see others in my life who are also hoping for a seat at your table, and may I extend your invitation to them. Amen.

Join us Sunday!Rev. Steve Moore, will bring the message "A Mighty Warrior?" at our 10:15 AM service. Sunday school and ...
06/05/2026

Join us Sunday!
Rev. Steve Moore, will bring the message "A Mighty Warrior?" at our 10:15 AM service. Sunday school and coffee hour 9-10 AM.

Don’t forget! Sunday school classes for kids ages 4-5th grade with Miss Wendy 9-10 AM! Here’s the summer lesson plans!
06/05/2026

Don’t forget! Sunday school classes for kids ages 4-5th grade with Miss Wendy 9-10 AM! Here’s the summer lesson plans!

06/05/2026


FRIDAY, JUNE 5 ~ Read Psalm 33:1-12
A s I read this psalm, I kept coming back to verse 10: “The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.” This might be the understatement of the century. As humans, we often plan beyond our limits, because we want to control. We forget that our bodies need rest as we rush around trying to fix every problem, attend every event, and fit another hour of work into an overloaded day. Yet our bodies will eventually crash, as God reminds us that we have limits. We cannot do it all. God frustrates our plans to do so.
Following God is remembering that God is God, and we are not. Nowhere is that clearer than in Creation. It was God who spoke us into being, God who formed land and sea, and God who made the heavens and the earth. Not only do these gifts of creation speak to God’s love for us, but they also remind us that the weight of the world does not rest on our shoulders. In a society obsessed with perfection, God’s creation reminds us that even when we fail—and we will—life goes on. The sun still rises, the birds still sing, creation moves on. Following God looks like trusting in God, the Creator of all, to hold it all.
When we recognize that to follow God is to trust God, praise for God can take on new forms. It can look like singing and dancing, as the beginning verses of Psalm 33 highlight. It can also look like caring for our bodies, which are made in the image of God. We can praise God through rest, for rest acknowledges that what matters is not the next item on our to-do list, but trusting in God.
Creator God, help me to let go of all that I cannot control and embrace care for myself. Amen.

06/04/2026


THURSDAY, JUNE 4 ~ Read Matthew 9:18-26
Interestingly, neither the bleeding woman nor the religious leader in this passage are described as followers of Christ. In other Gospels, the leader is named Jairus, a Jewish leader, who would have likely been in opposition to Jesus’ claim to be God’s son. Yet their stories are examples of faith, so much so that Jesus says to the woman, “your faith has made you well.” What does faith and following Christ look like for the bleeding woman and the leader?
Both the leader and the unnamed woman are at one of the hardest moments in their lives. The leader has lost his daughter and the woman sees no end to her suffering. Yet they both take a chance and turn to someone that they do not know, someone they have only heard rumors or stories about, and reach out a hand for help—metaphorically and literally. When we think of faith, we often think of big acts of faith, like leaving one’s home and professing to follow God. Yet faith is also taking a chance, hoping against hope, trying one more time. Neither the leader nor the bleeding woman had any reason to believe that their suffering would change. Others likely laughed at them for even trying, as the crowd laughed at Jesus. But they did not let that stop them from trying one more time, asking for help, or reaching that hand out to touch Jesus’ cloak.
In the story of a leader and a bleeding woman, we are reminded that following Christ can look like getting up and continuing to hope and try—even when everything and everyone seems against you. Such perseverance is a miracle, one that is as important as the physical healing miracles named in the passage.
Healing God, when I am at my lowest, grant me the strength to try again, to put one foot in front of the other, and to turn to you. Amen.

Address

130 2nd Avenue
Altoona, PA
16602

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 12pm
Tuesday 8am - 12pm
Wednesday 8am - 12pm
Thursday 8am - 12pm
Sunday 9am - 12pm

Telephone

+18149432072

Website

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