A Corner on Hooper Avenue
On the corner of Hooper Avenue and Chestnut Street in Toms River, New Jersey, the Presbyterian Church of Toms River (often called PCTR) gathers a multigenerational family of believers around the conviction that every person is invited into a full life in Jesus Christ. The congregation is led by Senior Pastor and Head of Staff Robbie Ytterberg and shaped by a Presbyterian polity in which elected elders serve on the Session and Board of Trustees, with a separate board of Deacons caring for those in need. Three worship services a weekend, a celebrated Champions Club for friends with special needs, a 75-year-old nursery school, and a long roster of local and global mission partners give this corner church a reach that stretches well beyond its single address.
Three Services, Two Styles, One Family
PCTR offers three in-person worship services each weekend, plus a fully livestreamed experience for those at home or traveling. On Saturday at 5:00 pm, a Contemporary Worship service fills the sanctuary with a band of guitars, keyboard, bass, and drums. The service runs about an hour and fifteen minutes and includes a thought-provoking, biblical, gospel-centered message from one of the pastors. Families can grab a seat in one of the rows or at a table outfitted with coloring sheets and crayons for children.
On Sunday morning, two services run back to back. At 9:30 am, a Traditional Worship service features the Sanctuary Choir along with piano, organ, and occasional handbells and other classical instruments. The service runs about an hour, and seats are open in the sanctuary pews or the chapel. At 10:30 am, a Contemporary Worship service mirrors the Saturday evening style.
The Saturday 5:00 pm and Sunday 9:30 am services are broadcast live each week on Vimeo, YouTube, and Facebook. Visitors online can join the chat alongside the livestream to connect with the community in real time. A full archive of past messages is available on YouTube and Vimeo, and sermons are also released as a podcast through Apple, Spotify, Google Play, and the church's own Podbean feed.
Champions Club and the Special Needs Ministry
Few ministries define PCTR the way its Special Needs Ministry does. Coordinator Lori Tomenchok, a New Jersey licensed teacher and Child Development Specialist with four decades of experience, leads the work of making church life accessible for every family. The flagship gathering is Champions Club, a small group for kids, teens, and adults with special needs and the medically fragile that meets each Saturday at 4:45 pm. Champions Club addresses four dimensions of growth - spiritually, emotionally, physically, and creatively - and runs while parents worship at the Saturday Contemporary service next door.
On the second Friday of each month at 6:30 pm, a Teen and Young Adult Night brings teens and young adults with special needs together for pizza, friendship, and fun. Caregivers are welcome to drop off their loved one or stay for the evening; a parents' lounge is available for those who want to connect with one another.
Beyond these dedicated gatherings, PCTR provides a one-on-one buddy system, sensory bags packed with fidgets and soothing items, and a dedicated sensory room designed for calming breaks during worship or other programming. The team works with each individual family to identify the right accommodations. Advance notice is appreciated so the team can prepare.
Next Gen Kids: From Nursery through Fifth Grade
Director of Next Generation Children's Ministry Christi Romano oversees the church's work with children from birth through fifth grade. On Sunday mornings at 9:30 and 10:30, children from preschool through fifth grade begin the service with their families in worship, then step out about fifteen minutes in with a team of church school leaders for a lesson designed just for them. Parents pick children up from their classrooms after worship. Infants through age two are welcome in the sanctuary or in the nursery, where the nursery team cares for them for the full duration of the service.
Programming extends well beyond Sunday morning. KidMin Tuesdays run during the school year from 4:45 pm to 6:30 pm, with playtime, small group time, and snack for kids in kindergarten through fifth grade. Kids Choir gathers on Sunday mornings at 9:45 am for K through fifth graders and helps lead worship several times a year. Family Small Groups meet on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings, giving parents and kids parallel studies they can carry home as a family conversation. Throughout the year, Family Fun Nights, Parents' Nights Out, and other gatherings bring families together for fellowship and service.
Each summer, Vacation Bible School fills the campus with a week of games, music, and Bible teaching. The week is open to children in the wider community.
Next Gen Students in Grades 6 to 12
Middle and high school students find their own home in Next Gen Students. The ministry is built around small groups that meet on Mondays at 6:00 pm during the school year, with holiday breaks built in. Small groups create a safe place to ask questions about life and faith, to be known by trusted leaders, and to grow alongside peers.
On Sundays, students worship together at the 10:30 am Contemporary service or serve in church school alongside the younger kids. To cultivate both a heart for worship and a heart for service, students stay in the sanctuary every other week and serve in church school on the alternating weeks. On the second Monday of each month at 7:00 pm, Fun, Faith, and Fellowship replaces the regular small group with an evening of games, snacks, and just plain hanging out.
Throughout the year, students travel to serve with mission partners such as the Philadelphia Project and Urban Promise, and they gather for retreats, camps, and other events that build friendships and deepen faith. A downloadable calendar keeps families posted on what is ahead.
Small Groups for Adults: The Story, Sermon Talk, and Presbyterian Women
Director of Adult Discipleship Pat Grill oversees a wide range of small group options for adults. Small groups vary in shape and size, from Bible-plan partnerships and triads to groups of six to twelve. Some work through a book of the Bible, others study a topic of interest, and still others pair an activity like gardening with scripture study. Pat helps newcomers find a group that fits their schedule and season of life.
Larger study groups meet on a regular cadence. The Story, an abridged chronological Bible, gathers on Wednesdays at 6:30 pm for readers who want to trace the threads of the gospel from Genesis to Revelation. A Sermon Discussion Group meets each Sunday at 10:30 am to keep the previous weekend's sermon alive in conversation. A Thursday Morning Bible Study gathers at 9:30 am for an informal hour of coffee, snacks, and scripture study. Seasonal studies are offered during Lent, Advent, and other church seasons.
Family Small Groups meet on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings, giving parents and kids parallel studies in age-appropriate formats. Presbyterian Women (PW) hosts monthly PW Circles for study and prayer, with larger gatherings several times a year. The Women's Retreat, prayer groups, book discussions, and other special offerings round out the year.
Walking Through Loss: Grief Share, Stephen Ministry, and Prayer
PCTR takes seriously the care of those navigating grief and other struggles. Grief Share, a 13-week program, meets several times a year and is rooted in the gospel while welcoming anyone who is grieving the death of a loved one. Each session is self-contained, so newcomers can join at any point in the cycle. A facilitator shared that "everything in Grief Share is rooted in scripture, but not everyone that attends has an existing relationship with Christ," and that the careful listening among participants is one of the things that has inspired her most. Another participant, Annie, was not religious when she first walked through the door. After months of meeting, she was baptized at a Saturday service and later joined the church as a member. The greeting at the close of each meeting - "Thank you for the hope" - has become a kind of signature for the group.
Stephen Ministry extends the same kind of one-on-one care in longer-term relationships. Stephen Ministers are carefully selected volunteers who complete fifty hours of training before being paired with someone walking through a difficult season. Their work is confidential and ongoing, with meetings held weekly. The Prayer Team gathers regularly to pray for the church, the community, and individual requests, and also prays individually as needs arise.
Pop the Trunk and the Friday Morning Food Line
Every Friday morning, the church parking lot at 1070 Hooper Avenue becomes a small village of volunteers and cars. From around 8:00 am until noon, a dedicated team distributes food through a drive-through process the congregation has nicknamed Pop the Trunk. Cars line up, pop their trunks, and volunteers place the food available that week in the back of each car. No registration is required. The program operates in partnership with a regional organization known as A FulFill Food Bank.
Pop the Trunk is one piece of a broader community outreach that includes the Hope Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit initiated by the Clergy Association of Greater Toms River that provides support, resources, referrals, food, and limited financial assistance to clients in crisis. The church also partners with Hope Sheds Light, an organization that raises awareness about addiction and supports families in recovery, and it has hosted Night to Shine, the Tim Tebow Foundation's prom night experience for people with special needs age 14 and older.
Through the Church, Into the Community, Out in the World
The mission vocabulary of PCTR follows a three-part rhythm: serve through the church, serve in the community, and serve out in the world.
Through the church, members greet visitors at the door, lead small groups, share musical gifts, run the livestream, and otherwise care for one another. In the community, the church walks alongside Urban Promise, a ministry in Camden, New Jersey that equips children and young adults with the skills for academic achievement, life management, spiritual growth, and Christian leadership. Over more than twenty years, the partnership has reached into Urban Promise Latin America in Central America.
Out in the world, the church supports Villages in Partnership (VIP), a community devoted to sharing God's love with the people of Malawi through work in food, water, education, medical care, infrastructure, and economic opportunity. Each April, PCTR Water Walkers log miles and gather sponsors to fund the digging of a new well, with the team aiming to cover the cost of building a new well in one of the villages where VIP partners. The church also partners with Feed My Starving Children, packing over 100,000 meals in a single multi-day MobilePack event that sends meals around the globe.
Music as Ministry: Ocean Classic Concerts
Music runs deep at the corner of Hooper and Chestnut, and the Ocean Classic Concerts series opens the church's music ministry to the wider community. From September to May each year, the series brings in a wide variety of talented musicians, with concerts that range from brass quintets and chamber ensembles to choirs and handbell festivals. A free-will offering is taken at each concert to support future programming.
The Sanctuary Choir and Chancel Handbell Choir, led by Director of Traditional Music Mark Adamy, anchor the church's traditional worship and contribute to the concert series. Music Associate Karin Gargone leads the Women's Ensemble and supports traditional worship from the organ. Director of Contemporary Music Kate Grill directs and leads the band for the Saturday and Sunday contemporary services, builds the slides and video content that support worship, and coordinates the volunteer production crew that runs the livestream and A/V each week.
Westminster Nursery School
Sharing the campus at 1070 Hooper Avenue is Westminster Nursery School, a preschool that has served families in the Toms River area for decades. The school is part of the life of the church, and its long tenure has introduced generations of local families to the corner of Hooper and Chestnut.
Beliefs and the Meaning of Full Life
PCTR frames its identity around the language of full life. "Full life means thriving," the congregation writes. "It means every facet of our lives is flourishing. Our relationship with God, our relationships with one another, with our neighbors, even how we see ourselves - everything is transformed radically." Full life is overflow - "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and yes, even self-control."
The gospel sits at the center of everything the church does. Members are welcomed with the words "God is for you, and so are we" and the assurance that "you don't have to have it all figured out or your life put together. You don't have to be a member of the church, a Presbyterian, or even sure you believe in Jesus." Five values shape the church's life and ministry: the gospel, family, learning, service, and the next generation.
Steps for Getting Connected
Anyone curious about PCTR is invited to start with a weekend service. From there, a Next Steps pathway walks newcomers through gathering to worship, growing in groups, and going and serve. Small groups are the connective tissue of the life of the church. Service opportunities range from greeting at the door to volunteering in the food distribution, the special needs ministry, the choir, and the production crew. The What is Full Life and Finding Full Life playlists on YouTube offer a fuller introduction to the church's heart and approach.
The Presbyterian Church of Toms River sits at the corner of Hooper Avenue and Chestnut Street, a community of every background and walk of life gathered around the simple invitation to come and connect.