Second Presbyterian Church sits on a ten-acre campus on Pleasant Valley Drive in western Little Rock, a few blocks south of Cantrell Road. The congregation has shaped the Presbyterian presence in central Arkansas since 1882, and its members have planted at least four other Presbyterian churches in the area over the decades. The church is part of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Presbytery of Arkansas, and it is known locally for a traditional, Reformed style of Sunday worship, a large music program that has toured internationally, a long list of community partners, and a creative Earth Care stewardship effort that includes a solar panel array and two electric vehicle charging stations.
Sunday Mornings at Second Pres
Worship is at the center of life at Second Presbyterian. Two services are held most of the year: a Traditional service at 8:30 a.m. and another at 11:00 a.m., both following a Reformed order that includes hymns, confession and pardon, reading and proclamation of the Word, and prayers. The 11:00 a.m. service is livestreamed each Sunday and remains available to watch anytime thereafter. A podcast called Second Thoughts carries the sermons for later listening.
The Lord's Supper is normally celebrated on the first Sunday of each month, and baptisms (for infants, youth, or adults) can be scheduled for any other Sunday. Worship is enriched by seasonal services for Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Ash Wednesday, Maunday Thursday, and Good Friday. From June through August the schedule condenses to a single Traditional service at 10:00 a.m. with no Sunday School hour.
Children are a regular part of the service. A Time with the Children appears each Sunday, and in the 11:00 service children are dismissed to the chapel after the children's moment and return during the doxology for a worship experience tailored to their level. Worship Kits are available for use in the sanctuary, and childcare is provided from birth through kindergarten for every service.
First-time guests enter through the Welcome Center at the front entrance, where greeters can answer questions and provide a name tag. The church asks everyone in attendance to share name and contact information so it can acknowledge the visit, but visitors are not singled out. Three entries lead into the gathering space outside the sanctuary - the east (main) entry, the first north entry, and the first south entry - so parking is convenient at any of them and each is wheelchair and stroller accessible.
A Statement of Welcome Wide Enough for Anyone
The church's vision statement is short and direct: "Whoever and Wherever You Are, We Welcome You into a Life with Christ at Second Pres." Its Welcome Statement, written as a member of the PC(USA), extends that embrace explicitly: "regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, economic or family status, ethnic background, mental or physical abilities." Mission and vision flow from that welcome. The members of Second Presbyterian describe themselves as "a growing and inclusive congregational community" committed to grow in knowledge of the faith, in depth of spirituality, in the quality of fellowship, and in compassion for all God's children and creation.
Becoming a member begins with two questions at the close of each service: a profession of trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and a willingness to share in the worship and ministry of the congregation through prayers, gifts, study, and service. A Prospective Members Class meets periodically for those who want a slower introduction. New members are welcomed into the church at the close of every service.
Beliefs and the Bible
Second Presbyterian teaches that the Bible tells the story of God's desire for the world. From Genesis, the congregation draws its call to creation care and identifies itself as an Earth Care Congregation. From the imagery of humanity made in God's image, it grounds its statement that all are welcome. From the Gospels, it affirms Jesus Christ as the Only Begotten Son of God, walking in Galilee in the fullness of time. From the Spirit's freedom to move through the world and the people of God, it draws a commitment to compassion, outreach, healing, helping, and peacemaking. From Revelation's vision of a new heaven and a new earth, it names the Christian hope that the brokenness of the present age will one day be made whole.
A Music Ministry that Tours the World
Music has been a hallmark of Second Presbyterian for generations. Dr. Bevan Keating directs the program and also founded a related performance ensemble called Praeclara, which presents musical theater and concert works for the broader Little Rock community. Adam Savacool has served as organist since August 2008 and has accompanied the choir on tours of the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Canada. Melanie Hanna Ezell, a longtime soprano section leader, joined the staff in January 2025 as Associate Director of Music and the Arts. Laura Dunnagan, a lifelong member of the church, accompanies children and youth music on piano.
The Adult Choir rehearses on Wednesdays at 7:15 p.m. and sings for both Sunday services, as well as for special services such as All Saints, Christmas, and Easter. Members can audition for the Chamber Choir, an auditioned ensemble of professional singers and select Adult Choir members who serve as section leaders. Together, the choirs have performed masterworks including Mozart's Requiem Mass, Handel's Messiah, and Mendelssohn's Elijah. International tours take place every other year; recent trips have included the British Isles, Canada, Germany, France, and Hungary, and in 2027 the Adult Choir will tour Scotland.
The Youth Choir, drawn from the church's Youth Program in grades 6 through 12, leads worship, attends retreats, performs in concerts, and tours locally. The Junior Artist Ministry (JAM) is open to children in kindergarten through fifth grade and meets on Wednesday evenings. Jubilant Ringers, the adult handbell ensemble, rehearses on Mondays at 11:30 a.m. September through May.
Children, Families, and Faith Milestones
Family ministry at Second Presbyterian is built around a milestone program that walks children from baptism through confirmation. Sunday School classes are offered for children from age three through fifth grade, meeting in Bible Village downstairs from the North entry between 9:45 and 10:45 a.m. from September through May. Each milestone comes with an educational event and a family celebration, as well as a written guide for at-home use.
Three-year-olds receive a storybook Bible with their parents. Four-year-olds learn about prayer. Rising first graders explore what happens in worship. First and second graders learn about the sacraments and are especially welcomed to the Lord's Table. Third graders receive a full Bible and take part in a "Get to Know Your Bible" event. Fourth and fifth graders share an overnight lock-in that explores the practices of the church. Sixth and seventh graders participate in a Created by God workshop series on growing bodies and healthy relationships. Eighth graders enter a six-month Confirmation program that culminates in a public reaffirmation of the baptismal covenant.
The protection of children, youth, and at-risk adults is overseen through what the church calls The Miriam Project, named for the biblical Miriam, who protected the baby Moses. Adults (18 and older) who wish to serve in children's and youth ministry are required to be members of the church, complete an information form and covenant, agree to a confidential criminal background check, and adhere to the Miriam Project's code of conduct.
Doug Barr directs Family Ministry, drawing on two decades of children's ministry and a theatre background that he says comes in handy in a job that involves a lot of singing, teaching, and preaching on his feet. Vacation Bible School is held each June; recent programs have been environmentally focused, and the church offers programming for rising kindergartners through rising fifth graders with a Mini-VBS option for nursery-age children.
Youth Ministry for Sixth Through Twelfth Graders
Middle and high school students meet in the Youth Building, which was dedicated in 2006 and includes a full kitchen, laundry, three bathrooms, five showers, classrooms, a large great room, and a game room. Sunday mornings at 9:45 a.m. begin with Sunday School, and afternoons are split into Middle School Youth Group (4:30 to 5:30 p.m.), dinner (5:30 to 6:00 p.m.), and High School Youth Group (6:00 to 7:00 p.m.). Small groups meet on Wednesdays: a Middle School girls' group led by Marie Holder and Jill Wright, and a High School group that meets at the Cove for ice cream. The youth ministry is known as SPY - Second Presbyterian Youth. Maggie Kirchner, formerly a middle-school English teacher at eStem Downtown Junior High, joined the staff in July 2025 as Director of Youth Ministry. Alex Honeycutt, a lifelong Second Pres member and a Special Education Resource Teacher at Chenal Elementary, serves as Associate Director of Youth Ministry. The youth travel annually to the Montreat Youth Conference and participate in mission trips, including Solar Under the Sun solar installation trips.
The Youth Building is also available for reservation by church groups, traveling faith-based groups, and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance teams. It can be reserved for special meetings or parties through the Facilities Manager.
Adults: Sunday School, Small Groups, and Lifelong Learning
Sunday School classes for adults meet at 9:45 a.m., both in person and over Zoom, from September through May. Three ongoing classes anchor the program. The Bible Study Class, led by Graham Catlett, follows the PC(USA)'s Present Word Adult Bible Lessons from the Uniform Series, with curriculum mailed to participants or shared by email. The Spiritual Nourishment class, led by Nancy Hicks and Janet Carson, opens each week with joys and concerns and a brief meditation before turning to a selected book. Seeking More Light, led by Greg Adams, is an open, LGBTQ+ affirming group that studies books that help integrate modern life with the insights and practice of Christianity.
Short-term courses run four to eight weeks and address topics of seasonal or immediate interest. Adults are invited to move in and out of both ongoing and short-term classes at will. The church office can connect newcomers to the class that fits them best.
Other adult offerings include LifeQuest, an adult education nonprofit whose offices and in-person classes are on the Second Presbyterian campus; an Enneagram study led through the Enneagram Institute's resources; a Men's Group Ministry that meets on Tuesdays at 7:00 a.m. in Second Hall and on Zoom (with free donuts and coffee); and Cheeses with Jesus, an adult group for those between young adult and retiree that meets second and fourth Wednesdays in members' homes for fellowship and study.
Young Adults and College Students
The Young Adults ministry serves everyone 18 and older (single, dating, engaged, or married) through small groups, weekly Sunday lunches after the 11:00 worship service, and events designed to support people in the transitions of early adulthood. The group's stated questions frame its work: "Whose am I? Who am I? Why am I? How am I?" College students and others away from Little Rock can participate virtually through online events.
Pastoral Care, Stephen Ministry, and Prayer
Pastoral Care at Second Presbyterian is layered. A Monday Pastoral Care team meets at 1:30 p.m. in Second Hall and on Zoom with a pastor to triage needs - sending cards, making calls, delivering meals - so that the compassion of Christ reaches members in tangible ways. Rev. Alisa Secrest, Associate Pastor for Congregational Nurture, oversees this work and receives prayer requests by email; concerns can be named and specific or held in strict confidence.
Stephen Ministry equips laypeople for one-to-one, confidential Christian care. Stephen Ministers complete fifty hours of training and continue meeting twice monthly on Monday evenings for continuing education and peer supervision. They walk alongside people experiencing grief, divorce or separation, hospitalization, chronic or terminal illness, unemployment, loneliness, spiritual crisis, relocation, infertility, accidents and recovery, and aging. Twelve Stephen Ministers and Stephen Leaders serve the congregation; the program began at Second Presbyterian under the wider Stephen Ministries network.
Other ongoing pastoral ministries include the PenPal and Phone Friends Ministry, which pairs members with others who cannot regularly attend; the Prayer Shawl Ministry, which meets the second Monday of each month at 3:00 p.m. in Room 60 to knit, crochet, and pray; and the Faith and Grief Support Group, which meets on the third Tuesday of each month at noon in Second Hall and is open to the community. A booklet called Peace and Possibilities helps members plan funeral and memorial details ahead of need.
Accessibility Ministries
An Accessibility Committee ensures that everyone can participate fully. The church campus offers accessible parking, automatic doors, elevators in the main building and the Youth Building, accessible bathrooms, wheelchair space in the sanctuary, and assistive listening systems in worship spaces and classrooms. A sign language interpreter is provided at the 11:00 a.m. worship service and at special services such as Maunday Thursday and Good Friday, and is available by request for other worship services and meetings. Worship and educational materials can be provided in Braille by request. Online communications are fully accessible, and a team meets with families or individuals who have programming support needs for Sunday School, youth programs, and similar offerings.
Outreach and Mission Across Little Rock and Beyond
Each year, more than twenty-five percent of the money given by Second Presbyterian members is directed outside the church to mission partners. The congregation currently supports more than thirty-five organizations. Locally, Second Pres is the largest congregational donor to Stewpot, a meal ministry that has served more than 1.5 million lunches to neighbors in need and now operates out of the Salvation Army on Markham Street. Church members cook and serve dinner at Our House, a shelter serving working homeless families, each month. They have also served as the school partner for Bale Elementary near the UALR campus for more than five years, providing tutors, classroom readers, and staff support. In 2021, the congregation became the congregational sponsors of two Afghan refugee families being resettled in the Little Rock area, helping with food, housing, education, employment, and the long list of details that come with a new life in a new country.
Internationally, Second Presbyterian is in covenant relationship with the Presbyterian Church in Honduras through the Presbytery of Arkansas. Members travel to Honduras to work alongside their Honduran siblings in Christ, and Honduran Presbyterian leaders have visited Little Rock to lead programs and join in worship. The church provides yearly funding for Dori Hjalmarson, a PC(USA) mission coworker in Honduras, and members have joined Solar Under the Sun to install solar power in underserved communities. The congregation also participates in Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center, where there are weekly opportunities to assemble relief items at the Disaster Assistance Center and to do building projects with the "Over the Hill" gang.
Environmental Stewardship: An Earth Care Congregation
Second Presbyterian has held the PC(USA) Earth Care Congregation certification since 2010 and is widely recognized for its creation-care work. In 2019, the church installed an eighty-one-panel solar array as a carport structure that powers the Youth Building, producing roughly 39,360 kWh annually and reducing the church's dependence on non-renewable resources. Two electric vehicle charging stations, the first installed by an Arkansas church, were funded through a grant from Arkansas Interfaith Power and Light. A pollinator garden planted west of the Youth Building serves as a model for church members and a habitat for bees and butterflies. Inside, the sanctuary carpet was replaced with slate flooring, which both eliminated a ten-year cycle of carpet replacement and improved air quality.
The Environmental Stewardship Ministry maintains the church's Earth Care pledge through four focus areas: facilities, education, outreach, and worship. Recognitions have followed. In 2014, Arkansas Interfaith Power & Light honored Second Pres with its Faithful Green Friend Award for energy-efficiency work at the Pettus House at Vera Lloyd Children's Home in Monticello. In 2020, the Restoring Creation Award came from Presbyterians for Earth Care, and the City of Little Rock's Sustain the Rock Award in the Non-Profit Category made the church the first congregation to receive the award. In 2023, C3 Christians Caring for Creation named Second Presbyterian its Church of the Year.
Presbyterian Women
Presbyterian Women at Second Pres is part of an independent organization of more than 300,000 women who study God's word, pray together, engage in mission, and enjoy fellowship. The congregation gathers at 10:00 a.m. on the second Tuesday of each month from September through May; three circles meet afterward, and Together in Service gathers monthly for hands-on mission. The PW purpose statement names four commitments: nurturing faith through prayer and Bible study, supporting the mission of the church worldwide, working for justice and peace, and building an inclusive, caring community of women that strengthens the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and witnesses to the promise of God's kingdom.
Weddings, Memorials, and the Columbarium
Second Presbyterian hosts weddings and memorial services. Pastors work with couples using a Wedding Policy Booklet and a fillable Wedding Form to plan the day. The church emphasizes that marriage is a gift God has given to all humankind for the well-being of the entire human family and that celebrating a wedding in God's house reminds everyone of God's steadfast love.
When death occurs, the church asks to be contacted immediately so that pastors and staff can help families plan a service that reflects the life of the person who has died. A Funeral Advance Planning Guide is available. A Columbarium on the church campus provides a holy place for the interment of ashes following cremation. Niches are available to current or former members and their immediate family, as well as to current or former ministers and staff. Each niche holds one urn, and the church provides the urn.
Preschool and Childcare
Second Presbyterian Preschool has been part of the church's ministry for decades. Director Jamie Holstead leads a staff that includes Assistant Director Jennifer Edwards, with more than twenty years of combined early-education experience between them. The preschool accepts children of all backgrounds and shares the church's commitment to nurturing the youngest members of the community.
The History of Second Presbyterian Church
Presbyterianism came early to the western frontier. First Presbyterian Church of Little Rock, organized in 1828, was the first Presbyterian church west of the Mississippi. By 1882, Little Rock had grown to a small city of 28,000. With the blessings of First Presbyterian, a group of fourteen charter members organized Second Presbyterian Church on April 18, 1882, at a new building at the corner of 4th and State Streets. The wife of First Church's pastor gave the new congregation its first manse at 519 West 4th Street, a gesture of goodwill that set the pattern for the church's own outreach for years to come.
The character of Second Presbyterian was forged during the next half-century under two towering pastors. Dr. Hay Watson Smith served for twenty-nine years and was a profound scholar and fearless preacher. In 1911, he told the Presbytery of Arkansas about his divergences from the Westminster Confession of Faith, and later his liberal views on evolution led to heresy charges from the Presbytery of Augusta. Dr. Marion A. Boggs, a young Arkansas minister, successfully defended him before that body. The congregation supported Dr. Smith overwhelmingly, and by the time of his retirement in 1939 the membership had reached 955. Dr. Boggs then led the church for twenty-three years, growing the membership past 1,100 and making Second Presbyterian the largest Presbyterian church in the state.
In 1957, when Little Rock became a national battleground over public school desegregation, Dr. Boggs was one of the few ministers who publicly advocated integrated public schools in keeping with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision. The church continued to hold integrated services and meals with Allison Memorial Presbyterian Church, a historically Black congregation in Little Rock, despite anonymous threats. Dr. Boggs's courage led to his election as Moderator of the General Assembly of the PCUS in 1960.
By the early 1950s, most members lived in western Little Rock, and in 1965 the decision was made to relocate. Capital funds totaling $800,000 were pledged, and the downtown property at 3rd and Gaines was sold to the U.S. Government for about $400,000. The last service in the old sanctuary was December 17, 1968, and the first service in the new building on Pleasant Valley Drive was held February 9, 1969. The ten-acre campus, church building, and new manse in Foxcroft cost $1,200,000. Pews and stained glass windows moved with the congregation.
Along the way, the church planted new congregations. Westover Hills Presbyterian was organized in 1948 with about thirty members from Second Presbyterian and a chapel in the new neighborhood. St. Andrews Presbyterian was established in 1956, and Grace Presbyterian on Rodney Parham Road in 1961; Second Presbyterian supported both financially until they became self-sustaining. More recently, the church has supported Trinity Presbyterian, organized November 1, 1987, and now on Rahling Road.
A $2,300,000 educational building with classrooms and a multi-purpose Great Hall was dedicated in 1988. The $4.4 million Second Beginnings Capital Campaign from 2003 to 2006 built the 10,000-square-foot Youth Building, dedicated in 2006, and the $3.6 million Second Vision Capital Campaign from 2017 to 2021 replaced the Sanctuary organ, renovated the choir loft, Great Hall, and kitchen, updated technology, installed the solar panel array, and created a welcome area in the Northwest Entry. Women were first elected to the Session and Diaconate in 1969, and the Presbytery of Arkansas, greatly influenced by Second Presbyterian, became a union presbytery of the southern (PCUS) and northern (UPUSA) Presbyterian churches in 1974.
The pastoral succession since the move to Pleasant Valley Drive has included F. Wellford Hobbie (1968 to 1974), J. Allen Smith (1975 to 1993), William C. (Bill) Poe (1994 to 1999), Stephen Carey (Steve) Hancock (2001 to 2021), and Benjamin E. E. Kane, who became Pastor and Head of Staff in September 2023. Dr. Kane came to Little Rock from Howard Memorial Presbyterian Church in Tarboro, North Carolina, where he had served for nine years, and before that from Westminster Presbyterian Church in Nashville. He holds an undergraduate degree from Pitzer College, a Master of Divinity from Vanderbilt Divinity School, and a Doctor of Ministry from Columbia Theological Seminary. Associate Pastors on the current staff include Alisa Secrest (since 2018), Lindy Vogado (since 2013), and Elizabeth Baril Cahoon (since 2024).
Facilities, Fellowship, and Year-Round Gatherings
The campus on Pleasant Valley Drive includes the Sanctuary, the educational wing with the Great Hall, the Youth Building, the Columbarium, the Memorial Garden and pollinator garden, the solar array and EV charging stations, and a spacious parking lot with three entry points into the gathering space outside the Sanctuary. Members of the congregation use the buildings for Sunday School, Wednesday-night choirs and JAM, Monday Pastoral Care meetings, Tuesday Men's Group, Presbyterian Women's gatherings, Stephen Ministry supervision, the Faith and Grief Support Group, and regular fellowship meals in the Great Hall.
Fellowship is woven into the year. The All-Church Picnic takes over Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center each October. The Halloween Carnival fills the parking lot with Trunk or Treat, carnival games, a bounce house, and a hay ride. Easter Breakfast, the Easter Egg Hunt, Hanging of the Greens, Officer Appreciation, the Second Sunday Lunch, Summer Sunday Morning Socials, Shrove Sunday/Tuesday, and A Night at the Travelers Game round out the calendar of annual gatherings. Each month, members cook and serve dinner at Our House, and the church observes the rhythms of the liturgical year through Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Ash Wednesday, Maunday Thursday, and Good Friday services.
Joining in the Mission
Members share their time and talents alongside their financial giving. They serve as Sunday School teachers, youth advisors, VBS volunteers, Stephen Ministers, choir and handbell ringers, usher-greeters, communion servers, choir tour chaperones, Mission partners, Solar Under the Sun installers, tutors at Bale Elementary, and PenPal and Phone Friends correspondents. The congregation's stated mission is to grow in knowledge of the faith, in depth of spirituality, in the quality of fellowship, and in compassion for all God's children and creation - and to recognize and use the time, talents, and material gifts of all members in service of that mission. Whether a first-time guest, a young family looking for Sunday morning programs, a student in need of youth fellowship, a music lover hoping to sing in the choir, or a couple planning a wedding, Second Presbyterian Church has long been a place to find a place.