Venice Presbyterian Church sits on The Rialto in Venice, Florida, a short drive from the Gulf Coast, and it has built its identity around a single phrase: "To Know Christ and to Make Christ Known." The full version of the church's vision reaches further - to glorify God as a disciple-making outpost of Kingdom Life - and it shows in nearly every corner of the congregation, from the music program on Sunday morning to a clinic in the Guatemalan mountains that VPC helped to start fifteen years ago.
A House on The Rialto
The church building at 825 The Rialto has been part of Venice for many decades and is laid out around a sanctuary built for a traditional worship experience. A pipe organ and a chancel choir fill the loft for the winter season's 11:00 am service, while a separate modern worship team leads the earlier 9:00 am gathering in the same room with contemporary songs and refreshed hymn arrangements. The office entrance is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm and on Fridays from 9:00 am to noon. The phone rings at 941-488-2258 during those hours, and Connie Sayers greets visitors at the front desk. The building also hosts memorial services, weddings, concerts, small groups, and the steady traffic of volunteers moving in and out for ministry work.
Sunday Worship, Shaped by the Seasons
VPC follows a seasonal schedule. From May through September the church gathers for one blended service at 10:00 am, drawing on both traditional and contemporary music with a monthly summer choir. From November through April the schedule opens up to two services: a 9:00 am modern service with a worship band and contemporary songs, and an 11:00 am traditional service anchored by the chancel choir and the pipe organ. Both services are Bible-based, rooted in the proclamation of Scripture and prayer.
Anyone who cannot attend in person can worship along online. Services are livestreamed on YouTube, broadcast on Facebook Live, and released afterward as the Kingdom Life podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. A bulletin for each Sunday is posted on the church's media page, and past services stay available on YouTube for catching up later.
Music and the Arts
Music is a long-standing strength at Venice Presbyterian. The Music and Arts ministry describes its purpose plainly: "to draw people into holy encounters with the living God and to lead us into a deeper relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ." Three ensembles carry most of that work.
- Chancel Choir - rehearses Wednesdays at 7:15 pm, September through May, and leads the traditional service under Choir Director Ken Cox.
- Modern Worship Team - rehearses Wednesday evenings before the chancel choir rehearsal and leads the contemporary service under Worship Coordinator Karen Romig.
- Joyful Ringers Handbell Choir - rehearses Tuesdays from 3:30 to 5:00 pm, November through April. Contact: Laurie Olsen.
An Audio-Visual team supports both services and the streamed broadcast under Director of Technology Alec Ronald. Throughout the year the church also runs a concert series featuring Christian artists in a variety of styles, with tickets sold in advance and at the door.
What the Church Believes
VPC describes itself with five marks: Christian, Biblically-Grounded, Evangelical, Missional, and Presbyterian.
The congregation confesses faith in the Triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and holds that salvation and eternal life are found in Christ alone. The Bible is treated as the unique and authoritative Word of God, sufficient for faith and life, and is central to both private study and gathered worship. The church uses the word "evangelical" in its older sense, meaning rooted in the gospel, and teaches that salvation is a free gift made possible through the atoning death of Jesus Christ. Members are encouraged to share that good news through both word and deed.
The missional identity shapes how the church talks about itself. Rather than an inward-facing institution, VPC sees the church as the Body of Christ sent into the world, marked by compassion (Matthew 25) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28). As a Presbyterian congregation, the church is governed locally by a Session - elders elected by the members - and worship honors cherished traditions alongside newer expressions of music and prayer. The leadership affirms the sanctity of life from conception to natural death, and teaches that God created human beings male and female, with sexual intimacy designed for the marriage covenant between a man and a woman.
The Outpost Vision
The word outpost in the vision statement is deliberate. VPC is in Southwest Florida, surrounded by seasonal residents who arrive in winter and travel elsewhere the rest of the year. The church sees that rhythm as a ministry opportunity - a place where believers can be refreshed and equipped before being sent to other churches and other communities. The congregation is meant to be an equipping station, not a destination. The real measure of the church, leadership teaches, is what happens through its members in their daily lives, not what happens on Sunday morning inside the building.
Three habits flow out of that vision and shape the church's ministry framework, called Connect, Grow, Go.
- Connect with other disciples in authentic Christian friendship.
- Grow in the habits of discipleship so that Christ is being formed within.
- Go to demonstrate the hope and healing of Jesus to neighbors and the world.
Care and Compassion
A large portion of VPC's ministry happens through its Care and Compassion team, led by Associate Pastor Carolyn Wilson. It is the church's response to the difficult seasons of life.
- Stephen Ministry - trained lay members offer free, one-to-one, confidential emotional and spiritual care to people in the congregation and the wider community who are facing a crisis.
- GriefShare - a 13-week support seminar for people grieving the death of a loved one. Open to the community at no charge.
- Trauma REBOOT - a 12-week, faith-based, peer-led course that helps people work through trauma. Led under Executive Director Chris O'Brien.
- Buddy Break - a free respite program for children with special needs and their siblings. VIP kids enjoy crafts, music, therapy dogs, stories, and friends while caregivers take three hours for themselves, one Friday night or Saturday morning a month.
- Shepherds and Visitation - lay shepherds stay in touch with homebound or isolated members, an extension of pastoral care.
- Prayer Ministry - a group that prays for the church, members, and the wider world.
- Knit One, Pray Too - a circle of knitters who craft shawls and baby hats, blessing each item before it is given away.
- Memorial Services and Receptions - a Cookie and Coffee Reception is offered after each memorial service so families can visit and remember together.
- Caregiver Ministry - a developing ministry designed to support members caring for a loved one, with education, a resource center, and a peer support group.
Mission Partners
VPC supports a wide circle of mission partners locally, regionally, and globally. Todd Miller serves as Director of Missional Engagement, and the church frames its giving around the call of Matthew 25:35 - "I was hungry and you gave me something to eat." A few of the partners include:
- Center of Hope - food distributions, rent assistance, health clinics, clothing, and other aid for the homeless, veterans, single parents, the elderly, and the working poor in the Venice area.
- Family Promise - housing support and bridge shelter for children and families facing homelessness, along with rent assistance and transitional housing.
- Day 4 Hope - a back-to-school event serving 250 children from nine local schools with medical, dental, and vision screenings, a haircut, a backpack full of supplies, groceries, and a free book. Each family hears the gospel story and is offered prayer.
- 180 House - an outreach of Suncoast Youth for Christ in Venice that uses skateboarding, rock climbing, basketball, art, mentoring, and the Alpha program to share Christ with high school youth.
- Agape Flights - air delivery of mail and supplies to 300 missionaries serving in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas, plus disaster relief.
- Salud Que Transforma (Guatemala Clinic and Children's Ministries) - established through Venice Presbyterian in 2010, the clinic provides free medical, dental, and pharmaceutical care to rural Guatemalans through a permanent location and mobile day clinics. A staff of sixteen, including three doctors and nurses, is led by Dr. Erick and Cynthia Estrada. The church also helps support children's programs and scholarships connected to the clinic.
- HELPS International - safer Onil stoves, water filters, and a school for rural families in the Guatemalan mountains near Nebaj.
- Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance - advocacy and affordable housing for migrant farmworkers in Immokalee, Florida.
- Laurel Civic Association - after-school academic support, a Kids Café, summer reading, a teen empowerment program, and adult financial literacy and food distribution for low-income families.
- Misión Peniel - food, clothing, fellowship, and pastoral care for 300 to 450 migrant farmworkers in Immokalee each Friday.
- One for Israel - media evangelism and humanitarian work reaching Israelis with the message of Jesus as Messiah.
- TCM International Institute - training Christian leaders in more than 45 countries and operating HELP (Humanitarian Aid, Evangelism, Long-term help, Prayer) for refugees of the war in Ukraine, providing hundreds of thousands of safe nights to displaced families.
- Pregnancy Solutions - free pregnancy testing, ultrasound, counseling, parenting classes, and financial help for women and men facing unplanned pregnancies.
- Jim and Beth Luebe - VPC-supported missionaries in leadership with Oaks International who minister to NYPD officers through wellness training, marriage retreats, and disciple-making.
- One Christ, Won City - a network of Southwest Florida congregations pursuing unity and shared mission.
An Alternative Gift Market booklet published each year makes it easy for members to give to several of these partners in honor of a friend or family member.
Spiritual Growth and Conferences
Discipleship at VPC is fed through Bible study, small groups, and seasonal teaching series. Senior Pastor Chris Romig has walked the congregation through multi-week series such as A Story of Grace, Letters From Jesus (a study of Revelation 2-3), Looking Ahead with Hope, and the summer 2022 series When God Shed His Grace: The Holy Spirit in American History, which traced awakenings from the First Great Awakening through the Jesus Movement. Daily Scripture Reflections are posted online to support individual reading.
Every couple of years the church hosts a Biblical Worldview Conference, inviting internationally recognized teachers to address questions of faith and culture. The conference has featured Dr. Christopher Yuan and his mother Angela Yuan, who teach on holy sexuality and disciple parents and grandparents through The Holy Sexuality Project.
Members and approved mission partners may also apply each year for the VPC Academic Scholarship, granted for tuition at accredited colleges, universities, and technical schools based on service to church, school, and community, academic standing, justifiable need, and special circumstances.
The Pastoral Team
Senior Pastor Chris Romig leads the staff and preaches most Sundays. Associate Pastor Carolyn Wilson oversees the Care and Compassion ministries. Executive Director Chris O'Brien leads the prayer ministry and Trauma REBOOT and helps steward the church's operations. Anne Marie Hewitt, Director of Communication and Connection, oversees the front door of the church. Todd Miller, Director of Missional Engagement, walks with the mission partners. Alec Ronald, Director of Technology, supports both the audio-visual ministry and the church's daily communications. Karen Romig coordinates worship, Ken Cox directs the choir, and Ann Stephenson Moe serves as organist.
Getting Connected
Visitors and newcomers are welcome to stop by the church office at 825 The Rialto during weekday hours or to call 941-488-2258. The mailing list delivers weekly news and updates. Those who want to deepen their involvement are invited to small groups, Bible studies, or volunteer opportunities through the Connection ministry. Giving is available online through the church's Pushpay page, and an online directory called Realm helps members stay in touch. Pastoral care, baptisms, weddings, and funerals can all be arranged through the church office.