The Christian Counseling Center of First Presbyterian Church

12/30/2025

The most meaningful gifts don’t come wrapped. 🎁

This Christmas, your generosity can bring hope, healing, and support to someone who truly needs it.
Just $40 helps provide counseling that can change a life.

Be a blessing this season → https://www.christiancounseling.ws/donate/

12/25/2025

“In a quiet manger, hope was born for you.”

Christmas is a tender reminder that Jesus didn’t just come for the world in a broad sense… He came personally, intentionally, lovingly for you.

Whether your day is loud or quiet, joyful or reflective, we pray you feel the nearness of Emmanuel — God with us. His presence is for every heart, in every season, in every story.

Merry Christmas, friends. 🎄❤️💚

You are deeply loved and never alone.

If you’re navigating a heavy or complicated season, we’re here with support, prayer, and a listening ear. Learn more or reach out at www.christiancounseling.ws

12/23/2025

Feeling the pressure to make this Christmas perfect? 🎄✨

You’re not alone. This season can stir up unrealistic expectations: flawless gatherings, spotless homes, picture-perfect gifts, and endless joy.

But if you’re feeling overwhelmed, weary, or like you’re somehow falling short, hear this clearly: You are not called to perfection. You are called to peace.

The very first Christmas wasn’t polished or pristine. It was simple… humble… even messy. Yet God chose that setting to bring hope and light into the world. 🕊️

At the Christian Counseling Center, we walk with many who feel the holiday pressure rising, emotionally, spiritually, and relationally. If that’s you, it’s okay to:
❤️ Slow down
❤️ Breathe
❤️ Release the pressure to be everything for everyone

Remember:
💚 God meets you in the imperfect.
💚 Your worth isn’t measured by holiday performance.
💚 Peace is found in His presence, not in perfect plans.

If this season feels heavy, you don’t have to carry it alone. We’re here to offer support, prayer, and a listening ear. Learn more or connect at www.christiancounseling.ws

12/18/2025

Have you ever felt like your heart is too messy, too crowded, or too overwhelmed for Jesus to enter? ❤️

The Christmas story gently reminds us otherwise.

“And she gave birth to her firstborn son… and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” — Luke 2:7 (NIV)
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us…” — John 1:14 (NIV)
“Yet to all who did receive him… he gave the right to become children of God.” — John 1:12 (NIV)

If Jesus was content to enter this world through a humble womb and a feeding trough, then He is content to enter your heart exactly as it is.

No polishing. No pretending. No perfection. Just an open door.

When we make room, even in the clutter, even in the chaos, He gladly comes in with grace upon grace (John 1:16).

If your heart feels full, heavy, or messy this season, you’re not alone. And you don’t have to sort it all out by yourself. We’re here with support, prayer, and a listening ear. Learn more or reach out at www.christiancounseling.ws 🕊️

12/15/2025

Sometimes the smallest gestures can carry the greatest warmth. 💛🎁

The word cheer has a beautiful dual meaning: a shout of encouragement and a gesture of comfort or support.

We see both forms of “Christmas cheer” woven throughout the story of Jesus’ birth in Luke 2:
📖 Angels proclaiming praise and encouragement
📖 Mary comforted by the shepherds’ visit
📖 Shepherds leaving the manger “glorifying and praising God”

Christmas cheer was never about twinkle lights or extravagant gifts.
It has always been about presence… attention… and words that breathe life into others.

This season, your simple acts of kindness can offer:
💛 Encouragement to someone who feels unseen
💛 Comfort to a hurting heart
💛 Support to someone carrying more than they show
💛 Hope to someone who needs reminding that God is near

Small gestures can plant big seeds of joy.

And if this season feels heavy for you, we’re here to walk alongside you. Learn more or reach out at www.christiancounseling.ws

12/10/2025

If joy feels hard to hold onto in a season that’s supposed to be merry, you’re not alone.

The holidays have a way of stirring up complicated emotions. You might feel grateful and giving… hopeful and exhausted… surrounded yet still alone.

If joy feels out of reach this year, take heart; mixed emotions don’t make you faithless. They make you human.

The very first Christmas was full of holy contradictions, too:
✨ A weary couple and a wondrous promise
✨ A humble stable and the glory of heaven
✨ Fear in the night and “Do not be afraid”

Joy didn’t replace the hard; it met them in it.
And that’s still how God works.

Jesus reminds us in John 16:22 (NIV):
“Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again, and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.”

Joy doesn’t require pretending everything is fine.
It doesn’t demand you silence your sadness.
Joy often comes quietly, even through tears, because it is rooted in the presence of Jesus, not the perfection of the season.

If your heart is carrying both light and heaviness, we at the Christian Counseling Center are here for you. Learn more or reach out at www.christiancounseling.ws 🕯️

May His peace steady you, and His nearness comfort you this holiday season.

12/09/2025

A central part of our mission at CCC is to not turn anyone away who seeks counseling due to financial hardships. In a world of long waiting lists and high-priced therapy, we strive to make counseling affordable and accessible, especially to those who need it most.

In order to do this, we need your help! You can help keep the cost of counseling low and even cover the costs of services for those with financial hardships. All you need to do is donate to our general fund.

Linked here is our letter to our First Presbyterian family asking for support. But support from our wider community allows us to do even more. Would you consider donating so that others can receive high quality counseling in the name of Jesus? This is a chance for you to partner with us in something lifechanging!

Dear Friend, Grace and peace to you in this Christmas season! I often struggle knowing how to talk to someone during the Christmas season. On the one hand, this is the most joyous time of the year, when we get to meditate on the coming of the Savior into the world and the advent of […]

12/08/2025

If this season feels more quiet than joyful, more isolating than comforting, please know this: you are seen, you are loved, and you are not forgotten.

Many people carry silent loneliness during the holidays: missing someone deeply, feeling disconnected, or holding memories that make this time of year heavy. Even in a season meant for togetherness, hearts can still feel painfully alone.

But Christmas tells a different story: Emmanuel—God with us.
Not God far away, not God only with the cheerful, but God with you right where you are… even in the silence, even in the aching.

Jesus stepped into a world that knew loneliness, and He reminds us in Matthew 28:20 (NIV): “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

He draws close to the brokenhearted, and His presence is not dependent on circumstances.

If this season feels hard, you don’t have to walk it alone. We’re here to offer support, prayer, and a listening ear. Learn more or reach out at www.christiancounseling.ws ❤️💚

12/04/2025

What Christmas traditions warm your soul this time of year? 🎄🎁✨

As the season unfolds, many of us cling to the small, meaningful moments that bring light to our hearts, reminders of God’s goodness, His faithfulness, and the beauty of gathering in His love.

Maybe it’s lighting Advent candles…
Reading the Christmas story with family…
Baking a recipe passed down through generations…
Or simply sitting quietly with a warm cup of cocoa, thanking God for His presence.

We’d love to hear from you:
Which Christmas tradition draws you closer to others and to the heart of Jesus? ❤️💚

Share in the comments; your story may bless someone else today.

12/02/2025

Ever notice how winter can sneak up on your mood? ❄️

Shorter days and colder weather often mean more time indoors, and for many of us, that shift brings on the winter blues.

One simple and refreshing way to care for your mental health this season is to step outside, even in the colder months. And the newly renovated Finlay Park in downtown Columbia offers the perfect place to do it.

With beautiful landscaping, walking paths, pickleball courts, art performances, playgrounds, concerts, and a calming water feature, Finlay Park offers our community a peaceful way to enjoy the outdoors again.

Spending time outside during winter can:
⚡ Boost energy & mood
👥 Increase connection with others
🧠 Improve creativity & focus
🤍 Reduce stress & tension

So this winter, instead of staying cooped up inside, try bundling up and taking in God’s creation around you. Your mind and spirit will thank you.

Learn more about caring for your emotional and spiritual well-being at www.christiancounseling.ws

12/01/2025

Our very own Rebekah Yoder, LPC, was interviewed by Pastor Mark at Christ Community Church on the very relevant topic of reconciliation from a Biblical and clinical perspective.

We love to see our counselors serving the community in this way. If you have a moment, please take a look. You will be edified!

320 Loring Mill Road Sumter, SC ​ 803-866-4600 ​ Sunday Service Times 8:08am | 9:30am | 11:00am *New Saturday service starting Jan 10 | JOIN THE TEAM ​Office Hours Mon-Thurs, 8:30am - 4pm...

11/27/2025

Each Thanksgiving, we gather around the table, carve the turkey, and share what we’re thankful for. These traditions are beautiful reminders of God’s goodness, but in all our gratitude, let’s not forget to give thanks for the greatest gift of all: Jesus Christ.

Through Him, we have peace with God.

Psalm 100 calls us into gladness, joy, and thanksgiving: “Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.” — Psalm 100:3 (NIV)

You were fashioned by the hands of the Almighty, chosen for this time and this place. In Christ, you belong. You are loved, accepted, and shepherded by the One who made you.

This Thanksgiving, let’s turn our hearts toward thankfulness for salvation. Rejoicing that because of Jesus, we can call God our Father and know that we are His. 💛