This is Holy Cross!

Basic Premise #1 - The Church of the Holy Cross exists for those who are not yet members.

Basic Premise #2 – We welcome and accept people wherever they are in their faith journey, and trust God to take them where He wants them to be, and on His timetable.

Basic Premise #3 - People want relationships, not religion.
a. Authentic Christianity is a relationship, not a religion.
b. They don’t care what you know until they know that you care.
c. Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name and they’re
always glad you came.

Basic Premise #4 – Positioning: We play to our strengths. We aren’t interested in trying to be another church. We learn from others, but adapt what we like to our situation. There isn’t one single way that works, or one size that fits all.

Basic Premise #5 - Just because we’ve always done things in a certain way is not, in and of itself, a sufficient reason for continuing to do it that way. God loves us just the way we are, but He doesn’t expect us to stay that way.

Basic Premise #6 – God pays for what He orders.

Basic Premise #7 – With God, nothing is impossible.

Church History

In his annual address to the 29th Convention of the Diocese of South Carolina in February, 1817, the Rt. Reverend Theodore Dehon, second Bishop of South Carolina, said: "A building has been purchased by subscription, to be converted in the ensuing season into a place of public worship, on Sullivan's Island, whither so many of our community resort in summer for comfort and health." The building, located at the harbor end of the Island (Station Nine), originally built for a lazaretto, was renovated and consecrated as Grace Church on June 10, 1819. Services were held only in the summer season, from June until October.

The outbreak of the Civil War, however, put an end to the services at Grace Church. When the Confederate Government evacuated all civilians from the Island, the Church was left to the fortunes of war. It was riddled and set afire by shells from the Union batteries across the harbor. Only the brick walls were left standing, and within those walls the former parishioners met in 1874 and decided that the property should be sold.

A devoted layman kept Episcopal services going on Sullivan's Island for many years by holding them both in his home and in an abandoned Presbyterian chapel. In 1889, it was decided that the time had come to establish a new church, and Islanders, irrespective of their religious beliefs, contributed generously to this undertaking. A new building was built (at Station 14), and the first service was held on July 10, 1892. Three years later, on September 12, 1895, the Right Reverend Ellison Capers, seventh Bishop of South Carolina, wrote in his journal: "Consecrated this day to the worship of Almighty God a beautiful stone edifice erected on Sullivan's Island to be known as "The Chapel of the Holy Cross."

At the turn of the 20th century, the Army began enlarging Fort Moultrie, and as the Church stood right next to the fort, The church building was purchased by the Army on August 10, 1905 and used as the Post Chapel until the deactivation of Fort Moultrie in 1947. The Lutheran Church bought the building after the Army left Fort Moultrie, and for many years it was St. Mark's Lutheran Church. The building, at 1401 Middle Street, has since been deconsecrated, and is now a private residence.

Immediately after the sale of the building to the Army, the members of Holy Cross set about constructing a new church building farther up the island, at Station 25. This, our present church building, was erected in 1907, and is almost an exact replica of the first building, and contains the original memorial windows, chancel, and bell. When World War II began, services were discontinued due to a lack of communicants, and the church building was used by the Army as a first-aid station.

In 1947, the church was reopened and restored. A building built by the Army and used during the war as a dental clinic was moved from the Fort and became the Parish Hall. In 1962, the Chapel of the Holy Cross was awarded parish status and its name was officially established as The Church of the Holy Cross.

Since 1988, Holy Cross has experienced a period of tremendous growth. The parish has experienced a twelvefold growth membership (from 75 active members in 1988 to about 1700 in 2006) and a corresponding jump in program budget (from $55,000 in 1988 to $1,950,000 in 2006). Holy Cross built and paid for a new $600,000 parish hall, hired it's first assistant rector, first parish coordinator, first music director, first youth pastor, first associate youth pastor, and first Director of Christian Education in a single decade. In addition, almost 25% of our budget is given away to outside ministries.

In 1996, the Diocese of South Carolina purchased the property adjoining the parish hall and gave it to Holy Cross to use for future expansion. In 2002 we began construction on a six-million dollar expansion to our campus, which was completed in September, 2003. The new construction included a new church building for traditional worship, a new contemporary worship space, new youth facilities, and a new Christian Education wing.

Construction completed in September, 2003.

In 2001, land was given to Holy Cross by Vince Graham to build a branch of Holy Cross in I’On, a beautiful community in Mt. Pleasant. Funds are being raised and we hope to begin construction soon.

In 2003, The Daniel Island Corporation gave the Diocese of South Carolina land on which to build an Episcopal Church. Holy Cross was chosen to build another location of our parish on the diocesan property on Daniel Island. Construction was completed in April, 2006, and now serves hundreds of additional families in the greater Charleston area. You can see our Daniel Location by clicking here.