Holy Cross is a community living for Christ in the power of the Spirit, to the glory of the Father. 

Jesus has made life with God possible - now and for eternity! We receive the gift of this life when we believe in him and begin to follow him. Life in Jesus is about more than affirming certain truths or trying hard to be a better person, it is reorienting your entire life around him. As a people in Christ, we want to live with God for the glory of God!  At Holy Cross, our simple goals are to be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what Jesus did. 

This simple yet life-changing way of Jesus takes a lifetime of commitment and learning. It requires grace, humility, and courage. It is the Holy Spirit who works to transform us into the likeness of Jesus and empowers us to participate in his redemptive work in the world. Over time, we learn to live our lives as Jesus would if he were us. We are committed to prayer and the study of God’s Word. We draw on our rich Anglican tradition for spiritual practices, sacramental and liturgical worship, and walking in the Holy Spirit who helps us become the people God created us to be for the sake of the world and to the glory of God! 

Wherever you are on your spiritual journey, we invite you to consider the Lord Jesus Christ and the life he alone offers: life to the full (John 10:10)!

Core Commitments 

Follow Jesus

We believe that to be a follower of Jesus is to take up the life of an apprentice or disciple. At Holy Cross, we talk about this way of life as centering around three goals: be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what Jesus did.

Live in Community

Throughout the week, we live in a community where we seek to live in obedience to Jesus, honor one another, and love others sacrificially. Life Groups are the primary place where we practice the way of Jesus, together, on Sullivan's Island.

Gather on Sundays

We gather as a church around the sacrament of communion; to pray, learn the Scriptures, hear the Gospel proclaimed, and worship together as the people of God.

Serve

We serve by demonstrating self-sacrificial love to those both in and outside the church. It takes dozens of servants to pull off the gatherings each weekend. We are a family, and like a family, we must all pitch in.

Give

We live to partner with Jesus to serve our community. We dream of becoming a church marked by radical generosity with a significant portion of our budget going directly to evangelism and compassion.

Core Beliefs

The Gospel

We believe that God the Father, through the perfect life, atoning death and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, forgives us and rescues us from evil, sin and death into life with Him and promises by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit to restore all things to the praise of His glory.

The Holy Scriptures

The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as “containing all things necessary to salvation,” and as being the rule and ultimate standard of our common faith.

The Creeds

The Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds, as the sufficient statements of the Christian faith.

The Sacraments

There are two sacraments instituted by Jesus, Baptism and Holy Communion, which serve as “the outward signs (water, bread/wine) of an inward grace (the presence of Jesus).”

Anglican Formularies

The Anglican Formularies guide our beliefs, practices and governance. They are the 39 Articles of Religion, The Book of Common Prayer, the Ordinal and the Homilies. In addressing the particular concerns of the English Reformation, the Articles of Religion set forth a precise articulation of faith on many of the great points of Christian doctrine, in concert with the Creeds. 

Governance

The ministry of the historic episcopate (bishops). All Anglican churches are tethered to the apostolic tradition and minister under the spiritual leadership of a chief pastor, their bishop.

Church of the Holy Cross is an Anglican Church and a member of the Anglican Communion which totals over 80 million people worldwide. With origins in the English Reformation, but roots that can be traced to the early Church, Anglicans are a unique blend of several great traditions of Christianity.

The word Anglican means “of England.” As British Christians, compelled by the word of God and the Holy Spirit, took their faith around the world during the colonial period, churches were established on every continent and in many nations. British pastoral leaders urged autonomy and collegiality with these daughter churches and, over time, separate provinces of the Anglican Church were established around the world. Most of these provinces correspond geographically to particular nations.

Holy Cross is a member of the Anglican Church in North America and the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina under the leadership of Bishop Chip Edgar.

Anglican History

During the Reformation (16th century), the leaders who founded the Anglican Church were deeply committed to making the Scriptures available to all, ministering to people in languages they could understand, and uniting the church’s form of worship through a common liturgy. While dynastic concerns motivated Henry VIII to seek the dissolution of religious and political ties with Rome, English theological scholars, and our reformational heritage have bestowed on us a tradition that is centered in the Gospel and immersed in the Scriptures. Anglican theology is summarized in the 39 Articles of Religion while Anglican spirituality can be seen and experienced through The Book of Common Prayer. 

In the subsequent centuries, as Great Britain colonized parts of the world, the Church of England sent missionaries to share the Gospel with these people. Over time, these became ingenious churches with shared beliefs and worship. Today, versions of the Book of Common Prayer are used here at Apostles and in Anglican worship services around the world. These churches are now referred to as belonging to the Global Anglican Communion.

Anglican Distinctives

One of the most distinct things about Anglicanism might be our lack of distinctives! You might say Anglicanism is seeking to be a faithful expression of mere Christianity — believing and practicing what orthodox Christians have held to down through history as received from Jesus through the Apostles. We hold deep, biblical convictions informed by tradition, reason and experience. 

Anglican Christians believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and that accepting Him as Savior is the only way to abundant life in the present age and the age to come.

Anglican Christians are evangelical (a word meaning of the good news) Christians. We believe that the Bible is the Word of God and that it has unique authority in our lives. As Biblically-faithful Anglicans, our churches teach the whole Bible and how it applies to our daily lives. We believe that God’s love for the whole world, expressed in Jesus Christ, is Good News that we are called to share with everyone.

Anglican Christians are catholic (a word that means universal, not Roman Catholic) Christians. We are part of a worldwide church of more than 80 million people that grew out of the Church of England. We are united to each other and to the broader Christian tradition by a shared way of worship, church order, and the celebration and sharing of the Biblical sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion.

Anglican Christians are charismatic (a word that means gifted, referring to the gift and gifts of the Holy Spirit) Christians. We believe that the Holy Spirit is active in believers, enabling, teaching, healing, and calling us to love our neighbors and change the world.

Want to learn more about Anglicanism?

We encourage you to register for our next Essential Anglicanism course. You can learn more about this and other courses on our Foundations page.

Additional Resources include:

Simply Anglican by Winfield Bevins. 

Reformation Anglicanism ed. by Ashley Null and John Yates III

The 39 Articles: Their Place and Use Today by J. I. Packer

Anglican Evangelical Identity by J.I. Packer and N.T. Wright

Anglican Compass