Climbing Ever Higher
I find it difficult to write about our Lord, and composing this devotion is no exception. It's a good difficulty; a gracious
- WHO WE ARE
What we believe is anchored by our mission, vision, and statement of faith.
Our current building, which dates to 1854, is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Our church is led by the Very Rev. Dr. Charles E. Owens, III, affectionately known as Chuck.
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Over 80 ministries in which you can serve and make a difference in the lives of others.
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Cross Christian Counseling Center is a source of help when you need it.
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HISTORIC CAMPUS
110 Calhoun Street
Saturdays at 5:28 pm – Gracetime Service
Sundays at 8 am – Traditional Service
Sundays at 10 am – Blended Service
THE CHAPEL
491 Buckwalter Parkway
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CROSS SCHOOLS CAMPUS
495 Buckwalter Parkway
Sundays at 10:30 am – Contemporary Worship
843.757.2661 | info@thechurchofthecross.net | MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 278, Bluffton, SC 29910
OFFICE HOURS: Monday – Thursday 9 am – 4:30 pm, Friday 9 am – noon| 491 Buckwalter Parkway
DOCENT HOURS: Monday – Thursday 11 am – 2 pm| 110 Calhoun Street
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Father Chuck Owens
The Rev. Dr. Charles E. Owens III (Chuck) is a grassroots believer who knows first-hand the struggles and challenges of everyday life. He is a real world disciple having spent over thirty years as an educator and independent school headmaster prior to entering full-time ministry. Married for forty-three years, he and his wife Becky have two children and five grandchildren.
Father Owens discerned a call to ministry, read for Orders, and was ordained a deacon by the Rt. Rev. Edward L. Salmon, Jr., South Carolina XIII, in January 1994 and priest six months later. He served for two and one half years as Curate at the Church of the Redeemer in Orangeburg, South Carolina, before being installed as Rector of The Church of the Cross in Bluffton, South Carolina, in August 1996. In addition to countless seminars and ongoing professional programs, his education includes a B.S., M.Ed, and D.Min.
During his half century in the Anglican Church, Father Owens has served in various lay leadership roles at the parish and diocesan levels. As a priest he has been a member of the Diocesan Council, the Commission on Ministry, the Board of Trustees of York Place and the South Carolina Christian Action Council. For over ten years he served as the Chairman of the Congregational Development Committee and as Dean of the Beaufort Deanery.
Father Owens has led many retreats to include: the Diocesan Men’s Conference, the Diocesan Couples’ Conference (with Becky), and numerous Cursillo Weekends. With the full support of his parish, Father Owens travels regularly and extensively in and out of the Diocese of South Carolina facilitating leadership, discipleship and stewardship at both the parish and diocesan levels, most recently establishing ongoing relationships with the Diocese of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh in Ireland and the Diocese of Fredericton in Canada. In 2012 he keynoted the Canadian Anglican Cursillo Triennial in Ottawa and began conducting mission events in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada, and speaking in the Leadership Stream of the New Wine Conference in Ireland. He has also developed and conducted two conferences focused on strengthening small congregations throughout the Emerald Isle (Strong Small Churches) – these conferences are now being offered on a continuing basis in Ireland and elsewhere. He regularly hosts teams of lay and clergy leaders at The Church of the Cross.
Relentless in his faith, Father Owens is a gifted teacher and preacher of the Gospel who unashamedly challenges others to grow in their personal relationships with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Under his leadership, The Church of the Cross has experienced phenomenal growth, built a second campus and Christian school, and has now embraced a vision for a virtual campus ministry committed to reaching and connecting formerly churched believers who now find themselves without access to orthodox Christian fellowship, teaching and worship.
Dear friend,
If you would like to contact me, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to send me an email or give me a call at 843-757-2661.
In His power and for His glory,
Chuck
Reverend Jonathan Riddle
Jonathan is a North Carolina native who attended Appalachian State University. He received his Master of Divinity from Reformed Theological Seminary (Orlando) and an Anglican Studies Diploma from Trinity Anglican Seminary.
Whether referencing C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, J.I. Packer, John Piper, or Tim Keller, Jonathan’s passion is connecting the Gospel to everyday life with the hope to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
If not spending time with his family Jonathan loves History, College Football and watching his beloved Carolina Panthers.
He lives in Bluffton with his wonderful wife, Lisa, and their six children.
Assistant to the Rector Josh Lake
Josh is blessed to have been born into a Christian home, with parents who ensured the Church was a priority. He comes to us from Johnson City, TN, where he and his family have served in pastoral ministry for the last seven years with a brief (five month) RV trek across the country and back. He and Bethany are passionate about missions and discipleship, and are deeply convinced that the Gospel is the only hope for those who are lost and perishing around the world and in our neighborhoods.
A child of the Southern Baptist Convention, Josh learned from them a deep reverence for Scripture and its place of primacy in the life of the Church and the believer. Those formative years in Sunday school, VBS, and congregational worship, time at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and opportunities to pastor in different SBC contexts have left an indelible imprint on his life and ministry.
Long uncomfortable Baptists, Josh and Bethany began making their way into the Anglican Church in North America three years ago, and after serving SBC churches in pastoral ministry for the last seventeen years, Josh, Bethany, and their four children are thankful to have finally, “officially” made their way into Anglicanism and are excited to serve at The Church of the Cross.
Josh is convinced The Church of the Cross is uniquely situated and gifted to proclaim “the “rumors of Grace, redemption, and God making all things new,” in the Lowcountry and beyond.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Reverend Nathan Weaver
The Rev. Dr. Nathan Weaver joined The Church of the Cross clergy team in 2021. Nathan serves as the Director of Faith Formation and supervises the Faith Formation teaching team at Cross Schools and TCOTC Youth and Children’s Ministries.
Since the youngest of ages, Nathan has sensed a call to pastoral ministry. This journey led him to West Virginia Wesleyan College where he majored in Religious Studies, with an emphasis in Church Liturgy and Formation. Here he helped lead a campus ministry that transformed his understanding of God and what it means to lead others toward a relationship with Christ.
Upon graduation, he attended Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, KY, where he received a Master of Divinity. In 2023, Nathan earned a Doctor of Ministry in Spiritual Direction from Asbury. He met his wife, Lauren while studying at Asbury Seminary. Lauren hails from Macon, Georgia. She graduated from the University of Georgia and also earned a Master of Divinity from Asbury Seminary. She earned a second Master’s in Mental Health Counseling from Marshall University and is a licensed counselor working with Cross Counseling. Nathan and Lauren have two sons, Ezra and Levi.
Nathan served as a United Methodist pastor in West Virginia for three years and as an adjunct professor at West Virginia Wesleyan College before following God’s call to the Anglican Church and The Church of the Cross. Nathan was ordained a priest in 2022 by Bishop Derek Jones of the Jurisdiction of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy. In addition to his work at The Church of the Cross, Nathan serves as a Chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserves.
Father Tom Hendrickson
The Rev. Thomas J. Hendrickson hails from Long Island, New York, where he lived with his wife Terri and daughter Julia. Tom and Terri met at the University of Denver where Tom took a degree in Comparative Religion and Philosophy. They married in 1973 and moved to Long Island in 1976. During their time on Long Island, he progressed through the offices of the family business of Highway and Heavy construction until he became the President and Chairman of the Board for the consolidated companies.
Twenty-five years later, the Lord called him into full time ministry which led him to Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, Pennsylvania, where he earned his Master of Divinity degree.
After his graduation in 2004, and his ordination by Bishop Bob Duncan, Father Tom served for two years at Christ the King parish in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. In 2006, he accepted a call to St Luke’s Church on Hilton Head Island to serve as the Assistant to the Rector. Four years later he stepped down and considered retirement. However, the Lord had a plan for Tom and Terri. Bishop Mark Lawrence introduced them to The Historic Church of The Epiphany in Eutawville, South Carolina, were he accepted the call to be Rector and worked there for seven years.
After re-establishing themselves on Hilton Head Island, Tom and Terri began attending The Church of the Cross in Bluffton where the Lord’s plan and purpose continues to unfold.
Reverend David Fisher
The Rev. Dave Fisher serves as the Parish Chaplain of The Church of the Cross. Working alongside Elisabeth Markle and the volunteer Care Ministries of the church, the heart of Dave’s role is to bring an awareness of God’s presence and peace to those who have been separated from the flock by sickness or injury, and to walk with families through end-of-life care. The Parish Chaplain also serves as a pastoral presence to the volunteers and guests of outreach ministries of The Church of the Cross such as The Church of the Cross Food Bank and God’s Goods Thrift Store.
Dave graduated from Penn State University in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in music. In spring 2011, he heeded a call into youth ministry and returned to State College, PA, serving as a youth director there for seven years. During that time, he and Caitlin met and were married. In 2018, they moved to Wilmore, Kentucky, and enrolled together at Asbury Theological Seminary, graduating in 2022 with a Master of Divinity degree and a Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling, respectively. It was during his last few months of seminary, working as a hospital chaplain intern, that Dave discerned a particular and unexpected calling to ministry among those experiencing grief, pain, and uncertainty.
Dave spent his first year on staff at The Church of the Cross as a middle school Faith Formation teacher at Cross Schools for the 2022-2023 school year, making the transition into the role of Parish Chaplain in summer 2023. Dave was ordained a deacon in June of 2024 by Bishop Mark Nordstrom of the Jurisdiction of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy.
Pastor David Thurlow
Rev. David Thurlow is originally from Canada. Born and raised in Ottawa, he attended St. Mary’s Anglican Church, where his commitment to Christ as Lord grew tremendously under the godly leadership of a Spirit-filled youth group.
David attended Carleton University in Ottawa, where he was accepted into the UNTD Naval Reserve Officer Training Program in the Canadian Navy. David graduated with his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and History in May 1990, and received his commission as a Naval Officer in August. In 1991, after taking a year of graduate studies in Business Management, David continued his naval training and was awarded his Bridge Watchkeeping Certificate.
He then served on ships at sea based out of Halifax, Nova Scotia, until the spring of 1992 when the Lord led him ashore to enter the discernment process for holy orders. After being accepted as a postulant for ordination the Lord guided David to pursue his Master of Divinity degree at Wycliffe College in Toronto where he would meet his beloved wife. He graduated from seminary in 1995 and answered the call to serve in the Diocese of Saskatchewan as curate at the Cathedral Church of St. Alban the Marty in Prince Albert and Priest in Charge of St. Christopher’s Christopher Lake. David and Lynn were married in 1996 and together they served in the Diocese of Saskatchewan for five and one half years. In 1998 David attended the Canadian Forces Chaplain School and Centre and re-classified to serve as Navy Chaplain.
In 2001, The Rt. Rev. Edward L. Salmon, Jr., Bishop of South Carolina, extended the call to David to serve at St. Matthias Church in Summerton. In September of that year David and his growing family moved to South Carolina where he has been serving in the Diocese ever since. David and his wife Lynn live in Bluffton and they have four children, two sons in college and two daughters still at home.
David is involved in community outreach through service as a chaplain with the Bluffton Fire Department, and as a chaplain with the South Carolina State Guard. He considers it a blessing to assist at Church of the Cross and serve under the leadership of Fr. Owens.
