Church of the Holy Spirit plans $4M expansion

For nearly two decades, the Church of the Holy Spirit has been a cornerstone of faith and community for its congregation on Daniel Island.

 

Now, it’s ready to grow with a major campus expansion backed by a $4 million capital campaign called Make His Love Known.

 

With packed worship services, a preschool waitlist of 50 to 60 children, and various community groups using its facilities, leaders say the church has simply outgrown its space.

 

“We long to see our community transformed by the love of Jesus, but we’ve come to the realization that we need a transformed campus if we are going to see a transformed community,” senior pastor Rev. Jonathan Bennett said.

 

The expansion will add 6,000 square feet to its Parish Life Center, providing more classrooms and offices and a larger, open-concept lobby with an upgraded kitchen.

 

The contemporary worship space will allow for 80 more attendees, and the traditional church will include a new restroom and stained-glass windows. Outside, the courtyard will be leveled and expanded for bigger gatherings.

 

But their vision doesn’t stop on Daniel Island. The church is tithing a portion of funds to support a school in Honduras, a diocesan campground, and a new church plant in Cainhoy.

 

Originally built as a satellite campus of the Sullivan’s Island Church of the Holy Cross, the Church of the Holy Spirit became independent, and now, Bennett said it needs a bigger facility to match its growing role.

 

“Our campus was built to be a satellite church, not an independent church in its own right.” 

 

One of the biggest developments is the expansion of the Holy Spirit Island School preschool. “We would love to meet the needs of all these families, and with this building campaign, we will add enough classrooms to do this, as well as be able to offer a kindergarten class for the first time,” Bennett said.

 

The four-year pledge campaign will be supported by church members and contributions from the Daniel Island community, either accepted as a one-time or a recurring donation. 

 

Groundbreaking is planned for early 2026, with the goal of opening in early 2027. During construction, worship services, the preschool, and the in-house music school, the Daniel Island Music Academy, will continue as usual.

 

Since 2006, the church’s current center has been a key part of the Daniel Island community, hosting groups like the Daniel Island Historical Society, the Scouts, Alcoholics Anonymous, Al-Anon, the Daniel Island Community Association, the Daniel Island Garden Club, and the American Red Cross. Its doors have helped launch other congregations before they had their own spaces, and it also offers Kids Club summer camps each year.

 

Rev. Bennett sees the expansion as an investment in the future. 

 

“With a growing island and church community, we have so many opportunities that can’t be realized within our current space constraints. It’s time to transform and expand our campus so we can meet the needs of the Daniel Island community and be a center for community life for the next 20 years and beyond.”

 

For more information on donations, visit the Building Fund at holyspiritdi.org/give.