Second Presbyterian Church of Charleston occupies a corner of downtown at 342 Meeting Street, where its brick and stucco sanctuary has stood since 1811 and where the steeple was used as a lighthouse by the shipping families who built it. Designated "Historical Site Number One" by the Presbyterian Church of the United States and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Second Pres is at once one of the oldest continuously used houses of worship in Charleston and one of its most socially engaged. The congregation describes itself as progressive, Christ-centered, LGBTQ+ inclusive and affirming, multi-ethnic, and inter-generational, and its motto is "Meeting people at their point of need; inviting all into a dynamic relationship with Jesus." Members and visitors come for a single traditional Sunday service, a bustling calendar of weekday small groups, an extensive local mission footprint, and the second-oldest Presbyterian edifice in the city.
Two Centuries on Meeting Street
Second Presbyterian was founded in 1809 when fifteen men met to organize a new congregation for the many Presbyterians who had outgrown the older First (Scots) Presbyterian Church. The Reverend Andrew Flinn was called as the first pastor, and the sanctuary was built on land purchased from the Wragg family, whose name still colors the surrounding neighborhood, Wraggborough. The church cost about $100,000, an enormous sum at the time, and was dedicated on April 3, 1811 under the corporate name "The Second Presbyterian Church of Charleston and Its Suburbs." The original deed and transfer documents hang in the narthex today.
The Classic Revival sanctuary is brick finished in stucco, with two tiers of windows, a square tower topped by an octagonal belfry, plastered walls, and a tetra Tuscan portico. The architect's drawings called for a spire, but it was never finished; in part that omission traces to early structural changes, and the tower's uppermost stories were instead put to use as a working lighthouse for the merchant and shipping families of the pew-holders. In 1833 the sanctuary floor was raised three feet and the ceiling lowered sixteen feet to bring the ministers' voices closer to the pews, and in 1849 the original box pews were replaced with the long, numbered pews still in use. The custom of renting pews, which once came bundled with a graveyard plot, ended in 1924, though the pew numbers remain engraved on the woodwork.
Natural disasters have marked the building repeatedly. The 1813 hurricane damaged the roof; the 1886 earthquake caused about $6,000 in damage and left cracks still visible in the bell tower; the August 1886 hurricane unroofed the north side and ruined the ceiling. In September 1989, Hurricane Hugo stripped and flooded the sanctuary again, and a December freeze ruptured pipes while the sprinklers ran, and a heating-system fire damaged one panel of the stained glass window. The cumulative damage forced a complete refurbishment that restored the original elliptical ceiling, modernized lighting and sound, and rebuilt the sprinkler and heating systems. The Education Building, which had sheltered worship during that year of repairs, was itself upgraded with new classrooms, a refreshed kitchen, and a renovated Fellowship Hall.
Inside, the sanctuary is governed by the Reformed instinct for restraint. The pulpit is the architectural focus, the communion table is set among the pews rather than behind an altar, and the baptismal font stands in the congregation because members vow to support the baptized. The bas-relief above the gallery, lost in the 1833 ceiling change and rediscovered in the attic after Hurricane Hugo, was recast with the help of architects from Pennsylvania, Virginia, England, and Charleston; it depicts a sunburst, a burning bush, a trumpet-blowing angel, garlands, lilies, the seal of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and a palmetto honoring South Carolina. The Palladian stained glass window places the resurrected Christ at the center, with outstretched arms and a yoke below, and gathers people of every age and station into one vine that branches from him. The wooden cross mounted on the narthex wall was made from materials salvaged during the Hugo restoration, a gift from the men who rebuilt the room.
The old graveyard behind the church holds Revolutionary War veterans, members of every later conflict, college presidents, and a striking number of children whose names can still be matched to families on the current church roster. An unusually high proportion of those children's graves date from the years after the Civil War, when Reconstruction-era governments refused to provide food for widows and orphans of the South. Some Free Black members of the congregation rest alongside their white neighbors. In 1852 the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of the United States met in this very building, and Second Presbyterian's minister, the Reverend Thomas Smyth, proposed the resolution that created the Presbyterian Historical Society, an enduring institutional legacy of this one sanctuary.
Sunday Worship at 10:30
The single Sunday service begins at 10:30 a.m. in the sanctuary and is rooted in the Reformed principles that have shaped Presbyterian worship for centuries. The service is at once Christ-centered, covenantal, traditional, scriptural, participatory, reverent, joyful, and excellent, in the language of the church's own description. The congregation confesses sin together, hears assurance of forgiveness, proclaims the faith with the Apostles' Creed, gives back a portion of what has been received, and then listens for the proclaimed Word of God, with the sermon, in the words of the church, treated as the central act of worship.
Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of every month and is open to all baptized Christians, not only members or Presbyterians, a generosity the church considers a matter of conviction rather than mere welcome. Children are encouraged to walk through the communion process with their families, and any baptized child is welcome at the table. Visitors who can stay are asked to begin in the sanctuary; children over two are invited into worship until the children's sermon, after which they may head to Children's Chapel with Mr. Ken.
Music in the Sunday service is led by Dr. Julia Harlow, Director of Music and Organist, and Lee Lingle, Chancel Choir Director. The chancel choir is one of the mainstays of the liturgical year. On the last Sunday of each month the Charleston Gospel Choir joins the congregation for "Gospel Sundays," a partnership that brings gospel hymns, spirituals, and contemporary gospel arrangements into the traditional service. The same arrangement is occasionally extended to special concerts in the sanctuary. Bulletin and sermon snapshots are uploaded during the week, and full worship services are livestreamed on YouTube for those unable to attend in person.
Children, Youth, and a Kindergarten of Their Own
Second Presbyterian takes an unusually expansive view of children's ministry, and the building reflects it. The church nursery opens at 10:00 a.m. each Sunday at the end of the kindergarten hall, staffed by paid nursery workers and member volunteers. After the children's sermon, three-year-olds through fifth graders are invited to Children's Chapel in the Education Building, where the Celebrate Wonder curriculum shapes an age-appropriate time of faith formation, followed by activities and crafts downstairs with volunteer leaders. Pickup is at the end of the kindergarten hall after worship. Ken Carrington, Director of Children and Youth Education, also leads the children's sermon and oversees the broader program of formation; he is a candidate for commissioning as a Commissioned Pastor in the Presbyterian Church.
On Sunday evenings from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., upper elementary through high school students gather in the Education Building for the youth group, with fellowship, Bible study, games, and a shared supper at 5:30. Volunteers rotate through the schedule and members of the church sign up to provide meals on a weekly basis. Youth regularly serve as ushers, liturgists, and musicians in worship, and a Sunday school elective during the fall hour explores the gospel through the lens of Disney and Pixar films.
Tucked into the Education Building, the Second Presbyterian Kindergarten and Preschool, known by its families as SPK, has been part of the congregation since 1977. Sue Henderson has directed the kindergarten since 1977 and has taught kindergarten for more than four decades; she is a graduate of the College of Charleston and has served Second Presbyterian as an elder and a deacon. Erin Kerr, a College of Charleston graduate and native of Memphis, serves as co-director and brings more than twenty-five years of experience with children. Together they lead a half-day program that draws families from across the Lowcountry, and the kindergarten phone line, (843) 577-5734, is the way to reach the school directly. SPK also maintains its own web presence at spkpreschool.com.
Love Your Neighbor: Three Sundays a Month of Service
Second Presbyterian's mission rhythm is woven directly into the church calendar, so that service to the wider Charleston community is not a separate program but a habit of the congregation. The church's weekly communications identify three signature "Love Your Neighbor" Sundays:
- First Sunday Food Drive: A monthly communion Sunday collection of pantry staples, diapers for the Junior League of Charleston Diaper Bank, and desserts for the "Meals on Mondays" lunches that serve food-insecure neighbors on Wadmalaw Island. Donations are dropped off in the Education Building and distributed the first week of each month, including to seniors living at Canterbury House.
- Third Sunday Breakfast: A small group from Second Pres serves breakfast at Star Gospel Mission, a downtown ministry that has provided transitional housing, addiction support, and emergency assistance in Charleston for more than 120 years. Volunteers meet Sally McDuffie or the church office to sign up.
- Fourth Sunday Supper: Each fourth Sunday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., the Fellowship Hall hosts supper alongside The Navigation Center, which supports unhoused and vulnerable neighbors through Charleston's network of service organizations. A rotating group from Second Pres prepares and serves the meal.
Beyond the monthly rhythm, Second Presbyterian serves as the downtown distribution site for Hands of Christ, a PC(USA) cooperative effort that has equipped more than 70,000 children across five Lowcountry counties with school clothing, supplies, and Bibles since 2003. Each summer the church hosts the distribution, with personal shoppers guiding every child through stations for pants, shirts, underwear, and socks. The 2026 distribution was held Saturday, August 1, marking Second Pres's tenth year as the downtown site; in its previous nine years the church has served 2,512 children in grades K4 through 8.
The church's broader mission portfolio is unusually long and reflects long-term partnerships rather than one-off projects. The Tywanza Sanders Legacy Foundation, created to honor the memory of Tywanza Sanders, son of a Second Presbyterian member and one of the nine people killed at Emanuel AME Church next door, gives scholarships to local high school students headed to college and hosts Camp Wanza for students with entrepreneurial dreams. Star Gospel Mission provides transitional housing and recovery support. Habitat for Humanity builds and repairs safe, affordable homes. The Shaw Community Center on Mary Street offers after-school programs, homework help, sports, and summer camp in Charleston's eastside. Water Mission's Walk for Water gathers the "Second to None" team each year. The Charleston Area Justice Ministry organizes collective action on local issues. The Navigation Center helps neighbors navigate housing, healthcare, and recovery resources.
Globally and denominationally, Second Presbyterian receives four PC(USA) special offerings: One Great Hour of Sharing at Easter, the Mother's Day Offering for Presbyterian Communities of SC in May, the World Communion Offering in October, and the Christmas Joy Offering in Advent. A separate Thornwell Thanksgiving Offering supports Thornwell Home for Children and its work to prevent child abuse and neglect. The church has supported the Medical Benevolence Foundation, which strengthens hospitals, clinics, and nursing schools in places like the Congo, for more than fifty years.
Small Groups, Bible Studies, and Book Clubs
The life of the congregation extends well beyond Sunday morning. The Second Edition Book Club meets on the second Sunday of each month at 2:00 p.m., usually at Peggy Pinckney's home on James Island. The Women's Circle Bible Study gathers on the third Monday of each month from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at Robbie Staubes' home in Mount Pleasant; the yearlong curriculum is titled "Let Justice Roll Down: God's Call to Care for Neighbors and All Creation" and moves through environmental, land, food, and water justice as the months progress. The Young Adult Small Group meets on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. for adults who are launching careers, recently married, or starting families. Other recurring groups include the Mixed Adult Bible Study on Thursday evenings and a Men's Morning Bible Study on Friday mornings at 6:00 a.m.
A new monthly Grief Support Group meets on the first Thursday of each month at 5:00 p.m. in the Conference Room, led by chaplain Jim Luce. The group is described as "a safe, confidential space to share, listen, and support one another through grief," drawing on the belief that grief is an emotional, physical, and spiritual necessity rather than a disorder. Special adult education offerings have included "The Gospel for the Whole of Life," a fall series led by Elizabeth Crabtree Killen that draws on Latin American evangelical voices to think about integral mission.
Fellowship rhythms include Shrove Tuesday pancake suppers, the "Seconds Please" Tea Room, a Sunday lunch following worship each second Sunday, Vacation Bible School, an Advent Workshop, Trunk or Treat, a Christmas Pageant, the Blessing of the Backpacks, Community Thanksgiving, and the "Souper Bowl" Youth Sunday.
Music: Chancel Choir, Gospel Sundays, and Piccolo Spoleto
Music is treated as a form of outreach as well as worship. Dr. Julia Harlow directs the church's overall music ministry and serves as organist; she teaches ear training, organ, and world music at the College of Charleston and has served on the board of the American Guild of Organists for eleven years. Lee Lingle directs the Chancel Choir and also serves on the board of the Taylor Festival Choir, one of the country's elite professional choirs whose recordings have appeared on the Grammy ballot.
Each year Second Presbyterian opens its doors to Piccolo Spoleto, hosting concerts in the Piccolo Spotlight Series on the portico and in the sanctuary and serving as a venue for the Charleston Academy of Music, the Charleston Symphony Orchestra string quartet, and ensembles like Steve Rosenberg and Friends performing Renaissance and Baroque repertoire. Recent special concerts in the sanctuary have included the Stillman College Concert Choir and the White's Chapel Methodist Church Chancel Choir from Southlake, Texas, the latter drawing on selections by Forrest, Rutter, Courtney, and Hayes. The church also partners with the Charleston Gospel Choir for the monthly Gospel Sundays and for special commemorations like the 2022 Evening Honoring the Legacy of Denmark Vesey, a collaboration with the International African American Museum, the Gaillard, and Mother Emanuel A.M.E.
The Wylly Fund, established by Kate Stanton, provides honoraria for guest instrumentalists in worship. A monthly Gospel Music Fund supports the continued partnership with the Charleston Gospel Choir. Hymnals may be memorialized with a $20 donation; proceeds go toward additional Glory to God hymnals for the pews.
Beliefs: Progressive, Christ-Centered, Inclusive
Second Presbyterian describes its theology as rooted in the central truths of historic Reformed and biblical Christian faith, taking part in "the endless conversation between God and people." Worship follows a simple set of ideals: Christ-centered, covenantal, traditional, scriptural, participatory, reverent, joyful, and excellent. Communion is open to all baptized believers. The baptismal font is in the congregation because members vow to support the baptized in their growth as Christians.
The church's stated convictions cluster around eight themes: Roots in the Reformed tradition and the scriptures as the inspired witness of many generations; Inclusion across age, race, sexual orientation, gender, economic class, ethnicity, and church background, with a commitment to a leadership that reflects the diversity of the congregation; Redemption, trusting that God wants to bring about a new humanity by redeeming every part of a person, valuing the integration of mind, body, soul, emotions, and experience; Calling, the confidence that God will restore all of creation under the authority of Christ and that every church must ask how to live out that future reality today; Community, created to live deeply with one another in honest, loving relationships that bear each other's burdens; Serving, the conviction that the church is at its best when it serves, sacrifices, and loves, caring about the things God cares about; and Celebrating, taking joy in partnering with God to change the world. The church describes itself as LGBTQ+ inclusive and affirming and as a place where doubts are respected and questions taken seriously.
The governing body of the church is the Session, composed of elders elected in three rotating classes, currently covering 2027 through 2029. The active session includes Zack Lord, Sally McDuffie, Patricia Toatley-Blake, Sarah Mitchell, Chris Olson, Stuart Cochrane, Bill Jewell, Katie Luciano, Peggy Pinckney, Bill Holley, Laura O'Neill Ott, Sam King, and Patterson Smith. The Board of Deacons serves in a complementary ministry of care and hospitality. Officers of the Corporation are Spence Roddey, President; Patterson Smith, Vice President; and Peggy A. Pinckney, Secretary. The Nominating Team coordinates new leadership each year.
Weddings, Concerts, and a Tree-Lined Park
Second Presbyterian hosts weddings and welcomes couples who are not members of the church. The sanctuary seats 400 on the main floor and 100 in the balcony, and a smaller Chapel inside the Education Building accommodates up to 75 guests for a more intimate ceremony. The church is LGBTQ+ affirming, has on-site parking, and offers livestream and recording options for ceremonies. The suggested music repertoire includes classics like Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, Pachelbel's Kanon in D, Purcell's Trumpet Tune, Handel's Air from Water Music, and the Wagner and Mendelssohn wedding marches. Weddings are coordinated through Steven Baines at weddings@2ndpc.org.
The setting is part of the appeal. The church sits at the corner of Meeting and Charlotte Streets, in the park that bears the same name, with The Dewberry, Hotel Bennett, Marion Square, the Aiken-Rhett House, the Cigar Factory, and Francis Marion Hotel all within walking distance. The tree-lined park and stucco sanctuary make it a favorite Charleston wedding venue, and the church is happy to host both members and non-members.
Funerals and memorial services are held in the sanctuary as well, and the church maintains a tradition of broadcasting them on YouTube when families wish. The graveyard behind the church remains an active resting place for members and their families.
Staff, Officers, and How the Church Is Led
The Rev. Cress Darwin serves as pastor. A Fort Worth native and graduate of Texas Christian University, he came to ministry after a career as an off-Broadway producer and television writer in New York, where he produced documentaries for A&E's Biography. He earned his M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Masters of Theology in ethics, and his wife Rebecca Wesson is the founder of Garden & Gun magazine.
Steven C. Baines is the Church Administrator, having returned to his native Charleston after twenty-five years in Washington, D.C., where he served as Executive Minister at National City Christian Church, the "national cathedral" of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and held senior leadership positions at Americans United for Separation of Church and State, People For the American Way, and Equal Partners in Faith.
Dr. Julia Harlow directs the music ministry and teaches at the College of Charleston. Lee Lingle directs the Chancel Choir and serves on the board of the Taylor Festival Choir. Jordyn Pritchard, who came to the staff in 2017 after years as a freelance graphic designer, is the Director of Communications and Community. Ken Carrington, also the voice of the Charleston RiverDogs and the College of Charleston, directs the children and youth program. Sue Henderson and Erin Kerr co-direct Second Presbyterian Kindergarten.
What to Know Before You Visit
Worship is held each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. in the sanctuary at 342 Meeting Street, with communion on the first Sunday of each month. The nursery opens at 10:00 a.m., and the service is livestreamed on YouTube for those joining from home. Parking is available on site, and the church is located in the park at Meeting and Charlotte Streets in downtown Charleston. Visitors are encouraged to arrive a few minutes early to be shown to a pew, and the ushers and members are known for being particularly welcoming to first-time guests.
Children are part of the service, not separated from it. Visitors with children over two are invited to begin in the sanctuary and remain through the children's sermon, after which younger children may go with Ken Carrington to Children's Chapel in the Education Building. A release form is requested for any child under 18 the first time they attend an activity.
Giving can be made online through the church's Realm platform, by texting 2ndpc to 73256, by Venmo at @chs2ndpc, in the offering plate on Sunday morning, or by mail. The church office is open during the week at (843) 723-9237, and the kindergarten line is (843) 577-5734.