“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me… whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” — Matthew 16:24–25
Our story doesn’t start with us, it starts with God.
From the beginning, God created a world that was good; overflowing with beauty, justice, and love. From the farthest stars to the dust beneath our feet, everything reflected His glory. But when sin entered the world through Adam and Eve, humanity chose independence over trust, and we’ve been hiding from God ever since; behind our failures, our pride, and sometimes even our busyness.
God, however, is not in the business of abandoning what He has made.
Out of sheer grace, He set out to rescue the very people who ran from Him. That rescue came through Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, whose perfect life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection accomplished what we never could. He didn’t just make forgiveness possible; He secured it. And now He reigns as Lord over all.
Through the work of the Holy Spirit, God draws us out of hiding and into life with Him. He reshapes who we are, gives us a new identity, and begins changing what we love. For generations, the Church has responded by worshiping, proclaiming, and living in light of that good news.
Holy Cross is one small part of that much bigger story.
We gather each week to join that ongoing chorus; across time and around the world declaring that Jesus is Lord, and that He is the way, the truth, and the life.
A Little More Local
Holy Cross began in 2008 when a group from Tabernacle Presbyterian Church in Waynesboro felt called to plant a church in Staunton. For two years, that looked less like a traditional church and more like a group of people meeting in the Clocktower Bar downtown and in each other’s homes. Eventually, worship moved to the gym at Grace Christian School where we gathered to worship the Lord until 2024.
From the beginning, our heart has been simple: to be a church where people who are new to Christianity, or maybe have been hurt by it, can walk in without pretense, and where longtime followers of Jesus can continue to grow deep roots.
Over the years, God has faithfully provided leadership for that mission. Our founding pastor, Rick Gilmartin, helped establish a culture centered on grace, truth and the experience of being known. In 2019, Kent Woodrow and Mark Miller joined as assistant pastors. Since then, the Lord has continued to guide our church through seasons of transition, calling leaders to new places and bringing new leaders in including our current lead pastor, Jake Bennett, in 2024.
We are continuing to learn that Jesus builds His Church. Not us.
Where We Are Now
In 2024, we completed the first phase of construction on our facility; another tool God is using to help us love our city and serve our neighbors.
But our building isn’t our focus. People are.
We’re here because God is still calling people out of hiding and into life with Him. And we’d love for you to be part of that story.
Our Mission
“To help people Encounter Jesus, Know Jesus, and Show Jesus.”
We want everything we do to be led by God’s Word and God’s mission; not our preferences, not our personalities, and definitely not our ability to “figure it all out.”
We believe that before we ever live out grace, we have to receive it.
We don’t help people because we have it all together. We help people because we’ve been loved by a King who laid down His life for us. That’s where our mission begins, not with effort, but with encounter.
Encounter Jesus
The starting point of the Christian life isn’t doing more, it’s encountering Someone.
Jesus calls us out of distraction, self-reliance, and hiding, and into worship. So we gather to hear His Word, to confess our sin, to sing His praise, to pray, and to be reminded that God is faithful, present, and at work. We don’t manufacture encounters with Jesus, we respond to His invitation.
Know Jesus
Once you’ve encountered Jesus, you don’t just move on, you go deeper.
Knowing Jesus isn’t about collecting Bible trivia or winning theological debates. It’s relational. It’s personal. It’s the kind of knowing that reshapes how you see God, yourself, and the people around you.
That’s why we prioritize relationships, especially in small groups. Real growth rarely happens in rows alone; it happens in circles. Around tables. In living rooms. With open Bibles and honest conversations.
Show Jesus
When you encounter Jesus and begin to truly know Him, your life changes.
You begin to love differently. Forgive more freely. Speak truth with grace. Serve without needing credit. In short, you start to show Jesus; not perfectly, but genuinely.
And as that happens, something remarkable follows: others begin to encounter Him too.
Because the goal isn’t just personal growth.
It’s a life that points beyond itself to a good and gracious King.