The roots of our church, which is people not any particular building, go back to the Methodists of more than 150 years ago. Primitive Methodists came to evangelise the area and in 1869 the first church building was built as a result of their witness. About 20 years later the Wesleyan Methodists came to Hexthorpe again to outreach to the people. Subsequently, a Wesleyan chapel was opened in March 1898 on our current site, the building now known as The Crossing. Our existence today as a church owes much to the faithful men and women of the Primitives and Wesleyans. They were greatly respected as stalwarts of the faith by later Methodists in Hexthorpe. It was a thriving church with a significant number of preachers, made up of the ordinary working class.
From the very beginning of the Methodist church in Hexthorpe, there was a strong emphasis on evangelism, discipleship, community, prayer, and fellowship. This has continued up to the present day. This focus is why our church community has continued and grown over the last 150 years as we’ve sought to remain faithful to Jesus and the Bible.
In the first half of the 20th Century, the two World Wars impacted the nation greatly. The Methodist churches in Hexthorpe were not without exception, several men from the churches served their country but were never to return. Also, on the national level in 1932, The Primitive, Wesleyan and United Methodists joined together nationally to become one Methodist Church in the UK. The Primitive and Wesleyan Methodist churches in Hexthorpe remained separate for a time, changing their names to Hexthorpe Urban Road Methodist and Hexthorpe Trinity Methodist respectively.
In time it was seen beneficial for the two church communities to join together. This they did on 7th Dec 1958 in the Trinity Chapel, becoming Hexthorpe Methodist Church. It was remarked that they joined together harmoniously as one body of Christ. There are a few in our congregation today who were part of this merger. On 21st May 1960, a new chapel was opened on the current TKCC site, the old Trinity chapel became the church hall. The principles of our tradition continued to be a key focus, as a way of remembering and maintaining our roots. At the same time the church recognised the need to be contemporary in its style of worship, which was also reflected in the more modern building in which it met.
In following decades there were social and cultural changes as a nation, meaning other activities became available for people on a Sunday. As a church, new ways needed to be developed to engage with people in the community. In the 1980’s Hexthorpe Methodist Church developed mid-week activities and groups such as Megacruz, Minicruz, and S.A.R.A group, all of which are still going today. The Youth work has grown and flourished over the years, being part of the church today not just tomorrow. The Community Luncheon Club, now known as Refresh, and the community newspaper, the Hexpress, both started in 1989. There continued a focus as a church on fellowship, community, prayer, and mid-week Bible study.
In 1994 we recognised God’s calling to offer practical help to some of the more deprived in our community. From this the work of The Junction began, delivering furniture to those who had little with the Junction van. In September of 1994, The Junction opened in the old Rising Sun pub. Early on The Rock House Trust and Beacon House were set up to support and house ex-offenders. Over the years the work has grown and adapted, becoming a key part of the life and outreach of the church, an expression of our love for the people of Hexthorpe, providing advice, support, and friendship to many. This is the command of the Lord; we serve him by serving those in need (Matthew 25:37-40). The Junction name comes from the railway connections in Hexthorpe, where world famous steam engines such as the Mallard and the Flying Scotsman were built. It is situated at a road junction, but it’s a place that we aim to be a junction between people and the Lord Jesus.
We have also had connections with the world church, especially since the union of the Methodist Church in 1932. Rev. Stanley Smith was a missionary in Nigeria 1939-1951. Colin Reasbeck was a missionary in Borneo in the 1960’s and 1970’s, now part of Malaysia. There have been funds raised for overseas Christian work for many years such as Tear Fund, Christians in India and in Kenya. In recent years we’ve been involved in supporting Samaritan’s Purse and Shoe Boxes which bless countless children each year who do not get anything at Christmas. We’ve had prayer groups for Borneo, Russia, and North Korea, and monthly global mission spots which help us to focus our prayers on different areas of the world. There has been a strong focus in recent years to pray for persecuted Christians across the world.
In 2001 two Iranian Christians came to our church and were discipled by Richard and Christine Porter. More Iranians came and eventually formed the Farsi congregation, which for a time was larger than the English congregation. Many ended up leaving for bigger cities, but still today there are a good number of Iranians who meet at our church and are part of our membership, with occasional joint services. Our congregation is now multi-national with individuals and families from a wide range of different countries and cultures.
Around 2010-2011 we recognised a need for improvements to the building and so began a process for a new building. The Hexthorpe Methodist chapel was demolished in 2012 and for a year we met in the hall which was formerly the Trinity church chapel. In June 2013 we opened the new building which we have today and was named ‘The King’s Cross Church’. This name has a twofold significance: We felt it important to keep the railway connection, with King’s Cross station in London. But more so it’s a direct reference to the cross of King Jesus. This naming emerged from the book ‘King’s Cross’ by Timothy Keller. The cross of Jesus is and always has been central to the life and witness of the church.
In September 2017 we opened the refurbished old hall which became The Crossing, again a railway themed name. This has been used as a hall particularly for youth activities, line-dancing, and parties. We thank God for his guidance and provision in all the changes we’ve been able to make and how he has continued to help us ‘Make Jesus Known’!
In June 2019 we celebrated our 150th anniversary ‘Full Steam Ahead’. This was a great event looking back at our past but also into the future, trusting and seeking to continue to serve God in Hexthorpe as we have been since the beginning!
In 2023, The King’s Cross Church became affiliated with the Free Methodist Church UK & Ireland, with a strong focus on Spirit-led ministry and mission to be: “set free, living free, and bringing freedom”!
The King's Cross Church, Hexthorpe 