About us
We are an inclusive church which welcomes and celebrates human diversity in all its richness, allowing space for people to ask questions and grow in their faith and spirituality.
The Story So Far
All of us at Stephen Hill and St Columba’s are on a journey of faith together: some have been journeying for quite a while, others for not long at all. We welcome fellow travellers to join us, and to bring your doubts, struggles and questions along with you! We don’t claim to have all the answers, but as we open ourselves more fully to God, we find ourselves resourced for living in a different way.
Serving Our Community
Blessed with two well appointed, light, beautiful buildings at the heart of our community we have much to offer Crosspool. Our spacious, well equipped meeting rooms, wheelchair accessible restrooms/baby changing facilities and professional catering standard kitchens ensure our facilities can meet every need. We are delighted to welcome regular users including theatre and music groups to either of our well-appointed stages, exercise classes and ad hoc hiring for family occasions celebrations including children’s birthday parties.
We see it as our role to pray for our neighbourhood and to do all we can to enable it to flourish. We are pleased to support all local initiatives which are about strengthening the bonds of community. St Columba and Stephen Hill Methodist Churches are active supporters of the Crosspool Festival which has become a much-enjoyed fixture in the Crosspool calendar: a chance for people to come together and celebrate. We are proud of the work of Care in Crosspool, a non-church affiliated charity based in the St Columba building with over twenty-five years’ experience of offering effective support to the elderly and housebound residents of Crosspool.
Crosspool Forum, which plays an invaluable role in the life of the local area, meets in St Columba Church Hall. Both buildings are utilised for seasonal flu vaccinations for our local GP surgeries. St Columba is a Covid-19 Community Hub Vaccine Hub. Both buildings are available as Polling Stations for local elections.
Stephen Hill Methodist Church
Stephen Hill Methodist Church has been based in Crosspool for over 130 years. Initially starting as a house group it moved into its current premises in the late 19th century. Two major building projects since then have added a Hall able to accommodate a badminton court on the one hand and a stage that can be used for pantomimes and similar events; a fully equipped kitchen adjoins the Hall. The second extension filled in the space between the church and Hall to create a large area (The Forum) variously used for socialising on most mornings in the week, dance classes and occasional café style church services. Outside is parking for 10 cars and a small garden.
St Columba’s Church
St Columba’s Church is part of Hallam Deanery, and is the only Church of England church in Crosspool. It was originally a daughter church of St John’s, Ranmoor, and was established in the 1930s, moving to the present building in the late 1950s and becoming a separate parish in the 1990s. Since 2015, St Columba’s has been in a Mission Partnership with St Luke’s Church at Lodge Moor, a thriving LEP, and the relationship has been mainly one of support when needed.
The current building is modern, multi-purpose and accessible. There is a light and airy welcome area, which, with the help of sliding doors, can be made part of the spacious nave for larger services. As well as the church, parish office, and vestry, there are several areas including a hall with stage, which in normal times are used by church and non-church groups alike; offices, meeting rooms, accessible toilets and a state of the art kitchen.
Visions and Values
As a community of Stephen Hill and St Columba Crosspool we endeavor to:
- To respond to God's love through worship, prayer, and service.
- To be friendly, inclusive and welcoming; celebrating human diversity in all its richness.
- To create space for people to ask questions and grow in their faith through openness, struggle, prayer, laughter and worship.
- To engage with our local area, city and world; committed to promoting justice, peace and solidarity
- (We don’t manage it all the time, so when we stumble and fall, we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and try again!)