All are welcome
The Methodist Church in Gibraltar is part of the South East District of the Methodist Church in Britain. It has a long history associated with the development of British Gibraltar.
History
Methodism in Gibraltar began in 1769 with a group of soldiers, the best known of which was Sergeant Major Henry Ince, who himself was a Methodist preacher. Periods of growth were interspersed with times of challenge, with numbers falling when service personnel was relocated and soldiers on the Rock were banned from attending Methodist gatherings. In 1804, the first Methodist Minister was appointed who was charged with the care of both service and civilian members.
In 1809, the first church was built on Prince Edward’s Road; this is thought to be upon the site of Sgt. Maj. Ince’s army quarter. During the mid and late 19th Century, Methodist work spread from Gibraltar into Southern Spain where a congregation was established. A Methodist School was established in Gibraltar and upon its closure in 1895, the premises were used to expand Methodism’s social work among service personnel. Three years later, this work moved into premises on Main Street. The Church on Prince Edward’s Road was sold in 1956 when the Main Street premises were adapted so that they could also accommodate regular Methodist Worship.
Over the years, the Church and its fellowship have been the spiritual home not only of Methodists but many other Free-Church personnel stationed or living in and around Gibraltar.
Superintendent Minister
Revd. Conrad Hicks was recently Director of Global Relationships for the Methodist Church’s Connexional Team in London. Before that, he was Assistant Chair in the South East Methodist District and a minister in the Hants-Surrey Boarder, serving in Aldershot and Farnham. He brings a vast world church experience having been a mission partner in Jamaica, a medium-term volunteer in Mexico, a superintendent minister with the Methodist Church in Ireland, and as a companion of the British and Irish Methodist Churches to the Methodist Church in Guatemala.
