His Majesty King Charles III visited King’s House, a community hub founded by King’s Cross Church (KXC), to meet volunteers and the local community, before attending an Advent Service at the Ethiopian Christian Fellowship Church.
At King’s House, the King was joined by the Bishop of London, the Archbishop of Canterbury and Coptic Orthodox Archbishop of London. The King and the religious leaders met organisers and guests from a variety of local community initiatives in King’s Cross, learning more about the work these groups do for the local area and the positive impact they have on the lives of the most vulnerable.
Attendees included volunteers from The Refugee and Asylum Seeker Café, which provides a space for residents to meet refugees and asylum-seekers in the local area, and Little Haven, which hosts weekly meetings for parents, carers and children under four years old in the area. These are just a few of the many community programmes taking place at the hub, including football sessions for refugees, supporting the work of the local prison chaplaincy and debt relief help.
His Majesty, accompanied by the Bishop of London and Archbishop of Canterbury, then attended an Advent Service, joining members of the local Christian community in prayer and song at The Ethiopian Christian Fellowship Church (ECFCUK). The King attends an advent service each year to celebrate the diversity of Christian communities in the UK.
Founded in 1979, with just a small group of believers who wanted to worship God in their mother tongue in the UK, the ECFCUK slowly developed into an established church in 1994 and now 300-400 people are members and regularly attend services.
Bee and Pete Hughes, Lead Pastors of King’s Cross Church, commented:
“This is our first Christmas season in our new building, King’s House, so to have a visit from His Majesty King Charles III, the Archbishop of Canterbury and other special guests was incredibly special. The vision behind King’s House has always been to create a home in the heart of King’s Cross from which to play our part in the social, spiritual and physical transformation of the local area.
“We’re delighted to have been able to share this with our guests today, and to celebrate the amazing work of our local community ministries and partner organisations. It was a real joy to then worship, pray and celebrate the arrival of the King of Kings together at a shared Advent Service with the Ethiopian Christian Fellowship Church, which we’ll remember for a long time to come!”
The Bishop of London, the Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally DBE, said:
“It was a joy to attend the King’s House reception and Advent Service alongside His Majesty King Charles. In his first address to the Nation and Commonwealth, His Majesty talked about his continued ambition to serve everyone with love and respect whatever their background. The work that KXC is doing to help those with different beliefs and from different backgrounds deeply reflects the King’s words, and it was a pleasure to meet the volunteers and guests of these important local programmes.
“Attending the service at the Ethiopian Christian Fellowship Church alongside the King and the diverse King’s Cross community demonstrated how prayer and faith in Christ can bring different groups together, and I would like to thank both churches for the organising this successful event.”