St. Thomas' Church is located in Hisar city of Haryana, India. It is located in central part of Hisar near railway station. It has been declared as a historical monument by Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage. The Church is dedicated to St. Thomas, one of the 12 main disciples of Jesus Christ.
Thomas is traditionally believed to have sailed to India in AD 52 to spread the Christian faith, and is believed to have landed at the port of Muziris, Tamilakam (modern-day North Paravur and Kodungalloor in modern-day Kerala state) where there was a Jewish community at the time.[2][3][4] The port was destroyed in 1341 due to a massive flood that realigned the coasts. He is believed by the St Thomas Christian tradition to have established Ezharappallikal or Seven and Half Churches in Kerala. These churches are at Kodungallur, Palayoor, Kottakkavu (Paravur), Kokkamangalam, Niranam, Nilackal (Chayal), Kollam and Thiruvithamcode (half church).[5]
Methodism is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity which derive their inspiration from the life and teachings of John Wesley (1703-1791). It originated as a Christian revival within the 18th-century Church of England and became a separate Christian Church after Wesley's death in 1791. Because of vigorous missionary activity, the movement spread throughout the British Empire including the british Raj, the United States, and beyond, today claiming approximately 80 million adherents worldwide.
In 1856, the Methodist Episcopal Church From America started mission in India. The Methodist Church in India began its work in 1856, when William Butler came from America. He selected Oudh and Rohilkhand as the field of effort, and being unable to secure a residence at Lucknow, began work at Bareilly. The first War of Independence broke up the work at Bareilly, but in 1858 Lucknow was occupied and Bareilly re-occupied and the work of the Mission started anew. and It was only in 1870, with the arrival of William Taylor, the famous evangelist, who led revival meetings in India that, Methodism became a national factor.[7]
The proposal for building the Methodist church in Hisar was put up in 1860. Construction started on 3 December 1860 and was completed in May, 1864 at a cost of 4500 rupees. The church was consecrated by George Edward Lynch Cotton, Bishop of Calcutta on 31 December 1865.[1] Till 1899, the worship in the church was restricted to Christians only. The Church and accompanying graveyard were handed over to the Methodist Church in Southern Asia in 1950 by the Central Public Works Department, India. The centenary service was conducted by R. Rev. F. R. Willis, Bishop of Delhi on 8 January 1966.
The church is built in Victorian style of architecture. The ceiling is covered with wooden panel. The main structure consists of an altar, a baptistry, a pulpit and two vestries. The pulpit of the church is adorned with velvet curtains.[1] The floor of the church is made up of geometrical tiles. A graveyard is also located near the entrance of the church.