West London Methodist Mission

Coordinates: 51°31′2″N 0°9′4″W / 51.51722°N 0.15111°W / 51.51722; -0.15111

The West London Methodist Mission was established in 1887 under the leadership of Hugh Price Hughes, a leading voice in Methodism and in Non-Conformity, and has a long track record as a Methodist ministry and as a spiritual home for "good works". Its early days are very much associated with its founder, Price Hughes, a strong supporter of the Temperance Movement. The mission has been instrumental in teaching Methodism, and providing a spiritual and physical base from which such notable Methodists as Lord Soper worked. At its founding it was associated with suffragettes and suffragists, and gave them encouragement and active assistance.

According to Charity Choice, a directory of UK charities, under the charity title "West London Mission":

"For over 100 years the West London Mission of the Methodist Church has been in the forefront of care for some of the London's neediest people. The work now concentrates on the homeless, those with drug and alcohol problems, offenders against the law and counselling. The Mission runs Day Centres and specialist high care residential units. This work relies on voluntary contributions and more information is always available."^[1]

Hugh Price Hughes’ colleague, Mark Guy Pearse, engaged with the artistic and literary scene in the West End. Involved in the Forward Movement and in the raising of funds for the Central Hall, Westminster, The mission's base was finally to be Kingsway Hall in Holborn. Here the West London Mission entered a second defining phase of its life with the Superintendency of Donald, later Lord, Soper.

Upon Lord Soper’s retirement the Mission moved its base to Hinde Street Methodist Church in Marylebone, from where it runs a number of specialist Social care ministries. These are in the fields of homelessness and drug and alcohol recovery. It also has a chaplaincy to the University of Westminster. There are two churches in the West London Mission: Hinde Street and King’s Cross. The latter has a significant Chinese-speaking ministry.

Objectives

Historical objectives

Hughes wanted to tackle the poverty in the West End of London and to challenge the rich: both expressions of the Christian Gospel he preached. From its outset, the mission has combined Christian commitment, community, outreach, and social care.

Current objectives

The West London Mission has several mission statements attributable to it. A distillation of these is that it works with the socially and economically disadvantaged in West London, concentrating currently on people who are homeless, young, misusing alcohol or drugs and/or in trouble with the law.

History

The Mission was the birthplace of many initiatives, including:

Establishment of The Sisters of the People by Katherine Hughes, wife of Hugh Price Hughes, a forerunner of the Wesley Deaconess Order
Crèches for working girls
One of Britain’s first Hospices for the dying
West London Mission Housing Association
Daycare centres
Specialist high care residential units
Helping the homeless
Helping those with drug or alcohol problems

Current headquarters is at the Hinde Street Methodist Church in London W1.

Superintendents

Hugh Price Hughes (1847–1902), from 1887 to 1902.
Rev Dr Donald Soper^[2] (1903–1998), later Lord Soper, from 1936 to 1978.^[3]

Other interest

The history of the mission was written by Philip Bagwell^[4] (D 2006) in his book Outcast London.

Notes

External links

West London Mission

Churches in Westminster

Ancient parish churches (pre-1800)	Savoy Chapel St Anne's, Soho St Clement Danes St George's, Hanover Square St James's Church, Piccadilly St John the Evangelist, Westminster St. Margaret's, Westminster St Martin-in-the-Fields St Marylebone Parish Church St Mary le Strand St Paul's, Covent Garden Westminster Abbey

Anglican daughter churches	All Saints, Margaret Street All Souls, Langham Place Annunciation, Marble Arch Grosvenor Chapel, Mayfair Guards Chapel, Wellington Barracks Henry VII Chapel Holy Trinity, Marylebone Holy Trinity, South Kensington Queen's Chapel, St James St Augustine's, Kilburn St Cyprian's, Marylebone St Gabriel's, Pimlico St James, Paddington St James the Less, Pimlico St John's Wood Church St Mary, Marylebone St Mary on Paddington Green St Matthew's, Bayswater St Matthew's, Westminster St Paul's, Knightsbridge St Peter, Vere Street St Peter's, Victoria St Saviour's, Pimlico

Other denominations	Church of our Lady of the Assumption and St Gregory, Westminster Crown Court Church, Covent Garden Dormition Cathedral Enon Chapel French Protestant Church of London, Soho Immaculate Conception, Farm Street Notre Dame de France One Mayfair Church Regent Hall, Oxford Street Saint Charles Borromeo church St. James's, Spanish Place St John's Wood Road Baptist Church St Patrick's, Soho St Sophia's Cathedral, Bayswater Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family in Exile, Mayfair Ulrika Eleonora West London Methodist Mission West Street Chapel, Westminster Westminster Cathedral Methodist Central Hall Westminster Chapel, Victoria

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