charity has been a vehicle for change since 1887. Our diverse projects share a common vision of enabling transformative change for people in challenging circumstances affected by homelessness, poverty and trauma. We are proud of our inclusive approach which is welcoming and celebrates the diversity of our staff, service users and society. We embrace partnerships with other agencies and prioritise the empowerment of those we work with. www.wlm.org.uk The West LondonMethodist 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":
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 Soper, under whose control it suffered catastrophic decline. Upon Lord Soper’s retirement the Mission moved its base to its current home at 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:
