Yesterday afternoon I could have been wearing a
wetsuit and white water rafting down the Lee River to celebrate a dear friend’s
birthday. But with rain and a
temperature of 5 degrees I was only partially sorry that I had a prior
engagement at the Whitechapel Mission for its annual service.
The Mission provides breakfast to around 300 people a day,
many of whom are sleeping rough, all of whom are homeless or vulnerable. People for whom rain, cold temperatures and
the dangers of the street are more than just a nuisance. As I was told
yesterday, the Mission saves lives.
Earlier in the week I went to visit Whitechapel Mission to see them in
operation. I arrived at 8am, the centre
was already full of people hungry and ready for breakfast, and the kitchen was
staffed with volunteers cooking more eggs than I’ve ever seen in my life. Each day, 365 days a year, teams of
volunteers from city businesses, churches and beyond turn up at 5.45 to start
preparing breakfast. Cups of tea and
coffee are served from 6am, with breakfast available for 50p (or free if people
can’t afford it) from 8am.
People can have showers at the centre, and are given clean
clothes from the vast clothing store, as well as personal items such as
toothbrushes or razors. The “Life Centre”
is open later in the morning, offering help and advice – locating birth
certificates so that people can claim the benefits they’re entitled to, helping
to get people into hostels, referring people to drug and alcohol rehabilitation.
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| Sue Miller, Centre Manager (and her fabulous shoes!) |
The Mission is an impressive feat of organisation – feeding huge
numbers of vulnerable people, co-ordinating thousands of volunteers, receiving –
and sorting - donations of food and clothing from churches all over the
country.
But it is so much more than that. As I said in my reflections at the service,
it is the Church in action; it is an outworking of God’s love. People in terrible situations are welcomed,
known by name, helped to cope and to overcome huge obstacles, to see that
things can be different. The mission
statement says: Since 1876, The Whitechapel Mission
has been called to serve the men and women caught in the cycles of poverty,
hopelessness and dependencies of many kinds, and to see their lives
transformed to hope, joy and lasting productivity. Tony
Miller, director of the Mission, said to me that it is vital that the two
elements of the Mission – the worship and the charity – are not seen
separately. Both are church.
 |
| Rev John Hayes, who is minister at Whitechapel Mission and chaplain to the guests and staff. |
Rough sleeping is rising across the country, as are the
numbers of homeless people in temporary accommodation. Over the last year, the Centre has seen a third
more people than it did the previous year.
All at a time when prices are going up and budgets are shrinking.
When I visited the Mission last Tuesday the church sanctuary
was piled high with crates of food which had been donated from church harvest
festivals. Yesterday it was a calm and
welcoming worship space once more. But
we were told that the tins of baked beans from harvest festivals, which in
previous years had seen them through the year, were already running low, and
there was also a desperate need for razors.
The Mission depends entirely on voluntary donations. So how about donating the cost of a couple of
catering tins of baked beans and a packet of razors? And in rain and cold temperatures pray for those
who cannot escape them.
You can find out more
here https://whitechapel.org.uk/ and
donate here https://whitechapel.org.uk/donate/online
Thank you to Tony and Sue Miller, Revd John Haynes, Keith Aldred and the many others who give time and support to the work of the Mission.
