The Annie Macpherson Home of Industry Inc. o/a Bethnal Green Mission Church
The church and charity seeks to engage in long term, relational and innovative work which seeks to contribute to the personal, spiritual and social transformation and well-being of people living and working in Tower Hamlets, East London. We aim to support and empower people living in challenging and difficult circumstances to reach their full potential.
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Total raised so far £16,064
+ est. £1587.25
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Who we are
We are a welcoming, active and diverse church and charity based in the heart of a vibrant and bustling area of London’s East End, Bethnal Green. We are a down to earth and friendly mix of people from different backgrounds and walks of life. We have been working in Bethnal Green for over 150 years, but most of us haven’t been here that long.
Our history
The beginnings of Bethnal Green Mission Church is rooted in the work of Annie Macpherson.
Annie Macpherson was a contemporary and friend of Dr. Thomas Barnardo, who came to East London in the early 1860s when bad housing, unemployment, poverty and disease were rife. After witnessing the appalling poverty and deprivation of children and adults in the match-box making industry, she started work to alleviate these conditions. The opening of a ‘home of industry’ in 1866 provided the opportunity for many children and adults to read and write and to receive medical attention. This work continued in various guises until our recently demolished building was erected in 1952 to provide Bethnal Green with a medical practice under the newly formed National Health Service. During this period, a work distributing Christian literature developed and together with a thriving Sunday School, a church was established in the building.
Our recently opened new church building is intended to serve our community and to build on the amazing legacy of the entrepreneurial and innovative work of Annie Macpherson and her colleagues.
