FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions:

Are you a local or a national agency?

Although we are related to the National Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church, over 97% of our funding comes from local sources and grants we apply for from sources that cover program salaries and expenses. Local individuals, churches, and our local United Way are our primary sources of support.

Do you help people who are not Methodists and do non-Methodists support you?

Yes. One of the guiding principals of Methodism is to do "all the good you can, in all the ways you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." We live out this principal by serving anyone who is in need without regard to whom they are or whether they are Christian. We have wonderful supporters from other religious and non-religious groups, and we do not require any religious commitment from anyone seeking help.

Do you just help people in Meridian?

We help anyone in need of our services who comes to us or is referred to us. We serve clients in 13 counties in Mississippi and Alabama as well as transients coming through Meridian. We have the only completely free clinic service in Mississippi and the only Victim Service agency within 90 miles.

Hours of operation?

Monday - Friday 8 AM - 5 PM

What can I do to help Wesley House?

You can pray for us, volunteer your time and skills, donate money or other things, and you can tell others about our work.

What's the deal with calling yourself "six agencies under one roof"?

From the beginning, Wesley House offered help to people in need in several ways, with food for the hungry, clothing for those who needed it, teaching illiterate women and children to read so they could understand the Bible as well as improve their lives. As more people came with more problems, we realized that we needed to serve the whole person, and we developed our theme of "Helping people learn to help themselves."

This led us to expand into educational programs, health programs, services for victims, and other areas until we realized that our strength was in providing many services at one location, helping people build better lives for themselves. (See our pages on the different agencies of Wesley House.)

Why do you call it Wesley House Community Center?

We are related to the United Methodist Church, and an old Methodist tradition was the "Community House" charitable mission. It was a place outside the local church where volunteer conducted mission work such as helping poor people with food and shelter while offering spiritual guidance, with the goal of leading people to become Christians. We began as an outreach by the women of Central Methodist Church in Meridian to a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of the town. We are called Wesley House from the founders of the Methodist Movement, John and Charles Wesley, and we are a Community Center because we are a center of service to our community.