The Story of Wheeler Mission

The Door of Hope In 1890 the largest women’s organization in the world was the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. Founded in 1874, it sought to reform society through abstinence from harmful habits, purity in thought and deed, and promotion of evangelical Christianity. The local Indianapolis chapter of the WCTU (dubbed the Meridian Union) was very active in the city. It was particularly interested in women’s suffrage and aid to vulnerable women and children in the community. Several women from Central Avenue Methodist Episcopal church were active in the organization, including Wheeler’s wife Mary who served as the chapter’s Treasurer as well as fellow church member, Luella McWhirter who served as President. Inspired by the national trend of “rescue work”, the Meridian Union determined to open a home for unwed mothers and others referred to as “friendless women”. The group, led by Mary Wheeler, Luella McWhirter, and their friend Celia Smock, rented a facility at 57 East South Street and opened in October 1893. The birth of what was to eventually be named Wheeler Mission had occurred. Located near Union Station, the Door of Hope’s second story bedrooms were open to women abandoned at the rail station, as well as local prostitutes seeking reform and other women otherwise facing hardship. The residence served 108 different women in their first year of operation and saw twenty-five of those trust Christ as their Savior. Hearing of the great success of the ministry from his wife, William encouraged a broadening of the ministry to aid entire family units and not just unwed mothers and single women. The leadership of Meridian Union became convinced of the need. However, it was felt that a man was required to lead a ministry such as was proposed, and who better than the respected William Wheeler. Encouraged by Mary, William assumed the position as part-time superintendent. Soon the downstairs space at 57 East South Street was rented and a family and children’s ministry was founded. William threw himself into the new ministry with his characteristic enthusiasm. Not satisfied to just wait and see who walked through the Door of Hope, he regularly visited the Marion County Jail speaking to anyone who listened. He would then stop by the courthouse and seek out troubled men who showed an interest in reforming their lives. William even went door to door through the poorer neighborhoods in the city encouraging the children to attend the Sunday school programs he established with the help of volunteers from Central Avenue Church. William would often walk the children home and talk to their parents to see what assistance Door of Hope could provide. He would leave them with a challenge to examine their own spiritual lives and need for Jesus Christ. These efforts were rewarded and within months, the Mission needed to move across Pennsylvania Street to 49 East South Street. This larger facility would become the home of the organization for the next ten years. The Mission quickly achieved the status as the most respected and utilized social services organization in the city. Judges routinely referred individuals from their courts, hoping men and women would find reform through the Mission’s programs. Virtually all the local churches supported the Mission financially and through the numerous volunteers needed to carry out the many ministries. The local newspapers regularly carried articles in support of Wheeler and the work at the Rescue Mission. The Indianapolis News wrote, “Mr. Wheeler’s life work was accomplished in the building and establishing of the new house of the Indianapolis Rescue Mission.” Wheeler himself did not look at the building in and of itself as any great accomplishment. Rather, he would point to the number of people converted and lives changed as his real legacy. As the Christmas season of 1908 approached, plans were made to utilize the relatively new technology of the telephone to involve Wheeler with Christmas Day festivities. A large horn, reminiscent of an old Victrola speaker, was suspended from the auditorium ceiling. The plan was to have everyone shout out Christmas greetings to Wheeler over the phone line and sing songs to the bed ridden leader. However, those plans were never realized. William Wheeler’s daughter called early on Christmas morning to tell everyone she discovered her father had passed away when she arrived to make him breakfast. Wheeler’s death was the page one headline of The Indianapolis News that Christmas. The editorial board wrote, “His favorite phrase after talking or writing to a person in urgent advocacy of the work which was his life was—with a cheery smile when spoke— ‘all for Christ.’ That could be his epitaph with greater truth than epitaphs are generally written. But we only get the full force of it as to him with memory that the “all” meant work rather than words. He has a Christmas greeting today that less favored mortals have not.” The Board of Directors met later that week in special session. They asked William H. Roll to assume the position of Superintendent until a permanent replacement could be identified. They also moved unanimously and voted to rename the mission Wheeler Rescue Mission. A new era was about to begin, but the impact of William Vincent Wheeler could never be underestimated. Under his vision and leadership, he had in fifteen short years taken a singularly focused ministry in it’s infancy to a multi-service Christian ministry impacting thousands of individuals each year. Without this rock-solid foundation, it is doubtful that 125 years later the agency named for him would still be serving the Indianapolis community.