Information about this site before the Mission arrived, from the "Black History Walk, Aldgate to Stepney Green" pdf: "On this site in the 18th century stood a inn called the White Raven Tavern. ... In the 1780s the aristocratic philanthropist Selina, Countess of Huntingdon {See Lady Erskine for more information}, built a Zionist church for the local black population. In the late 19th century, a Primitive Methodist church was also located there."
In 1870 Frederick Charrington established a Mission and in 1886 he opened the Great Assembly Hall in which all the work of his mission could take place. During the years 1911 -1918 it operated as a cinema and was destroyed by WW2 bombs in 1941. We don't know where the mission was based during these years but it seems to have retained ownership of the site. Given Charrington's opposition to music halls it seems odd that he was happy to be a landlord of a cinema. Anyway, in 1958 a new Church and Church Hall were built here (thus the two foundation stones that survive). Part of the Church Hall was converted to residential use called 'Charis' which opened 1988. Extended 1992. 1996 the Church was demolished to allow further extension for Charis, plus a chapel.
