Dear Pali Pres,
This past week (June 17, to be exact) marked the birthday of one of the great pillars of the world-wide Christian church, John Wesley. Wesley was born in England in 1703 and is considered the founder of the Methodist denomination. As Presbyterians, our “founding father” would be John Calvin. However, the enormous impact John Wesley had on the universal church is worthy of admiration and thanks from us all.
Wesley was a lifelong Anglican whose vision was to form small groups for Bible study and regular prayer within the Anglican church. To that end, Wesley spent much of his time traveling on horseback through the rural areas of England, Ireland, and Scotland. All along the way, he would preach, hold prayer meetings, and lead Bible studies. Wesley’s impassioned efforts resulted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ spreading like wildfire!
Before long, missionaries in the new “Methodist” movement brought John Wesley’s approach to the North American colonies. By the 1850s, the new Methodist denomination was the largest denomination in the US. It was hugely popular among those on the American frontier, as well as among both enslaved and free African Americans.
Today, the United Methodist Church is collection of approximately 10 million members in Asia, Africa, Europe and the United States. And to think, it all began with one dedicated preacher who rode the English countryside on horseback some 300 years ago! It truly is amazing how those mustard seeds can grow!
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Matt
PS—one more interesting fact: the term “Methodist” was originally derisive and was used by some of Wesley’s classmates at Oxford because of his strict and methodical style of study, prayer, and fasting.