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Our Methodist Roots: The Wesleys

© Susan Padezanin

The streams of spiritual life that came together to form the United Methodist Church had their origins in the evangelistic outreach and ministries of John and Charles Wesley and Francis Asbury (The Methodist Church); Philip William Otterbein and Martin Boehm (The United Brethren Church); and Jacob Albright (The Evangelical Church). A common faith and zeal claimed all. The authority of the Scripture, a personal spiritual experience of salvation through faith in Christ, and love expressed in service to others were emphasized by each of them.

The churches that came together to form The United Methodist Church in 1968 held the same fundamental doctrines of faith. Each of them was influenced by the emphasis on the spiritual life. The Methodist Church had its beginnings in the Church of England, whereas The United Brethren Church and The Evangelical Church had their origin in the spiritual awakening that occurred in America in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

The little community of Epworth, England has been called the birthplace of Methodism. It was there that the Wesleys lived. Samuel Wesley was the pastor of St. Andrews's Church, a parish church of the Church of England. The little stone church where he preached still stands on the edge of town and he is buried outside in the church graveyard.

John Wesley was born in Epworth on June 17, 1703. When he was 6 years old a fire swept through the parsonage. The family ran to safety, but John was missing. They could see him framed in an upstairs window, but the flames were too much for Samuel when he attempted a rescue. A neighbor stood on the shoulders of another man and John was able to jump safely into his arms. Susanna, John's mother, believed that he was saved from the burning for a special destiny.

Samuel and Susanna had nineteen children, ten who lived to maturity. Susanna had a profound influence on the children. She was their spiritual mentor and schoolteacher. She set aside one hour a week for each child's spiritual instruction and nurture. John's hour was after the evening meal on Thursday. He was so impressed with this practice, that years later as a university student, he wrote to his mother to still keep that hour for him. He had hoped that it would be useful in correcting his heart as it was in setting up his judgment.

By the time John was eleven, he could read English, Latin, and Greek. He left his home in Epworth with a scholarship to attend Charterhouse School in London. He remained there until he was seventeen, when he entered Christ Church College, Oxford University. John's older brother Samuel Jr., his younger brother, Charles, as well as his father, grandfathers, and great grandfather Wesley had all studied at Oxford. John never forgot his mother's conviction that his life had been spared for a special purpose. He was becoming more and more convinced that God was calling him into the ministry.