John Wesley, Founder of Methodism |
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Hanham Mount, Kingswood on the edge of Bristol is just a small hill overlooking a housing estate. It's quite an ordinary place but if you could travel back in time to 1739, something extraordinary started there ... |
John Wesley Photograph © Methodist 2003 |
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| Crowds and crowds of people had gathered. They were poor and uneducated. Many of them were miners, rough men, use to hard work, with coal dust embedded under their finger nails. Life was hard. They were not the kind of people to go to church; church was for rich, clean people who could afford to wear nice clothes. Yet they were flocking to Hanham Mount to listen to a preacher. | |
| A clergyman was preaching outside! It was unimaginable. Many people were shocked at the idea, but the poor people who never went inside a church listened in wonder to the message being preached. They heard that God loved them, just as much as He loved rich people. God loved them so much, He had sent His Son Jesus to die for all the wrong things they had done. He told them they could have a new life if they repented (said sorry) and God would always be with them. He excited them when he spoke of a wonderful life in heaven and frightened them when he spoke about hell. They listened eagerly to what was said, many with tears running down their faces. They were so use to being treated badly, this message was amazing and many wanted to give their lives to God. |
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Epworth Rectory, where John Wesley was born Photograph Methodist © 2003 |
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