John Wesley, Founder of Methodism |
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| As John Wesley preached that day it had a huge impact on both his life and our nation and it was the beginning of the Methodist movement. | |
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John was born the second son of a clergyman. His mother was very strict and when he almost died in a house fire at the age of 5½, she believed God had a special purpose for his life. After preaching on Hanham Mount he spent over 50 years travelling through every part of Britain telling people about the love of God. He covered almost a quarter of a million miles and preached over 40,000 sermons. Throughout the country, places are marked where John Wesley preached. |
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John Wesley's brother, Charles |
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See if you can find out if he preached near to where you live. |
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Go to the Methodist Heritage site. Click on any region on the map to find the places where John Wesley preached. |
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Although he often preached to the poor, John preached "to those who needed him most," this included rich and poor. Not everyone approved of what he was doing. He was persecuted for his faith and many suffered because they were Methodists. Sometimes Methodists were beaten up and their homes wrecked. John was threatened by mobs and some tried to silence him in less violent ways. At times church bells were rung to drown his voice, but he continued to preach throughout his life. John sometimes travelled with his younger brother Charles. Charles was a great hymn (song) writer. He is said to have composed more than 6,500 hymns. Many of these hymns are still sung in churches today. |
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