Sunday 24 May 2009

Happy John Wesley Day

Well good evening and Happy John Wesley Day. Yes. John Wesley Day. Bet you didn't know that, did you? Y'all thought it was just Ascension Sunday, but no, for 24th May is John Wesley Day and is celebrated marked mentioned in passing in Methodist Churches worldwide. Especially when it falls on a Sunday, as it has this year.

John Wesley Day, insofaras I can tell, marks the anniversary of John Wesley's conversion. John Wesley, of course, was the founder of Methodism, along with various others including his brother Charles, who wrote lots of songs. On 24th May many years ago, he was at a meeting in a place called Aldersgate House, when he 'felt [his] heart strangely warmed'. Now you or I (well, I) would think we had missed our mouths with our coffee again, but John Wesley was a spiritual man (in fact, he was a Church of England minister), and recognised the work of the Holy Spirit when he felt it.

And so he was renewed and began to preach a lot and so began the movement known as Methodism.

Or at least, this is what I remember from reading his biography several months ago.

Some Facts Which You May Not Have Known about John Wesley:

1. He had 18 brothers and sisters
2. His birthday is the same day as WhyNotSmile's
3. He travelled to Ireland quite a lot
4. He died an Anglican, not a Methodist
5. He summarised his teaching in the Four Alls of Methodism:
  • All people need to be saved;
  • All people can be saved;
  • All people can know they are saved,
  • All people can be saved completely.

3 comments:

Virtual Methodist said...

All true save the 4 Alls... which are not JWs work at all but were penned in the early 20th century (by I forget who) to summarise his teaching...

ScatterCode said...

WHAT? Are you saying the Internet lied to me?

Virtual Methodist said...

Sorry to break it to you...