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A UMNS Report
7:00 A.M. ET May 24, 2013
UPDATE: The Rev. H. Eddie Fox, the director of World Methodist Evangelism,
wrote May 29 to update the journey of the pilgrims who are following
in the steps of John Wesley. Fox provided images from the trip and
noted that Bishop B. Michael Watson, the president of World Methodist
Evangelism, focused on the central message of Wesley on “graceful
love.” Watson invited everyone to engage the world by spreading this
message by word, deed and sign. The participants celebrated Holy
Communion at the Lord’s Table in the New Room, the oldest Methodist
chapel in the world. They were led by Retired Bishop Robert Fannin of
the United States and Bishop Sunday Onuoha of Nigeria. Together, the
pilgrims stood at “the Pill” where Francis Asbury embarked for America
in 1771 to lead the growth of the Methodist Movement.
From left) Bishop Mike Watson, the Rev. Eddie Fox, Bishop Sunday Onuoha
and retired Bishop Robert E. Fannin stand together at “the Pill” where
Francis Asbury embarked for America in 1771. A UMNS photo courtesy of
Eddie Fox.
View in Photo Gallery
People from around the world gathered in London this week for the 275th anniversary of Aldersgate, the experience on May 24, 1738, that shaped the life of Methodism co-founder John Wesley.
“…I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ,
Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that he had
taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and
death,” Wesley wrote in his diary. Wesley, then 34, had this transformative experience during an evening worship gathering on Aldersgate Street in London.
The Rev. H. Eddie Fox, the director of World Methodist Evangelism,
said people were coming from every continent to “follow Jesus Christ
in the steps of the Wesleys to Aldersgate.” The people called Methodist
will join in “Evensong” at St. Paul’s Cathedral with a hymn by John
Wesley’s brother, Charles, and prayers of thanksgiving for the Wesleys — John, Charles and their mother, Susanna.
Participants will gather at the site of the prayer meeting on
Aldersgate Street to remember and experience the presence of the Holy
Spirit. The superintendent of Wesley Chapel and member of the House of
Lords, Leslie Griffith, will highlight the entire account of the
evening from Wesley’s Journal.
Wesley hymns will be sung and prayers for the Holy Spirit to pour
blessings on the World Methodist Movement will be offered. After a
brief moment with prayers at the tomb of Susanna Wesley, the gathering
will conclude in Wesley Chapel, where the cornerstone was laid by John
Wesley in 1777.
World Methodist Evangelism has organized a tour that left May 22 and
will continue until May 30. The journey will include the sites of key
moments in the beginning of the Methodist Movement, including Hanham
Mount, where Wesley preached for the first time in the open air. Wesley
declared of this experience that he became willing to be more “vile
and vulgar,” preaching in the ordinary language of the people. The tour
will visit the New Room in Bristol, the oldest Methodist building in
the world.
United Methodist Bishop B. Michael Watson, the president of World
Methodist Evangelism and leader of the North Georgia Area, will preach
on Sunday morning, and worship will end with Communion.
At the Port of Pill, from where Francis Asbury sailed for America in 1771, prayers of gratitude will be expressed for those who embarked to distant shores to “offer Christ.”
The pilgrimage includes visits to Epworth, the home of the Wesleys
and the place where John Wesley dramatically stood on his father's tomb
to preach the gospel. The journey will continue to Oxford and recall
the Holy Club and Wesley's education and teaching as a fellow in
Lincoln College.
Fox noted that this Methodist Movement continues today with 80
million in 155 countries who are “the people called Methodist.” He
pointed to the vision of World Methodist Evangelism: “To see the
Methodist Movement live, vibrant, growing and yearning to spread the
gospel, ‘So that the world may know Jesus Christ.’”
News media contact: Maggie Hillery or Tim Tanton, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.