By JONATHAN SEET

JOHN WESLEY was born on June 17, 1703 in England, the fourteenth child of Samuel and Susanna Wesley.

Samuel Wesley was a high churchman and the pastor of Epworth in Lincolnshire from 1697 until his death in 1735. Susanna was the most influential person in the early life of John Wesley and she was even called, "The Mother of Methodism". She was known to have set aside time for each of her many children individually.

In 1709, the Epworth rectory that they were living in was destroyed by fire, most probably started by some unhappy parishioners. After the family was evacuated, they realised that the six-year-old Wesley was not with them. There was a dramatic rescue.

A neighbour stood on the shoulders of another neighbour and they reached the window where the little boy was and got him to safety just before the roof caved in. Susanna always reminded Wesley that he was "a brand plucked from the fire". She saw this rescue as a sign of God's calling on Wesley's life and was careful to steer him in his Christian faith.

Wesley studied at Christ Church, Oxford. He was later elected to be a Fellow at Lincoln College, Oxford where he taught Greek, logic and philosophy. He was ordained as a priest in the Anglican Church on Sept 22, 1728. In 1729, he returned to Oxford where he joined a group of undergraduates and young men led by his younger brother, Charles. They were known as the "Holy Club" and because he was already a Fellow and a priest, he became the leader.

They met for devotions, Bible study, Holy Communion and were active in social work, including visiting the prisons. They were made fun of by other students and were called many nicknames -- "Methodists", "Bible Moths", "Enthusiasts" and "Supererogation Men".

Shortly after the death of their father in 1735, the Wesley brothers were invited to work in Georgia. John was hesitant about going to Georgia. Susanna told her sons that she wanted them to go even if she should never see them again. Charles was ordained as deacon and priest in the two weeks just before they left for Georgia.

Bound for Georgia They boarded the ship Simmonds on Oct 17, 1735 for Georgia. There they met a group of 26 Moravians. On Nov 23, the boat was caught in a storm. People were screaming in fear and Wesley himself feared for his life but the Moravians were calmly singing through the storm.

They arrived in Georgia on Feb 4, 1736 and Wesley began a deep relationship with the Moravians. He got to know August Spangenberg who spoke to him about his need for personal salvation and faith. The questions that Spangenberg asked him would later influence his theology. Wesley left Georgia on Dec 2, 1737.

Life-changing experiences On Feb 7, 1738, he met Peter Böhler and other Moravians in England. On the advice of Böhler, Wesley and some other Holy Club members started the Fetter Lane Society. Wesley, being an ordained priest, was appointed leader of this society. At the same time, they were also attending another society in Aldersgate Street. Wesley became convinced of his own unbelief and his lack of faith.

Charles Wesley himself was also going through a struggle in his faith. On May 21, 1738, Charles had an evangelical conversion experience. He told his brother about it. Three days later on May 24, 1738, Wesley himself experienced his own conversion in a society meeting in Aldersgate Street. He wrote:

"In the evening, I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ,

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."

Members of the Fetter Lane Society had been meeting regularly. However, differences and internal power struggle led to Wesley being banned from preaching in the society which finally led to their leaving in 1740.

Twenty-five of the members who left met at Wesley's Foundery Society. Some of them had already been meeting in the Old Foundery in London since Christmas Eve, 1739. Shortly later, almost all the 50 women left the Fetter Lane Society and joined Wesley. This led to the dissolution of the Fetter Lane Society two years later.

Growth of Methodism The Methodist movement started to grow in England. George Whitefield went against the established tradition of preaching only in a church and started to preach in the fields. He encouraged Wesley to do the same. Wesley did and later when he was challenged, he answered, "The world is my parish."

Revival broke out in England as both the Moravians and the Methodists went about preaching. The small group system administered by Wesley ensured the survival of the converts and gave rise to the Methodist movement. The Methodist movement sent missionaries to the United States. Of these, only Francis Asbury chose to remain permanently in the US and he became the main influence of American Methodism.

Wesley had always refused to separate the Methodist societies from the Church of England. In 1784, he was forced to ordain his preachers in America because of the American Declaration of Independence (1776) which severed the ties of the Americans with the Church of England. It was a matter of time before the lay preachers in England demanded that they be ordained too.

Wesley was upset when the American Superintendents, Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke, called themselves Bishops. Methodist bishops became a distinctive of American Methodism.

Wesley died on March 21, 1791 as an Anglican priest. A few years later, whatever superficial ties with the Anglican Church that remained were severed and the Methodist societies became the Methodist Church.

The Rev Jonathan Seet is a Trinity Annual Conference (TRAC) pastor on study leave. He is currently at San Francisco Theological Seminary.

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