John Wesley
John Wesley and the early Methodists saw their work in the simplest, most uncomplicated terms: Do all the good you can, to all the people you can, in all the places you can. Pastor Wesley lived, each and every day of his life, as Galatians 6:2 instructs: "Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." To relieve the poor, he collected food and clothing and provided housing. To improve the lives of children, he established schools across England. For the sick, he set up free medical clinics in his preaching houses. To help the unfortunate, he sent yarn to impoverished weavers and -- in what seems like a remarkably modern concept -- he established a loan program to distribute "seed" money to struggling merchants and manufacturers. "All," as Bishop Kenneth L. Carder notes in his writings on Wesley and giving, "all as an expression of love for God and neighbor -- a necessary component of being a disciple of Jesus Christ and His mission to the people of the world."
"The church has nothing to do but save souls.
Therefore spend and be spent in this work."
John Wesley
John Wesley's entire life was a journey of faith and outreach, crisscrossing England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland countless times; traveling some 250,000 miles by horseback and carriage, an astonishing exploit for a man of the 18th century -- even for a man of God. John and his brother Charles even braved the hazardous, three-month voyage across the stormy Atlantic Ocean in 1736 to do God's work in the new colony of Georgia. Later, Wesley sent other young preachers to spread the gospel in North America.
Our spiritual forbearers, such as John Wesley, shared a passion for discipleship. They steadfastly refused to allow the word of God to be confined to the church sanctuary. They took every opportunity and used every means available to proclaim the ministry of Jesus Christ. They preached to the people in the streets of America, and soon the hillsides were ringing with the words of the old Methodist songbook.
In this intense and determined way, the early members of the Wesleyan, Evangelical, and United Brethren movements ignited the American countryside with the story of God's redeeming love -- a triumph celebrated by the two bright red flames and the cross in the official logo of the United Methodist Church.
