Travels with Wesley Comes to England

 

In 1738, John Wesley returned home to England after a frustrating experience of ministry and an unhappy love affair with Sophy Hopkey in Georgia. He had set out with his brother Charles with high hopes of converting the Native Americans and of securing his own soul, but things didn’t quite work out the way he expected. 

Though his time there wasn’t a complete failure, and it taught him some valuable lessons about following rules too rigidly, his American adventure was anything but idyllic. Dejected and confused, he came back without a real plan and with no idea what shape his ministry would take.  And Christ led him into being part of a revival that is still vital and life-changing all around the world!

Well, I am now in England after leaving my home in the US, but thankfully not because of a broken heart or disappointment in ministry. There are some similarities, however. Though I did not have to sneak out of the country to avoid the long arm of the law, I too left Sophy Hopkey back in America, the difference being that my Sophy Hopkey is a cat, and my husband is taking excellent care of her.

Like Wesley, I’m embarking on a ministry adventure in a place far from home, and like Wesley, I have hopes and dreams of what may come of it, for myself and for others. It’s utter madness, leaving home and husband for a few years to serve churches so far from home, especially during a pandemic, but there’s been such confirmation of the decision and such grace extended by so many people that I believe it truly is of God. 

While I don’t pretend to think that I will be instrumental in leading an international revival, I do believe that there is work for me here. For example, one of my new churches is an ecumenical partnership of Methodists and members of the United Reformed Church, a close relative of the Presbyterians I served for eight years. That background is surely going to be helpful as we work together. I hope you will continue traveling with Wesley and me as we all watch and wait and pray for the Spirit to lead, guide, and direct us all in these new days of ministry and mission.