The Evangelical Awakening in England

In Britain, its impulse came largely through the evangelical efforts of the Wesley’s and Whitefield, the rise of Methodism and creation of the evangelical party in the Church of England. Thus, the beginning of the “Evangelical Revival,” as this awakening was called in England, are usually traced to a Moravian watch Night service at Fetter Lane on Dec. 31. 1739. About three o’clock in the morning, the sixty young men who had gathered to pray experienced what George white field later described as “A Pentecostal season” John and Charles Wesley’s ministers in the Church of England, were also present at the meeting. Within months, Whitefield and stirring the hearts of thousands of coal miners thought by many to be beyond the reach of the gospel. John Wesley possessed the organizational skills necessary to harness the energy of revival into an evangelistic movement which became the Methodist church.

John Wesley stated open-air preaching, declaring the world as his parish. He organized a band of lay preachers to help him in evangelism. Their preaching was highly emotional and people cried out because they were convicted of their sins.

John Wesley

John Wesley was born in Epworth in Lincolnshire, England, his father Samuel Wesley was a minister in the Church of England. John Wesley’s mother Susanna Wesley was a woman of unusual strength of character and like her husband very loyal to the Anglican Episcopal Church. John Wesley was the 15th child of Samuel Wesley, out of 19th children. His brother, Charles, was four years younger to him. His Education: John Wesley’s educational life can be divided into three stages. The first school was his home itself. Wesley spent his early years under the careful direction of his remarkable mother. It was commenced at the parsonage under the sole direction of his mother. Who sought to instill in him a sense of vital piety leading to a wholehearted devotion to God. His second school was the charter house in London. Wesley was sent there at the age of eleven. The third phase of Wesley’s education was in Christ church college, Oxford, where he went at the age of seventeen, and in 1726, Charles also entered Oxford University. John Wesley’s Oxford studies included divinity, metaphysics, and ethics. Logic, natural philosophy and many languages. He completed his B.A in 1724 before reaching the age of twenty-one and his M.A in 1727. Wesley was ordained deacon in September 1727 and in February 1727, he received priest’s orders. On 4th August 1727, he left Oxford to assist his father in writing. It was a little village surrounded by boys, about five miles from Epworth.

His Conversion: Between 1735 and 1738 Wesley went as a chaplain on a mission to the colony of Georgia. He hoped to convert the Indians and to save his own Soul. Although Wesley believed that he had failed in both purposes, he learned much about the people and faith. On the journey to Georgia, he met a group of Moravians. The voyage was stormy. The ship seemed on the point of foundering. In the midst of the storm, they were calm and even cheerful. They not only prayed for protection, but as the sea washed, they deck they sang hymns of praise with joy. John Wesley felt that these Moravians had a quite trust in God for beyond his experience, and their calm faith during the danger of a voyage made a lasting impression on him. John Wesley met Spargen Berg, a Moravian leader and Berg asked John Wesley, do you know Jesus Christ?  Wesley replied, I know He is the Savior of the world, said Berg: true, but do you know, He has saved you? For three years Berg’s question preyed on John Wesley’s mind. He was not sure of the answer. On his return to London, he visited one of the Moravians, Peter Bolher and learned from him of ‘saving faith’ in Christ. His heart was strangely warned as he listened to a reading of Martin Luther’s preface to the epistle to the Romans, a book of the New Testament. On May 24, 1738 he attended a Moravian meeting and become convinced of Christ’ saving power. This meeting was the turning point of his career. Soon afterward with his brother Charles Wesley and their friend George Whitefield, he began his career as an evangelistic preacher.

Holy Club

John Wesley and Charles Wesley were students of Oxford University. After the departure of John from Oxford, Charles had gathered a group of serious and religious young men about him and these young men lived very strict and orderly life. This group is known as the Holy Club. When John returned to Oxford, he joined in the group activities and soon became the leader. And George Whitefield from Gloucester was also in the group, who become the founder of Calvinistic Methodist. “This attempt to lead a Christian life through method discipline was an important step in his spiritual growth and led more worldly students to call the group’s methods”. The club members adhered strictly and methodically to religious precepts and practices, among them visiting Prisons and comforting the Sick and were thus derisively called “Methodist” by their schoolmates.