The Methodist Church

The Methodist Church has its roots in the teachings of Charles and John Wesley and George Whitefield within the Church of England. These three men began holding bible study groups at Oxford University. Their methodical and detailed approach led them to be called Methodists.

The Wesley brothers took their teachings to America in 1735, attempting to spread their gospel to the natives in Georgia, John Wesley returned to England and met with clergymen he respected to identify their basic foundations of the Christian faith:

1. People are all, by nature, "dead in sin," and, consequently, "children of wrath."
2. They are "justified by faith alone."
3. Faith produces inward and outward holiness.

The American Revolution effectively separated the Methodists from the Church of England. Methodism spread like wildfire in the American frontier. The Church employed circuit riders, many laymen, to spread the Gospel throughout the rural countryside. Before long, Methodist Churches were springing up in nearly every community.

If you are not sure about Methodist ancestors, check the family rolls for the names John Wesley and Charles Wesley. It's a safe bet when those names pop up that that family followed the Methodist faith, at least for awhile.

A couple of examples: Isaac R. & Ann Bethia [Rhodes] Prall named their 2nd eldest son Charles Wesley. Joseph & Rebecca [Hurin] Faucett named a son Joseph Wesley. I'd bet that middle name was significant. John & Eve [Fry] Faucett, and Joseph & Rebecca, as well as several other members of the 1st two generations of Faucetts to become Hoosiers are buried in what was originally the Shiloh Methodist Church burying ground in what is now Avon, Hendricks Co., Indiana.