TODAY IS JOHN WESLEY DAY

Story: Emmanuel Ashong, Accra

Methodists around the world are observing today, May 24, as John Wesley Day.

Wesley, who is recognised as the founder of world Methodism, received an "assurance" of salvation on this day in 1738, an event that caused a turnaround in his life and ministry.

According to him, "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."

The Rev John Wesley, who lived and died an Anglican priest, was born into a strong Anglican home. His father, Samuel, was a priest, and his mother, Susanna, taught religion and morals faithfully to her 19 children.

He attended Oxford, proved to be a fine scholar, and was soon ordained into the Anglican ministry. At Oxford, he joined a society founded by his brother Charles, whose members took vows to lead holy lives, take Communion once a week, pray daily, and visit prisons regularly. They also spent three hours every afternoon studying the Bible and other devotional material.

Although Wesley died an Anglican priest in 1791, his life and ministry led to the spread of scriptural holiness in England and the expansion of the Methodism Movement across the globe.

In Ghana, John Wesley Day forms part of what is known as Aldersgate/Evangelism Week and is marked with various activities, including evangelism outreaches and school events.

Church Services are scheduled to be held later in the day at Methodist Chapels across the connexion to mark the Day, followed by a series of weeklong evangelism activities.