Samuel, John Wesley’s father, served as a rector in Epworth for the Church of England. The church had few attendees, and the local people were often rough and unfriendly. Samuel struggled to gain their respect, facing hostility that included harm to his animals and threats to his family. On the night of February 9, 1709, the situation escalated when some locals set fire to the rectory.

While everyone else escaped, five-year-old John slept through the noise, unaware of the danger. His nursery was right beneath the burning roof. When he woke up and called for help from the window, his father Samuel rushed back inside, but the stairs gave way under him. Samuel’s wife, Susanna, tried a different entrance, but the flames were too fierce. They couldn’t find a ladder in time, and it looked like John was lost.

In a moment of desperation, two strong neighbors created a human ladder to rescue John. They lifted him just before the roof fell in. Grateful that all their children were safe, Samuel and Susanna found a new home and continued to serve their community.

That terrifying night stayed with Wesley for years. He often wondered why he had been saved. Eventually, he realized God had a purpose for him. John Wesley traveled thousands of miles each year, preaching the gospel to anyone who would listen. One biographer noted that he seemed to be chasing souls with every breath.

His preaching brought positive change everywhere he went. The groups of his followers, called Methodists, grew into a powerful movement. Some believe that the Wesleyan revival helped England avoid the violent revolution that happened in France.

References

Christian History #2, John Wesley: Revival and Revolution and Christian History #69, The Wesleys: Charles and John

Also On This Day

1907 – Mary Stone, a Chinese missionary doctor, sails from Shanghai bound for the United States to receive medical care she desperately needs.

Authority for the date: Burton, Margaret E. Notable Women of Modern China. 

1949 – Cardinal József Mindszenty is sentenced in Hungary. Hungary’s Communist government had accused him of treason because he refused to permit the secularization of Catholic schools. He had scribbled a note to his mother, saying, “I have taken no part in any conspiracy of any kind….if despite what I now say you should read that I have confessed or resigned, and even see it authenticated by my signature, bear in mind that it will have been only the result of human frailty. In advance, I declare all such actions null and void.”

Authority for the date: Shuster, George Nauman. Religion Behind the Iron Curtain. Greenwood Press, 1978.

1958 – Dave Wilkerson, a pastor in Pennsylvania, decides to sell his TV and pray two hours a night. He goes on to do a notable work among the gangs of New York City.

Authority for the date: Wilkerson, Dave. The Cross and the Switchblade.