Studying History

 

How might studying history help us understand ourselves more deeply? How might have Wesley's historical context shaped him?

When we study history, one of the potential outcomes is that we come to understand ourselves better than we did before.  We learn the historical events and factors that shaped our ancestors and us.  For example, my own church became a Methodist Episcopal Church South in the 19^th century and then a Methodist Church in 1939. Knowing my local church has a history connected to the support of slavery and racism, I wonder how that has shaped who we are today – a reconciling ministry congregation that is open to everyone.  As I look back at my own childhood, I see that I grew up as our country was building rockets to go to the moon and hearing about Watergate on the television. How has that shaped my view of life? Do I have a more global outlook after seeing the fascinating images of the earth from the moon? Is my own distrust of politics linked to what I learned about Watergate?

 

Wesley was born during the middle of the Industrial Revolution in England with its accompanying shift of people to city centers, increased gap between the richest and the poorest, and increases in industries including mining and mechanized industry.  This was one of the most impactful changes in human life for centuries. Wesley was born after the political and religious revolutions of the Tudor and Stuart royal families in England as well as the English Civil Wars.  He lived in a post-Reformation England with great anti-Catholic sentiments and in a Church of England (government supported) that strove to find a middle ground in faith.  Wesley was born in a time that was beginning to experience global trade and colonization. It was a seminal time to be a person of faith in England.  Wesley believed and taught that it was necessary to live not only a life of personal holiness but also social justice. How could he ignore the people around him who needed help? How could his faith not be influenced by the vast changes in beliefs around him? 

What Shaped your Church?

I'm taking a class called Women Speak of God with Be A Disciple and Wesley Theological Seminary as part of their Certification in Advanced Christian Studies.  One of the questions we answered this week was:

What are some of the historical factors that have shaped your church family? What kind of influences do people that join this particular community bring with them?

 

My local church celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2020.  Countless historical factors had shaped in through those years.  It has its roots in a church that was first imagined by Frances Asbury as he traveled through our area and was served by circuit riders, the first one of which served churches in a 200 mile area.  As the civil war approached, the Methodist church split into the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and our Guyandotte/Huntington area church split also; the church that would become Johnson Memorial UMC was the MEC, South.  After the Civil War, Collis P. Huntington began to plan and build the western terminal of his railway, and the town of Huntington was founded.

 

Tragedy shaped the church.  Rev. Johnson became pastor in 1889.  During a Masonic initiation, he fell down a shaft and was injured severely enough to die 36 hours later.  The church was named after him.  Over the years, the church has suffered through three fires; the one in the thirties destroyed all but the exterior of the building.  During the time of rebuilding, the church was invited to worship at the local synagogue; a strong relationship of support developed between the two congregations that exists still today.  After the third fire in 2015, the church was able to worship in the Fellowship Hall, but moved to the same synagogue for Easter worship.

 

The aftermath of World War II and the baby boomer generation saw great growth in the church.  In more recent years, as the population of the city has decreased, the church has grown smaller. As tensions in the United Methodist church have grown over homosexuality, our local church explored its beliefs and joined Reconciling Ministries. 

 

I think those who have joined this church over the years have brought influences with them that have changed us from a Methodist Episcopal Church, South, that more than likely would have supported slavery, to a church that voted overwhelmingly to join Reconciling Ministries.  The church has supported women in ministry and people of color as pastors.  We are a college town; members joined with a thirst for education; bible study and Sunday school have been important aspects of our ministry together.