January 19, 2022 Weekly Update
Tomorrow, January 20, is the 353rd birthday of Susanna Wesley, mother and influential mentor to United Methodist founder John Wesley. Susanna was mother to John, his brother and famous hymn writer Charles, and seventeen other children! Unfortunately, only ten children survived past infancy.
Susanna was a disciplined and caring mother who sought to guide the spiritual and education paths of her children. She spent one hour each week in one-to-one time with each child. Her spiritual direction continued into their adulthood – John was known to consult his mother on spiritual matters, especially his missionary trip to the colony of Georgia.
In a recent article published by the UMC, Susana is noted as a woman with conviction and courage, especially in difficult times. Once when her husband, and Anglican Clergyman, was away at a multiweek conference, she began an afternoon worship and devotion time for children on Sunday afternoons. This rankled the feathers of the Associate Pastor in charge, and other members of the congregation. But Susanna felt it was her duty to train and educate the children and families in her midst. Her gatherings quickly grew and reached 200-300 in attendance, much larger than the associate pastor’s Sunday morning service. Despite resistance and jealousy from others, she defended her ministry and continued her outreach until her husband’s extended leave ended. She felt a calling, acted on it with courageous faith, and blessed her community and family as a result.
I invite you to read the full article here to learn more about Susanna Wesley: https://www.umc.org/en/content/courage-and-conviction-a-womans-leadership-through-a-difficult-time
Blessings,
Pastor Jared