Connecting With the Legacy of England’s Wesley’s Chapel

Standing on City Road in St. Luke’s area south of London Borough of Islington is “The Mother Church of World Methodism.” Originally City Road Chapel, in 1778, John Wesley directed the building of the Chapel that would eventually become known as Wesley’s Chapel. It would serve as his base in London, and today houses the Chapel and includes Wesley’s house next to the chapel and the Museum of Methodism which captures the history of Methodism and the impact it had on shaping Britain’s spiritual, political, and social history.

The bond between England’s Wesley’s Chapel and Wesley Chapel was sealed when Rev. Whitsett, while attending the Ecumenical Conference in Oxford, England in 1951, delivered a hand-crafted marble cross, one made by Claude Dobson (see previous blog), and dedicated locally by Bishop Ivan Lee Holt September 9th, 1951.

Rev. Whitsett did not leave empty-handed, however, but returned to Sylacauga and presented Wesley Chapel with a bust of John Wesley given by England’s Wesley’s Chapel and presented to Wesley Chapel October in 1951. Encased behind glass, the bust can be found in the vestibule of Wesley Chapel.

The connection between the two Chapels was enriched when in August 1984 Wesley Chapel member Mrs. Mary Anne Dupree traveled to England and presented a check from donations collected to help offset the expenses of England’s Wesley’s Chapel’s renovation. Having fallen into disrepair, churches from around the world either mailed contributions, or presented checks in person as delegates took part in the dedication service.

Mrs. Dupree said the dedication service was impressive and attended by both Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, who read from same passage John Wesley read at the original dedication, 1 Kings 8:22, the passage recording Solomon’s dedication of the Temple. She noted the hymns were sung “in the old rhythm used long ago.”

Just as the “Mother Church of Methodism” stands as a memorial to the works John Wesley and Methodism’s global impact, Wesley Chapel Methodist Church in Sylacauga is an extension of Methodism and a representation of Wesley’s global vision.