Rubbing Shoulders with John Wesley


Today held a special treat — a visit and tour of the World Methodist Museum at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina (near Asheville). It was a treasure trove of interesting exhibits and it holds special interest for those wanting to rub shoulders with John and Charles Wesley, Francis Asbury, and the early story of Methodism. The museum’s director, Amanda B. Riera-Gomez, took me from exhibit to exhibit, explaining the displays and telling stories about the characters that have so influenced the last 300 years of Christian history.  Having written about the Wesleys in my books Then Sings My Soul and On This Day, I drank in every document, porcelain, painting, and story. You don’t have to be Methodist to appreciate the Wesley Brothers. They’re still touching our lives every time we sing “O For a Thousand Tongues,” “And Can it Be?” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”

John Wesley's Traveling Pulpit
The Story of Wesley's Remarkable Mother
Wesley sat for this image; notice the scar on his forehead made by a stone flung at him
A Lock of Wesley's Hair
An original hand-written Charles Wesley hymn
Preaching the Gospel
The Museum
The house next door is a replica of the Epworth Rectory where Wesley was rescued from fire as a child, a brand plucked from the flames