The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1899-1900, 1899-07-26

The Epworth League convention of
sub-district No. 2 was held at Hunting
ton, o., July 81 and %
Many of our young people attended
the Thursday evening session and lis
tened to the eloquent words spoken by
Prof. f. D. Ward, of Lorain, and on
Friday morning the hospitable Ep-
worthians of Huntington welcomed
representatives of the Wellington. New
London, Penfeld, LAGRANGE, Medina
and Pittsfield Leagues into their beau
tifully decorated church.
The program was carefully arranged
with view to teach the Leaguers as
young people, the history of early
Methodism, and to bring out the meth
DDS of teaching the doctrines Of our
church at the present.
AS the morning was to be devoted to
the pioneer life of the church, the ses-
sion was preceded by an "old time
love FEAST" conducted by Rev. M. W.
Long, of Penfield, and in order to at
tend the service it was necessary to
procure "love feast" ticket. The
hour, spent as our forefathers spent
many, was very impressive.
Shortly after the love feast, the con-
vention was called to order hy the
chairman, Rev. F. W. Poole and Sec
retary and committee on resolutions
were elected. The first paper on the
program entitled "Our Early Method
ist Preachers" was read by Miss Jennie
Body, of Wellington. Among the first
of these Methodist ministers were John
and Charles Wesley, whose wonderful
works in the church have been talked
of by hundreds up to the present day.
These men belonged to the Holy Club,
and they sought to purify themselves
by prayer, fasting and visiting the
poor. Another member of this club
was George Whitefeld, who was COM
pared to John the Baptist Francis
Asbury, our first bishop, was sent from
England to revive the work here Miss
Body's paper in speaking of these
faithful preachers Of the gospel, told of
the sacrifices they made and the hard
ships they endured in those early days
OF Methodism.
The early Methodist Preaching
Places" were described by Miss Pearl
Cassidy. The first meeting place in
the world was chapel built in Bristol,
Eng, in the year 1889 by society
founded by John and Charles Wesley
and George Whitefield. Methodism
was begun in America by Mrs. Barbara
Heck, who while visiting in New York
in 1895, found her friends engaged in
playing cards. She destroyed the
cards and warned the players of their
danger, She urged Philip Embury, an
English class leader, to preach the
gospel, and for time the first meet
ing place of the four members of the
Methodist church was at the home of
their pastor, but soon their member
ship grew larger and they we're able to
erect building which they called
Wesley Chapel 1t was dedicated in
October, 176S.
The first Methodist meeting place in
Wellington was at the home of Mr..
John Clifford. About the year 1920,
quarterly meeting was held at Mr.
Clifford's, and shortly after this meet
ing society composed of six members
was organized.
In many places the church members
were not able to have a fixed place for
meeting, but the gospel was preached
in the open air, from prison windows
or in any place where it was possible
to gather an audience.
After these two papers were read
short time was spent in discussing the
doctrines of these early Methodist
preachers. Many of them were timer
ants who used to travel many miles
from one charge to another, and who
were always on hand at the meeting
house however bad the weather. They
felt that they had message to give to
the world and they trusted entirely to
God to lead them and teach them how
to present the truths they had to inn
part. One of their most earnest de-
sires was to spread scriptural holiness
which was what the people needed so
much then.
paper entitled "0ur Early Method
ist Church Members" prepared by
Mr.. Purdy VanWicklin, Of New Lon
don, was read by his pastor, Rev. B. ],
Mills, The paper was well written and
further proved the faithfulness Of
those old pioneers, who came here for
f1r freedom to worship God" At
fist the church members were few,
int they were persevering and deter
ta'p y md ere long, great multitudes
ictrd ot their sins and re-
were saved.
tie noon hour had arrived the
convention adjourned and the audience
repaired to the tent which had been