Charles Wesley: The First Methodist

Charles Wesley avoided the limelight and was reluctant to face crowds but he had remarkable preaching ability, drawing people to him by his warmth and affection. It as while at Oxford that he became dissatisfied with the attitude of other undergraduates whom he thought lazy and ill-disciplined, so he and like-minded students came together to make better use of their time in study and prayer. On June 23rd, 1739, Charles preached to a crowd of 10,000 at Moorfields - the evangelical revival was under way and the Methodist movement started to gather speed. Like his brother John, Charles travelled to many parts of the country preaching to vast gatherings or small bands of followers, suffering persection, hardship and violence.