Suppose John Wesley could take a little side trip from heaven and visit some of his contemporary Methodists in our church today. What would he share with them? How would he relate? Well, that was the setting at Copper Hill Church on Sunday, Oct. 23 as Rev. James Moore came as John Wesley, dressed in the garb of a 18th century preacher, white wig and all. Rev. Moore is a retired Methodist District Superintendent from the Catskill-Hudson area.
Rev. Moore shared in the first person the faith journey of Mr. Wesley. “John Wesley” shared a good deal of his life story. Wesley recounted his rescue as a “brand from the burning” as a child, his trip to Georgia as a young man, and his assuring Aldersgate experience. He talked about how he had been very devout as a practicing Anglican, yet did not have assurance that his sins had been forgiven. Wesley shared how he moved from having religion to truly having a personal assurance of salvation by faith. “John Wesley” also reviewed some of the early history of Methodism from a first-hand perspective. He spoke of the Oxford “Holy Club,” his hymn-writer brother, Charles, and his saintly mother, Suzanna.
Using both humor and dramatic skills, Rev. Moore encouraged the listeners to advance in their own faith journeys, saying, “Religion is not enough; but it’s the platform on which faith might grow.” The presentation was both informative and inspiring.
From the accompanying pictures, you can see the dramatic expressiveness of Rev. Moore as he played the part. Our thanks to Bob Stewart for the pictures. After the service, the congregation went outside for the planting of a time capsule, which will be reported in a separate article.
