John Wesley's Impact On New England

In 1735 a ship set sail from England on its journey to the New World. Aboard was a young Anglican minister named John Wesley, who had been invited to serve as a pastor to British colonists in Savannah, Georgia. When the weather at sea got bad, the ship found itself in serious trouble. John Wesley, who was also chaplain of the vessel, was in fear for his life. Also on board was his younger brother Charles Wesley and a group of German Moravians, who were on their way to preach to the American Indians. Charles and John noticed that the German Moravians were not afraid at all, but began to sing hymns. (Spickard/Cragg Pg. 247) Little did they know this missionary trip would be like no other they had experienced, making an impact upon both men’s lives both spiritually and religiously and altering history along the way.
Charles Wesley (1707-1788) was born in Epworth, Lincolnshire, England and was the eighteenth child (10 children survived) of an Anglican cleric and poet Samuel Wesley and his wife Susanna, a strong Christian family that had a Godly influence upon all the children. Charles Wesley was educated at Oxford, where his brothers had also studied, and he formed the "Holy Club" among his fellow students including George Whitefield in 1727. A group that his older brother John Wesley had later joined as well in
Charles Wesley's hymns often paraphrased Scripture as well as the Anglican Prayer Book. They were always full of praise, and they continue to enrich us today. It is difficult to imagine a hymnbook without hymns such as Charles Wesley's "O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing," "Rejoice, the Lord Is King," "Jesus, Lover of My Soul," and "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing."