Description
The heroic age of our Methodist movement is receding farther and farther back in time. Too many people no longer recognize the names or celebrate the stories of these giants we call circuit riders. Yet their deep faith and unbridled courage built our Wesleyan churches, and in our own time they can remind us who we are, and restore us to our original purpose, “to reform the continent, and spread Scripture-holiness over these lands.” – 1790 M.E. Discipline.
The devotions in this book spring from the lives of dedicated preachers, who represent the Wesleyan movement across North America in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth-centuries. They include men and women, people of many ethnicities; Americans, Canadians, indigenous people and those living in the Caribbean. They represent many denominations in the Wesleyan fold. Most were itinerant, but others were local preachers, preachers with unconventional credentials, or class leaders and other lay people critical to the movement’s effectiveness. While far from exhaustive, they represent an amazing array of personalities, gifts, and accomplishments, very often in unpromising circumstances.
The richness, inspiration, historical lessons, and even humor coming from these sources are too good to lose or ignore. Churches long separated can grow deeper and stronger as they share these stories. We need what they can tell us about our identity, purpose, and direction. May they also guide our prayers and reflections as we seek to live as faithful disciples in the Wesleyan tradition.
Larry R. Baird, Board Member, Confessing Movement Board –
One of the ways we can diminish our perspective on the faith is to have a form of forgetfulness. We can forget our heritage and those who labored to create the foundations upon which we now build. VanDussen brings us to a rich understanding of our history by focusing on the lives of early Methodist preachers. Many of these people will probably be new acquaintances to you. In this unique and well researched book of devotions, he introduces us to a wide variety of people whose gifts and faithfulness will enrich our lives and ministry whether we be pastors or laity.