In the words of John Wesley, "A Methodist is...one who loves the Lord his God with all his heart, with all his soul, with all his mind, and with all his strength."  John Wesley was an ordained Anglican priest. At a prayer meeting in London on May 24, 1738, he had a powerful spiritual experience which inspired him to become the first teacher of "Methodism."

John Wesley is known for two things: co-founding Methodism and his tremendous work ethic. In the 1700's, when travel was by walking, horseback or carriage, Wesley logged more than 4,000 miles a year.  During his lifetime he preached about 40,000 sermons.  Wesley could give today's experts lessons in efficiency.  He was a natural organizer and approached everything diligently, especially religion.  It was at Oxford University in England that he and his brother Charles participated in a Christian club in such an orderly manner that critics called them "Methodists".

The United Methodist Church is a global church with more than 12 million members in 42,000 congregations worldwide. It is a participating member of the World Council of Churches and the National Council of Churches and is one of the leading proponents of ecumenism today. The United Methodist Church was formed in 1968 with a merger of the Evangelical United Brethren Church and the Methodist Church, but its roots go back to England in the 1730's.