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Reflections from
Discover…Mission participants
I am writing this reflection five days after being picked up from the airport, in that time I haven’t had a single second where I’m not thinking of how I could be doing more. This pilgrimage has not only opened my eyes to the ways we, as Methodists have changed but mostly how we have remained the same. Although the Wesleyan quadrilateral doesn’t include community as one of its pillars, it is very clearly a necessary factor in our faith.
When john Wesley was a child his home caught on fire. He and his 10 siblings were abruptly caught in a raging chaos, not to mention his mother and father. In the chaos john was stuck in the building, having the loving mother he did he was not going to be given up on. Nearly all his siblings and surrounding families gathered together to build a tower of passion and pure human willpower, thus saving not only john but his bible too. In this act of human resilience john had a head start at being accepting of all people in his time.
In their college days at oxford john and Charles Wesley began a holy group. It was here that people began to notice the impact youth can have in starting a movement. This group met to have scripture readings and sermons as well as important chats between peers. This is what gives me the strength to believe I can make an impact if I build a strongly rooted community.
Going to Charles Wesley’s home led me to the thought of how artistically minded we as a Methodist body are. He was a natural poet with a heart burning for Christ and a charismatic attitude that would help bring people from all walks of life into the movement. His home as small as it was had a designated room for his writing. Even though Charles had written over 9000 works of poetry he hardy composed music. Most of his music is borrowed from pub songs. To me this is quite funny.
After we left the former home of Charles we went to the new room. It wasn’t initially built to be a church or a place for worship, but a place for meetings pertaining to the movement. However in typical Wesley style this meeting room didn’t stay that way for long. This new room and the museum connected to it showed a very important aspect of Methodism, but what stood out to me again was the community of it. And not only that but humor, new room is only called new room because after the old rooms floor collapsed john stood in the rubble and said “I think we’ll need a new room”.
Once we arrived at john Wesley’s home I began to see not only the life of a movement leader but that of a man, torn by how large a thing he’s created. I learned of how rocky his relationship with his wife got, especially later in johns life. This was because john would respond to all people’s letters pertaining to God even women. His wife did not like this.
We also saw many sights not pertaining to the Wesley’s. Things like Stonehenge and the British museum. It was during these outings that I left the bubble of peace and got the opportunity to leave my comfort and grow as a person and in my faith. I grew closer to not only the group I traveled with but people from everywhere, and that’s exactly what we are called to do.
I will end my reflection with this: although I have grown up Methodist, being a youth directors kid whose mom wanted him to not see the troubles of work, I missed vital points of my faith, I missed learning how to build community because I was built into it, I missed religious conflict and debate because I was hidden from it, however in recent years I have learned the importance of all that I’ve missed. I have traveled distances I’ve never traveled, and gone to nations I never thought I’d get to see. I now see how we are called to make disciples of all nations, and this will be a part of my faith I won’t miss.
This past month I had the privilege of attending the Discover Mission: England. Over the course of five days a group of us toured Dublin, Oxford, Bristol, and London while learning about our methodist history. Coming off my week at the Global Young People’s convocation in Dublin Ireland it was the surreal to recognize these places I’d just recently learned about or recognized, in person. There are a couple of moments I had throughout the week that I’d like to reflect on.
One of the most profound moments I had on the trip was walking the grounds at Christ Church. As a 19-year-old college student myself, I was struck by the enormity of the task the Wesley brothers had when starting the holy club. To go against their peers and classmates to follow the God they knew and loved in a way that put them outside of the norm would have been no easy feat. I found a deeper sense of respect and admiration for the brothers in that moment. I realized that our denomination was built from the very
beginning on the ideals of doing what you know is right and being the difference you want to see. I came away from Christ Church with the belief that I too can make a powerful difference in my academic community.
When we visited John Wesely’s new room I was shown how small acts can translate into big differences. John Wesley simply intended the new room to be a meeting house for United Methodists to gather. However, that space was transformed into a space for real, global change. We had the opportunity to listen to someone speak when sitting in the chapel and I was struck by how much history was in that room. That place was the
heartbeat of the methodist movement for so long and truly goes to show that when two or more are gathered, a big difference can be made.
Above all, one of the most impactful parts of the trip was the community I built with my trip mates. Over shared meals, walked miles, and lessons learned, we built relationships that I hope to last a lifetime. With an active learning experience such as this one it was a blessing to be surrounded by others as passionate about methodism as I am, and ready to teach or discuss any concepts I was struggling to understand. I will look back on this experience as the first time I felt like I truly understood the intricacies of UMC history and I’m profoundly grateful for that. To not only learn about these historical
moments but to have the opportunity to touch, see, reflect, and sit still in places like those who came before me is an opportunity I do not take lightly. I’m thankful for everyone that made this trip possible, and truly blessed to have had this experience.