This post isn't going to be terribly long, despite the fact that we covered a lot of ground.
This morning we showed up at Wesley's Chapel in London. At the sight is also John Wesley's house, where he lived for the last 17 years of his life. Behind the church is where John Wesley himself was buried. Across the street is the cemetery where his mother, Sussanna Wesley, is buried. It's a very prestigious appointment, one that has been held by Lord Griffis for close to 2 decades now. It is a congregation that is represented by more than 50 nationalities.
We had lunch around the area, then we did a walking tour that was over 2 hours long, walking London to various places that are significant to the story of the people called Methodists. We visited the Foundry, which was a meeting space / clinic / school / place to feed the homeless... as well as a place to worhsip. Welsey purchased it and fixed up the place so that he could do all sorts of ministries. We then walked to Aldersgate Street to the place where John Wesley felt his heart "strangely warmed" - what we refer to as his conversion experience which he wrote so much about. The end of the tour was at St. Paul's Cathedral. Unfortunately, we were unable to enter into the cathedral because of a special service that was taking place instead of the usual Evensong which we were planning on attending.
Our time table was moved up drastically as a result of the cancelled Evensong. We went to The Centre Page pub early for dinner as a farewell meal with everyone. We returned to St. Katharine's retreat center after dinner for closing worship. I'm not going to lie: it was a long worship, but it was a good time where we were able to share testimony with one another, sing together and share in the Eucharist. Most certainly it was a meaningful time that seeingly none of us wanted to have end.
Several of us spent some time in the lobby, almost begging for time to slow down or halt altogether. This is an increbly diverse group of people age wise, several nationalities and many different levels of experience. Some were clergy and others laity, some deacons and some elders. At the end of the day, however, we seemed to all realize that we're all God's children.
Here I am, the night before heading to Heathrow airport with several of my fellow pilgrims, all about to head out our separate ways. We will never again meet altogether in the same place like these past two weeks again, but I know that I have more prayer support as I head home than I had before. New friends and new partners in ministry.
Perhaps the greatest lesson that I got out of this trip, however, is that the Methodist movement did not happen over night. I want to help revival come back to Sullivan, IN, but it's not going to happen overnight. I want to help the church grow spiritually and into having more love for God than they have already. But, like all things worth doing, it'll take time.
Right now, though, I am eager to get home to my family. Praying for safe travels home tomorrow!
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