(HOUSTON) Chapelwood United Methodist Church is pleased to host David Worthington, Director of Global Relationships at John Wesley’s New Room in Bristol, UK, on Sunday, September 17, 2023, at 4:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary. In his upcoming visit to Texas, Worthington will bring insights that help us reconnect with our Methodist roots. Several Houston-area churches are collaborating to invite folks from across the city to hear from him. 

At a time when churches are gearing up for their fall discipleship ministries, Worthington will share about the significance of the work that John Wesley began in Bristol. This ministry saw Wesley preach in the open air for the first time, build the first-ever dedicated Methodist meeting house, and begin the disciple-making engine known as the Class Meeting. He will also highlight how the work begun in Bristol became the template for the Methodist movement across England, and subsequently America, as many of those associated with the development of Methodism across the continent, such as Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke, were commissioned by John Wesley in Bristol. 
 
Worthington will present fun stories – past and present – about the worldwide ministry started and fostered at the oldest Methodist building in the world, dating from 1739. Together, we will reflect on how the work undertaken by John and Charles Wesley in the early years of the movement can continue to inform and inspire our discipleship ministries today as Methodism seeks to “reclaim, renew, and revive” in an ever-changing world. “If you want to understand our Methodist DNA, what happened in Bristol runs all the way through it,” Worthington explains. 
 
In the past 15 years, Worthington has shared his engaging and informative talks at more than 50 churches, seminaries, and heritage sites across American Methodism. Chapelwood, a ministry leader in West Houston for nearly 75 years, frequently hosts open forums like this to bring people together as we face denominational and local church changes. All are welcome to this free event. 
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