Page 84 - Pilgrims in Georgia

V The Wesley brothers

The place that the colony of Georgia has in the life of the Wesley brothers is that of preparation for service.
God would use their seeming trails, failures, and associations in Georgia in order to prepare them for a greater work.

John Wesley - A Heart Aflame

John Wesley had become a missionary of the Society for the Propagation of the
Gospel in Foreign Parts and with Charles he sailed for Georgia in 1735. As
described earlier in the section on the Moravians, his associations with the
Moravians would begin as a result of his passage to Georgia and continue even
after he returned to England again. God provided trials and answer for both John

and Charles through the Moravians and the disturbing experiences that were had
by the two men. John had come hoping to be a missionary to the Native
Americans, but Oglethorpe also assigned him to act as the next rector of the
communion at Christs Church. Unfortunately, being a man of high church notions
and strict methods of living finding himself an unrefined nascent colony, it was a
challenge to adjust to, and the strictness of his pastoral style over time began to
irritate his parishioners.

Jhon Wesley
Yet he found relief in the company of the Moravians whom he admired.
Further, during this time he had been courting Sophia Hopkey the niece of
Savannahs Chief magistrate who already had a grudge against him about
conflict. He broke off his interest in Sophia upon advice from some of the
Moravian Elders, and she married another suitor. Then trouble came to a
head when he refused to allow her communion based on his application of
the conditions in the Book of Common Prayer and was accused of defaming
Sophia by publicly refusing to administer her the Sacrament. Her new

husband sought to sue Wesley for one thousand pounds of sterling in
damages. Accusations, gossip, and rancor ensued. For four months John tried
to resolve the issues with Sophia, her uncle, and her husband but to no avail.
Memorial to John Wesley in Savannah