Kathy:
I guess it's time for some Methodist history! John Wesley sent two men
over to America to take charge of the "Methodist Societies" in America
immediatly after the Revolution. The Revolution caused an upheaval in the
Church of England [Anglican/Episcopal] of which the Methodist "societies"
were still a part. Many of the Anglican clergy had left the colonies and
the Methodists had no ordained clergy in many areas to go to for the
Sacraments .... they could only take communion from, be married by, have
their children baptized by Church of England clergy.
Francis ASBURY and Thomas COKE were Wesley's two men who arrived here in
1783. They met at Barrett's Chapel, south of Dover, Delaware, and
celebrated a Communion Service [w/out an ordained Church of England
clergyman]. Next they planned a nation-wide conference of Methodist
preachers to meet in Baltimore, Maryland, at Christmas 1784. At Baltimore
the Methodists voted to split from the Church of England and establish
their own independent, American church. This was the Methodist Episcopal
Church [Methodist = based on John Wesley's teachings] [Episcopal = ruled
by a bishop]. Francis ASBURY was elected the first Bishop of the Methodist
Episcopal Church and was ordained at Baltimore at the old Lovely Lane
Chapel, located not too far from Camden Yards [Orioles baseball stadium].
Today ! No, Asbury didn't go to see the Orioles! ASBURY travelled all over
the new United States, preaching, establishing
churches for the next 40 years. He died near Spotsylvania, Virginia, in
the 1820's. Because he was the founder of the American Church, many M. E.
families named a son Francis Asbury xxxxx to honor the bishop, called "The
Prophet of the Long Road" for his thousands of miles of travel by
horseback around the new country. Likewise, many churches were established
ASBURY M. E. Chapel are to be around everywhere.
Asbury was a very authoritanian figure ... called "the Protestant Pope"
[probably with some justification] and some factions broke off due to his
centralized control .. the Republican Methodists eventually went into the
Disciples of Christ/Christian Church and the Methodist Protestant [M. P.]
Church was formed to cut back on the centralized control that Asbury had
established in the episcopacy.
But the Episcopal Methodists, by far the larger faction, accepted Asbury's
concepts and to a great degree they still control the United Methodist
Church today ...
David
On Thu, 1 May 1997 KATBRYCE@aol.com wrote:
> I am interested in your information on the Methodist Episcopal Church. My > GGGgrandfater Samuel Fassett was a Methodist Episcopal minister who got > Western fever and moved to Michigan in the 1830's. His sons followed in his > footsteps and also were ME ministers. One was Samuel the other Asbury!! I > noticed you mentions that name in connection with the church. > > Asbury is my GGgrandfater and I am interested in the meaning of this most > unusual name. > > Kathy Snow-Bryce > > KatBryce@aol.com > > BRYCE SCT>VA>MI > FASSETT MA>MI > FONDA NY>MI > RANDALL NY>MI > RAYMER NY>MI > SNOW ?>TX>IL>WI>MI >