Wesley Chapel

Directly across the street from Bunhill Fields is the Wesley House and Chapel, the London home and headquarters of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism (although he probably wouldn't have liked that title too well).

I spent a lot more time here than I anticipated, namely because it was so interesting and because of the great respect that I have for Wesley. Although I don't agree with him on several areas, his passion to preach the gospel and model of real Christian piety and compassion are worthy of imitation.

His mother, Susanna, is buried in Bunhill Fields. John, and over 5,000 other Methodists, are buried on only a few acres. The chapel is beautiful, adorned with biblical imagery and beautiful stained glass. I did laugh at the drumkit stashed in the corner (the chapel is a functioning church meeting place). There is a museum in the basement, the crypt, as it is called, filled with lots of well-presented exhibits, letters, sermons, and portraits.

I joined a group from Dallas Baptist University on a tour through the Wesley House. Our tour director, Fred, was probably in his late 70s and a volunteer from a nearby Methodist church. His wife was working in the giftshop. He spoke slowly, deliberately, and knowledgably about the house and its contents. It was much better than the handheld audio players many sites here seem to prefer.

Perhaps the most impressive room to me in the whole house was the prayer room, added on to Wesley's bedroom after the house was completed. Its simplicity is part of its beauty: a chair, a fireplace, a desk with Bible and kneeling bench. I couldn't help thinking that this was perhaps the room that for the last years of his life fueled the spread of Methodism.

I also took a walk to Aldersgate Street, about a half-mile to the south, to see the site commemorating Wesley's conversion to Christianity. I sat for several minutes to rest beneath the shade of old trees and to think about how the course of history (not just church history!) was changed by the reading and hearing of the introduction to a Bible commentary.