John Wesley’s house in Savannah

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS
DAVE HANSON

In 1903, the Colonial Dames erected a monument near Reynolds Square, at the corner of Abercorn and East Congress, indicating the location of John Wesley’s house in Savannah, Ga. That monument “went missing” in the 1980s. It was recently restored by the Colonial Dames of Savannah.

A lot of things happened in that house. John was unable to reside there for a month when he first arrived in Georgia on March 6, 1736. He had to wait until the previous pastor, Rev. Quincy, moved out.

It was in this house that John and Charles Wesley, Benjamin Ingham, and Charles Delamont began the Sunday School. As far as we know, it was the first Sunday School in all of Christendom. The great Sunday School movement was in England 50 years later, but this was the seedbed of that great movement.

It was in this house that John Wesley worked on his hymn book, the first hymn book in the English language. Before John Wesley, the English-speaking church did not sing hymns; they chanted psalms. The German Lutherans were the hymn singers.

It was in this house that John Wesley tried to start “the Second rise of Methodism (the first being his holy club at Oxford).

It was in this house that John Wesley cast lots to decide his future relationship with Sophie Hopkey.

Yes, a lot of things happened in this house.

The Rev. Dave Hanson is a retired pastor and John Wesley scholar.