Magazine -- What's happening in Methodism and Christianity in our circuit and the wider world

Magazine – Features & Articles
Page 6

In this section we publish stories and features which are less ephemeral than News items.
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10 things you'd hate about John Wesley

'John Wesley: A Biography', by Stephen Tomkins
[from www.shipoffools.com/Features/frameit.htm ?1003/wesley.html]

1. Despotism – Even Wesley's own preachers called him "Pope John". He ruled his followers like an enlightened despot, and his beloved brother Charles plotted to "break his power". John expected every Methodist society to follow his rules like a McDonald's franchise, and took personal charge over every member's private life, expelling them for laziness or selling spirits.

2. Superstition – He saw rain storms as God's punishment on him - or the Devil's attack. He made decisions by opening the Bible at random for God's guidance, and even decided whether to marry by pulling bits of paper out of a hat.

3. Copyright – Wesley was a plagiarist and pseudepigrapher – he passed off other people's writings as his own and his own as other people's. He got into trouble for ripping off an anti-American tract of Dr Johnson's. And he attacked a book by Toplady (of "Rock of Ages" fame) by publishing a cheap caricature of it at the same time under Toplady's name. Toplady denounced him as a common crook worthy of deportation to America.

	Each year, in April, the Christian Aid representatives from churches in Congleton gather together to plan for the house to house collection during Christian Aid Week in May. We co-ordinate our efforts, allocating collectors to each of the town's streets so that as many as possible are covered.	Since 1991, three churches: St Mary’s RC, The Baptists and New Life, have joined the original churches and are building up their base of collectors. With the increase in housing in Congleton, this is always necessary. In 1991 we were able to collect in virtually every Congleton Street, but today, in spite of having more collectors, there are about 70 streets where envelopes are not delivered. For those of you who don’t yet collect for Christian Aid, please volunteer next year. Not only will you have the privilege of begging on behalf of the poorest, but also you get exercise and fresh air -- not to mention the opportunity to view other people’s gardens. We look forward to seeing you next year. Please contact Cath Lilley at Trinity, via the Circuit team of ministers
In the past the meeting would just discuss roads, do ‘swaps’ as necessary and collect all the new posters and envelopes etc, but in recent years Linda Tiongco has also joined us. Linda is the Christian Aid area co-ordinator for Cheshire and Merseyside. She always has up-to-date news from Christian Aid headquarters in Liverpool and can tell of other initiatives in the district and of Christian Aid projects abroad.
On a couple of occasions she has brought with her visitors from partner agencies in The Philippines and a number of African countries, and the meeting has then heard directly from them how the money we raise is put to use.
One overseas visitor was quite overcome when she saw some Christian Aid volunteers in Liverpool standing in the streets with collection tins. In her words, she had no idea that we raised money for her “by begging in the streets”. She found that very humbling: begging on behalf of the world's poorest. I always think of this when I am out collecting. It helps me overcome my English reserve!