This year marks the 200th year since Bishop Francis Asbury, the first bishop of the Methodist Church in America and our congregation’s namesake and founder, died in rural Virginia. There are many events happening around the world to celebrate Asbury’s legacy, and I’d like to share a few of them in this post.
An individual has put together a recent podcast retelling the events of Bishop Asbury’s last days. It can be accessed by clicking this link.
A recent short documentary about him entitled Francis Asbury: A Flame Spirit can also be found on YouTube by clicking on this link.
The World Methodist Museum in Lake Junaluska also has a number of museum items related to Asbury, among them the chair that is property of our church (on permanent loan to the WMM), which can be seen anytime the museum is open. Admission is free, and it is so close that you’d be missing out on a great blessing by not going at some point.
I will also be travelling next month to his birthplace and cottage outside of Birmingham, England and I’ll be sure to take pictures and other notes to share with everyone. If you’d like to know more about Francis Asbury, you can find the notes from our study of the book about his life entitled American Saint in the Bible Studies section of the website, or by clicking on this link.