STORY:
The Wesleyan Methodists were the second group of Protestant missionaries in Jamaica. They began operations in 1789 under Dr Coke who, after preaching in various parts of the Island, started a permanent base in Kingston where he appointed a Mr Hammet. A succession of laws together with opposition, sometimes violent, from the white Jamaicans meant that Protestant missionary work was often suspended until December 1815 when a Wesleyan missionary, Mr Shipman, finally obtained a license to preach. Two years later, a chapel was opened in Montego Bay. By 1824 there were eight Wesleyan stations. The Methodist Church grew out of a religious society established by John Wesley within the Church of England, from which it formally separated in 1791.
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MARKET APPEAL:
John Wesley’s first church was in Bristol, England where there is now a sizable Jamaican population: an obvious opportunity exists to attract this market of “homecomers".
The Methodist Church is particularly strong in the US and now constitutes one of the largest Protestant denominations worldwide, with more than 30 million members. Methodism has a strong tradition of missionary work and concern with social welfare, and emphasizes the believer's personal relationship with God.
RESOURCES:
There are Methodist Churches in many Cockpit Country communities.