Old St. George's

In 1729 in Oxford, England, a group of fiery preachers began the religious movement that became Methodism, and in the colonies leaders such as Captain Thomas Webb and Francis Asbury helped drive a revival centered on repentance and conversion. Old St. George's played an important role in Methodism's beginnings and today stands as the world's oldest Methodist church building in continuous service. Philadelphia's first Methodists were a small group of eight men, mostly merchants and artisans, and their wives, who met in a sail loft on Dock Street in 1767. As the congregation grew, it bought in 1769 an unfinished shell with a dirt floor that had been erected in 1763 by a German Reformed congregation and already named St. George's, and an estimated 2,000 attended the first service. Before the Revolution, Methodists still considered themselves a society within the Anglican church and received their sacraments at local Anglican churches until the Methodist Episcopal Church was officially formed in 1784. In 1771, St. George's became the base of operations for Francis Asbury, called the father of American Methodism, who traveled on horseback across the country and ordained more than 4,000 ministers in 35 years. Among the deacons he ordained was Richard Allen, the first African American licensed to preach by the Methodists; after a controversy over seating at St. George's, Allen left and went on to become the first bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. St. George's also gave rise to the first religious publishing company in America, the Methodist Book Concern, established by pastor John Dickens in 1789. During the great revival sparked by Methodism in 1836, St. George's again took a leading role as membership rose above 3,000 and the basement story was excavated for a Sunday school. By the end of the 19th century, industrialization in this part of the city caused a drastic decline in membership. In the 1920's, St. George's nearly was demolished for the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, but a court battle saved it, leading to its reputation as the church that moved the bridge. It remains a touchstone of spiritual renewal for Methodists around the world.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · United States