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Francis Asbury was born in 1745 in West Bromwich to Joseph and Elizabeth. He was the only child to survive as his sister died when very young. The family attended the parish church of Great Barr and also All Saints Church, his parents welcomed travelling preacher to their small home. Young Francis was brought up surrounded by caring Christians, and although he was a bright pupil, it is little wonder that he was able to read the bible by the age of seven. He left school at thirteen, and briefly worked in service before becoming an apprentice at the Old Forge, though not as a blacksmith. Asbury attended the Methodist services on a Wednesday, and he was impressed by the fervour of the fervour and the warmth of prayer and sermons. He was converted, along with William Emery, in an old barn nearby, he rapidly became an Exhorter, and at the age of eighteen a local preacher. Although he travelled extensively whilst still employed, in 1766 he left the forge to supply for an ailing itinerant for nine months around Staffordshire and Gloucestershire. The following year saw him become a travelling preacher in Bedfordshire again, and finally he made the move to Wiltshire. Although other Methodist Ministers and Lay preachers had already been dispatched to America, the flame burned steadily but there was no blaze. During the Bristol conference on Tuesday August 6th 177 1, Asbury offered his services and it was minuted thus "Question 5 : Our brethren in America call aloud for help. Who are willing to go over and help them ?" Five men were willing, and Francis Asbury and Richard Wright were appointed. In a very short time, Wright lost heart and return to England, leaving Asbury to battle on alone. On September 4th 1771, Asbury set sail from Pill in the Bristol Channel leaving his country of origin forever, he was twenty eight years old. Most of the preachers that arrived in America preferred to settle in the main centres such as New York or Philadelphia. Asbury realised straightaway that this would be the death of the young Church, and became the first of that great army of circuit-riders who evangelised America from the east coast to the west. A typical journey would take in Maine, Virginia the Carolinas, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, New York, New England and on to Ohio. Most of these travels took around 12 months, and it is most apt that the statue of him that appears in Washington D.C shows him on horseback, the plaque underneath reads "If you seek for the results of his labours you will find them in our Christian civilisations. Over half of the circuit-riders died before they were thirty, it was an arduous way of life. Within two years, Asbury had matured in experience and judgement, his time in America had drawn out his latent leadership. However, when Thomas Rankin was sent in June 1773 by John Wesley, Asbury handed over the Superintendency without a murmur. Rankin was rather cold and austere, at times lacking consideration and sympathy, and even though there were nearly 1160 members of the different societies he still made somewhat brutal comments about his brethren’s work so far. Due to the strained relationship coming to Wesley's attention, he summoned Asbury back to England, thankfully Asbury was far away in Virginia and the request was ignored. It became apparent in just a few years that there would be war with the Colonists. Wesley urged influential statesman, and his preachers alike not to inflame matters further. When war broke out in 1775, Wesley deemed it necessary to support the Crown, and wrote a number of pamplets to that end. Methodism in the New World became very unpopular because of the wide circulation, and all bar Asbury returned home. For five weeks he was confined to the house and grounds of a friendly sympathisers in Delaware. For the next eleven he travelled little, over time he was able to move around freely. This was mainly due to the fact that he supported the Americans against the Crown. Once the war ended, the ecumenical situation became serious, as large swathes of countryside had no ordained clergymen to administer the Sacraments, and in Virginia and the far south, the preachers had to perform these rites themselves. Asbury and his preachers decided to suspend the Sacrament for a year, but in 1784 Wesley ordained Thomas Coke as General Superintendent with Whatcoat and Vasey as Deacons. At the Christmas conference of 1784 in Baltimore, Asbury was also ordained as General Superintendent. The role of which was generally understood to he equivalent to that of Bishop. In 1785 Asbury and Coke laid the foundations of Cokebury College at Abingdon in Maryland. It was conceived to provide ministers children and itinerants with a formal education. Although the college lasted only ten years, it shows Asbury's dedication to education and his desire for others to learn. The idea did not die, and because of his vision and energy found fruition in other colleges. He had no formal education, but had taught himself enough Hebrew and Greek to read the New Testament, and read both the bible and any other book that came to hand. By the age of forty, Asbury suffered badly from asthma and bronchitis, which got progressively worse over the years. During the last four years of his life, he was half-lame and seriously ill, but refusing to give up, he never took the rest he so desperately needed. In his service, he was propped up on a table, and even with two men helping him, he could barely speak. As he told the congregation about the exceeding great love of God 'his face was the face of angel". He died within a few hours. In Wesley's words "he ceased at once to work and live".
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