Barbara is known as the Mother of American Methodism. The
Manhattan Borough Presidentin honored Barbara for founding what is now the
oldest Methodist congregation in the United States at the old John Street
United Methodist church.
Barbara was born in Limerick, Ireland, of German parents
who had earlier fled the religious persecution of Protestants. She married Paul Heck
and settled in New York City. With no pastor attending to them, some of the
group of Germans became “careless of religious observances,” and when Barbara
found the playing cards, she threw the cards into the first, berated them and
talked a member of the group and her cousin, Philip Embury, who had been a
preacher, to start holding meetings.
In 1770 the Hecks moved to Camden, New York, where she had a
daughter. At the beginning of the Revolutionary War they moved to Salem, New
York to be with Loyalists, and founded the first Methodist Society there.
Her husband, Paul, joined the
army of Burgoyne and while at home on
a furlouugh at the time of the surrender at Saratoga was arrested by patriot
soldiers, but got away while the soldiers slept. He escaped to Canada, where
Barbara joined him. They formed the first Methodist Society in Canada.
No comments:
Post a Comment