Church History
The History of Faith Church
Faith Church was started as Faith Wesleyan Church with a Bible Study, in July 1985.
In October 1985, the first Sunday service was held in a renovated office space on Blanding Blvd in Orange Park, Florida.
Later, the church began meeting in a church facility on Route 17 on Fleming Island. In April 1992 the property for the current location was purchased.
After much renovation, the official Dedication Service was held on January 3, 1993. In 1998, the new Fellowship Hall was completed.
We thank God for this beautiful three-acre parcel with the Church and Fellowship Hall and we are committed to ministering to our community.
The History of The Wesleyan Church
When John Wesley was rescued from a blazing house as a child, he was convinced that God saved him for a purpose. As he grew up in 18th Century England, he applied all his energy toward accomplishing God's will for his life. While studying at Oxford University, John led a group of men known as the "Holy Club". They met for Bible study and prayer, and cared for the sick, poor and imprisoned. Not long after completing his work at the university, John and his brother Charles, (the famous hymn writer) sailed to America to spread the gospel to Native Americans.
In America, the work did not go as John intended. He returned to England feeling like a failure. John and Charles both felt discouraged and disillusioned. John knew God had given him a purpose in life, but he couldn't seem to carry it out. He needed to know and experience God's heart before he could offer it to anyone else. "I went to America to convert the Indians," John wrote, "but, oh, who shall convert me?"
Then something wonderful happened. On May 24, 1738, John attended a Christian meeting in London, and his life was changed. He wrote in his journal, "I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation, and an assurance was given to me that he had taken away my sins and saved me from the law of sin and death."
John Wesley became one of the most influential men of Christian history. During the 52 years following that experience in 1738, he preached over 40,000 sermons and traveled over 200,000 miles on horse and by walking. This is even more amazing considering that much of the time he suffered an unknown illness and every bounce of the horse created deep physical pain for him. His preaching emphasized four great truths:
- Salvation was provided for all men
- Salvation was provided from all sin
- Salvation was certified by the personal witness of the Holy Spirit
- Salvation was received by faith
The results of Wesley's labors in England leaped to the American Colonies. The early American Methodists (as Wesley's followers were called) were largely faithful to Wesley's emphasis in doctrine and Christian conduct. Interestingly, John Wesley was never interested in having a "following", let alone a denomination in his name. As people grew in the light of the teachings of Christ, many began to feel that the social issue of slavery was a platform in which they needed to take a stand. As this opposition to slavery became more pronounced in the North, reform movements began. It was in the midst of the agitation for the abolition of human slavery that the Wesleyan Methodist Church of America was born in 1843. It was a reform movement led by courageous men who would not be intimidated into silence on a moral issue.
In 1968, the Wesleyan Methodist Church and the Pilgrim Holiness Church united to form the Wesleyan Church. Our denomination has over 3,000 churches worldwide. In North America, we are organized into 3 regions - each having a General Superintendent. Each church is both autonomous in most local decisions, but also under jurisdiction of the District Superintendent. The congregation selects its own Pastor, (with district approval), but stays in alignment with the denomination and doctrine. This "checks & balances" system provided for excellent accountability and allows for balance to meet the needs of the local congregation.