United Methodist ChurchMy home church is United Methodist. I've been going there since I was a child because that's where my mother went to church. While researching this article I found many interesting things about my church. There are many points and issues I agree with and many I disagree with. Writing this has really made me think closely about my denomination and whether it is the right one for me. The United Methodist Church shares a common history and heritage with other Methodist and Wesleyan bodies. The lives and ministries of John Wesley and his brother Charles mark the origin of their common roots. Both John and Charles were Church of England missionaries to the colony of Georgia, arriving in March 1736. It was their only opportunity to visit America. Their mission was far from an unqualified success, and both returned to England disillusioned and discouraged, Charles in December 1736 and John in February 1738. Both Wesley brothers had transformative religious experiences in May 1738. In the years that followed, the Wesleys succeeded in leading a vibrant renewal movement in the Church of England. As the Methodist movement grew, it became apparent that their ministry would spread throughout the American colonies as some Methodists made the grueling and dangerous journey from the Atlantic to the New World. Organized Methodism in America began as a secular movement. Among its early leaders were Robert Strawbridge, an immigrant farmer who organized labor in the 1760s in Maryland and Virginia, Philip Embury and his cousin, Barbara Heck, who began working in New York in 1766, and Captain Thomas Webb , whose labors were instrumental in the Methodist struggle. began in Philadelphia in 1767. The American Revolution had a profound impact on Methodism. John Wesley's Toryism and his writings against the revolutionary cause did not improve Methodism's image among many who supported independence. Additionally, a number of Methodist preachers refused to take up arms to aid the patriots. When independence from England was achieved, Wesley recognized that changes in American Methodism were needed. He sent Thomas Coke to America to supervise the work with Asbury. Coca-Cola brought with him a prayer book entitled The Sunday Service of the Methodists in North America, prepared by Wesley and incorporating his revision of the thirty-nine articles of religion of the Church of England. Two other preachers, Richard Whatcoat and Thomas Vasey, whom Wesley had ordained, accompanied Coca-Cola.