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On March 29, 1787, John Wesley, by
then an old man of almost 84, visited Lane End, where he recorded in
his Journal, ".....we entered into the country which seems to he all
on fire - that which herders on Burslem on every side; preachers and
people provoking one another to love and good works in such a manner
as was never seen before."
In Burslem itself later that same
day he enjoyed a powerful meeting with a large congregation and many
instances of sinners being converted. He wrote, "indeed, there has
been, for some time, such an outpouring of the Spirit here as has
not been in any other part of the kingdom; particularly in the
meeting for prayer. 15 or 20 have been justified in a day. Some of
them had been the most notorious, abandoned sinners in all the
country;....."
John Wesley died in 1791 at the age
of 88. By God's grace, he was responsible, more than any other
single person, for turning our nation back to God. His impact on
this area was equally profound. Bill Morland, in his "Portrait of
the Potteries," makes the astounding assertion that, "No other
person has had so great an influence on the character of the
Potteries as John Wesley. "
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