"Fire!" was the cry from the street. "I threw myself out of bed…and looked out window; saw the reflection of the flame, but I knew not where it was.…There I saw it was my own house, all in a light blaze, and nothing but a door between the flame and the staircase.

(Description of the fire at Epworth written by John Wesley's father.)

February 9, 1709, was a pivotal day in the life of Methodism. On that day a fire at the rectory in Epworth burned the Wesley home to the ground. It all happened in the span of 15 minutes. Sparks fell from the roof of the rectory landing upon one of the children's feet. She immediately ran through the house awakening her sleeping family. Most of the narrative descriptions of the fire emphasize the providential deliverance of all 19 of the children. In time, however, the focus of the story began to center on John. John Wesley wrote years later that he was like "a brand plucked from the burning." Wesley's father described the saving of John Wesley as "almost a miracle." Wesley quoted a neighboring clergyman who described John's escape from the fire as "an account of a very remarkable Providence."

Looking forward from Epworth it is easy to understand how providence is given so much credit for the saving of the children - all 19 of them. John was the 15th and Charles the 18th of a family of 19. The sons went direct from parental education at Epworth to win high distinction at famous public schools: Samuel and Charles at Westminster, John at Charterhouse. All three of the boys went to Oxford, entering Christ Church College. To his father's great delight, John went on to become a fellow of Lincoln College. Yet, despite all the success that followed them, despite all the difficulties they overcame, and despite all the many contributions they made to the work of the Church, Epworth remains the primary place where their views and programs were nurtured. Epworth, a poverty-stricken and seemingly isolated town, became the launching pad for the Methodist movement as we know it today.

The United Methodist Church has plenty of special days and plenty of focused programs. However, should we ever need to identify another day to celebrate in a special way, we might well consider a special recognition to be held on the Sunday nearest February 9. For it was on that day, February 9, 1709, that Methodism began to take shape. On that day John and Charles Wesley and their 17 brothers and sisters were "plucked from the burning."