United Methodists  What is a Methodist? The United Methodist Church all started with a man named John Wesley, who felt his own heart "strangely warmed" by God, over three centuries ago.  It was after this experience that he and his brother, Charles, began the Methodist Movement from the Church of England, and it soon spread to America. John Wesley and the early Methodists were particularly concerned about inviting people to experience God's grace and to grow in their knowledge and love of God through disciplined Christian living. They placed primary emphasis on Christian living, on putting faith and love into action. United Methodist comprise the second largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. All of our churches are connected by a system that guides our work and governs our policies.  Methodist have a passionate faith with strong convictions, but we also recognize that the world is not always black and white. We are willing to ask questions, wrestle with difficult issues, and to do so with grace and compassion. Methodists have been known for our emphasis on a personal faith, lived out in concrete ways.