| Aldersgate Day | |
|---|---|
 This monument marks the approximate location of John Wesley's "Aldersgate experience", in London. It features Wesley's account of the experience, taken from his journal.[1] | |
| Type | Christianity |
| Significance | Commemorates the founding of John Wesley's ministry and the Methodist movement |
| Celebrations | Church services |
| Date | 24 May |
| Next time | 24 May 2025 |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Related to | Aldersgate Sunday |
Aldersgate Day, or Wesley Day,[2] is an anniversary observed by Methodist Christians on 24 May. It recalls the day in 1738 when Church of England priest John Wesley attended a group meeting in Aldersgate, London, where he received an experience of assurance of his New Birth.[3][4] This was the pivotal event in Wesley's life that ultimately led to the development of the Methodist movement in Britain and America.[5]
In the calendars of the Methodist Church of Great Britain and the United Methodist Church the event is publicly commemorated in church services on the Sunday before 24 May (or on the anniversary itself if that date falls on a Sunday), called Aldersgate Sunday.[6][7]
- ^ "John Wesley's Conversion Place Memorial – The 'Aldersgate Flame'". Methodist Heritage. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ^ "Thursday (Wesley Day)". www.methodist.org.uk. The Methodist Church in Britain. 24 May 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- ^ "What is Aldersgate Day?". umc.org. The United Methodist Church. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ^ Dreyer, Frederick A. (1999). The Genesis of Methodism. Lehigh University Press. p. 27. ISBN 0-934223-56-4.
- ^ Burnett, Daniel L. (15 March 2006). In the Shadow of Aldersgate: An Introduction to the Heritage and Faith of the Wesleyan Tradition. Wipf and Stock Publishers. pp. 36–37. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
- ^ "Heritage Sunday and Other Heritage Events 2016 May 22, 2016: "Roots, Shoots, and Branches"". gcah.org. United Methodist Church. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
Heritage Sunday shall be observed on Aldersgate Day (May 24) or the Sunday preceding that date (2012 Book of Discipline, par. 264.1).
- ^ "Diary". The Methodist Church in Britain. Retrieved 21 May 2016.