Epworth League

The Epworth League is a Methodist young adult association for individuals ages 18–35. It traces back to the founding of the organization by the United Methodist Church's predecessor denomination, the Methodist Episcopal Church, formed in 1889 at Cleveland, Ohio, by the combination of five currently existing young people's organizations. At its conception, the purpose of the League was the promotion of intelligent and vital piety among the young people of the Church:

To encourage and cultivate Christ-centered character in young adults around the world through community building, missions, and spiritual growth.
Epworth League Mission Statement, 2011

The League takes its name from the village of Epworth in Lincolnshire, England, the birthplace of John Wesley and Charles Wesley. Its members are known as Epworthians.

Historical growth

The League existed in both the Northern and Southern branches of the Methodist Episcopal denomination and also in the Methodist Church of Canada. The headquarters of the Northern League was in Chicago and its organ was the Epworth Herald. The organ of the Southern branch was the Epworth Era, published monthly at Nashville, Tenn.[1]

Membership numbers (1913)

The membership of the Senior branch in the Methodist Episcopal Church North in 1913 was 593,465, and of the junior branch 218,509.[2] In the Methodist Episcopal Church, South there were 3846 chapters of the league, with 133,797 members.

Modern era

Today, the Epworth League is a global organization that has local church based chapters.[3]

Publications

In popular culture

See also

References

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Gilman, D. C.; Thurston, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1905). "article name needed". New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead. 

External links

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