We are nearly at the end of our first week of following Asbury’s circuit of 1791. For those of you who like to see statistics:

• We’ve traveled 1177 miles
• We’ve bought 29 gallons of gasoline
• We’ve visited more than 50 waypoints
• We’ve completed Asbury’s journal through March 1791
• We’ve reached the southernmost point of Asbury’s 1791 circuit

Thursday, September 4: On March 4, 1791, Asbury records this in his journal:

Our horses are much hurt by long rides, having travelled one hundred miles in two days.

In studying his journal, it is obvious to me that Asbury cared for his horses. He gave them names, at times his horse ate, while Asbury didn’t. At times Asbury walked alongside his horse to give it a break. The next day after this journal entry, Asbury took a day to read Mrs. Rowe’s Devout Exercises of the Heart and to write a twenty page letter to Thomas Coke. But most importantly, allow his horse to recover.

Asbury crossed the Savannah River via Hudson’s Ferry into Georgia on March 7, 1791. I found a public boat ramp which I believe is near the point of his crossing.

After crossing the Savannah, Asbury traveled on to Waynesboro, Georgia, where he preached at “the old church.” I believe Waynesboro First Methodist Church to be today’s descendant of that church. We were warmly greeted by Pastor Keith Cox, who invited us inside to see the sanctuary.

I managed to come down with a cold, with increasingly troublesome symptoms throughout the day… we visited a couple more waypoints, and took accommodations Augusta for the evening… an evening that was not so pleasant for me.

Friday, September 5: Having experienced a mild fever and restless sleep, I was not in good shape this morning. This was a “high mileage” day, and so JoAnne drove about half of the 250 miles, while I rested. While we covered a lot of distance, there were few waypoints of any real note, except for Van Wyck Methodist Church.

On March 27, 1791, Asbury preached at the Waxhaws church. I had surmised that this was the likely descendant of that church. While JoAnne and I were walking around the building and taking pictures, Jane and Jay drove up, mistaking us for someone else. They were former members of Van Wyck and Jane was a local historian. Wow, talk about connections! We had a delightful conversation about Waxhaws and Van Wyck, which affirmed my belief this is the descendant church that Asbury preached at in 1791.

Wednesday, March 30. We came to Salisbury: I felt unwell, and no freedom to speak. Doctor Coke gave them a sermon, and we then rode five miles to B——’s.

I’m right there with you, brother Francis… my cold symptoms have eased over the day, and am looking forward to a good night’s sleep in Salisbury, NC. Today, we have been in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, as we continued the northward leg of Asbury’s circuit.

Peace,
-Pastor Tim