Preserving Methodist Heritage Landmarks and Historic Sites: Oct 16 & 19

When: October 16, 2025 at 7:00 pm

Where: Ingomar UMC, 1500 West Ingomar Rd, Pittsburgh. Use "entrance 1" to take you to the sanctuary.

What: A celebration of Methodist heritage with song and a conversation with David Worthington entitled, "Wisdom from the Past, Hope for the Future".

When: October 19, 2025 at 11:00 am

Where: First UMC Pittsburgh, 5401 Centre Ave, Pittsburgh

What: David Worthington will provide the morning worship message, "I Look Upon All the World as My Parish", share with Sunday School classes, and fellowship following worship.

You are invited to two exciting opportunities to share with David Worthington, Global Ambassador of Global Methodist Sites for United Methodist Archives and History. 

Join Ingomar UMC on Thursday, October 16 at 7:00 p.m. for a celebration of Methodist heritage with song and conversation with David Worthington, titled "Wisdom from the Past, Hope for the Future". Then on Sunday, October 19, at 11:00 a.m. you're invited to join First UMC Pittsburgh for morning worship when David Worthington will provide the morning message, "I Look Upon All the World as My Parish", and fellowship following worship.

Questions? Contact:

Greg Cox, gcox@ingomarchurch.org, or

Tracy Cox, pastortracy@fumcpittsburgh.org

David Worthington – Biography of The UMC’s Global Ambassador of Methodist Heritage Sites

I graduated from Staffordshire University with a degree in International Relations in 1987, before embarking on a 20 year career in the financial and charity sectors in Bristol. During that time, I was also actively involved in lay leadership ministry at my local Anglican church.

I was appointed as Manager of John Wesley’s New Room in Bristol in 2006 and, the following year, I oversaw the events programme organised to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the birth of Charles Wesley and the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the Slave Trade Act passed by British Parliament in 1807.

In 2009, the British Methodist Church established the Methodist Heritage Committee at its annual conference that year and, since then, I have been actively involved in helping both John Wesley’s New Room and the British Methodist Church use its heritage as a means of outreach and engagement.

In 2010, I undertook my first speaking tour to the US where I was welcomed at various UMC churches, seminaries, and heritage sites. Over the last 14 years, I have undertaken a further eight tours to the US which has seen me give more than 100 talks in over 20 states.

In 2011, I was engaged in a successful fund-raising appeal to transform the Broadmead Courtyard at John Wesley’s New Room (which contains the John Wesley on horseback statue) into a garden for visitors and the general public to enjoy a ‘green space’ in the heart of Bristol city centre.

In 2016, I was engaged in a second successful fund-raising appeal to transform the Horsefair Courtyard (which contains the Charles Wesley preaching statue) into a new visitor centre. Following the completion of the Horsefair Project in 2017, the new facilities, which included an expanded and redesigned museum, academic library, meeting rooms and café, were opened by the HRH Duke of Gloucester.

In 2017, I was appointed as the Director at John Wesley’s New Room to manage our newly appointed staff team to deliver the expanded range of activities and events created by the Horsefair Project. Our new facilities saw visitor numbers double to 50,000 per annum.

In 2022, I was appointed Director of Global Relationships at John Wesley’s New Room in order to allow me to focus my ministry on engaging with an international Methodist audience and then, in 2024, the General Commission on Archives and History of the UMC hired me as its Global Ambassador of Methodist Heritage Sites. My role is to preserve and promote the work of Methodist Heritage Landmarks and Historic Sites in both the UK and the US through public speaking, tour hosting, mission engagement, research and fundraising.

I am committed to continuing the work begun by John and Charles Wesley in England nearly 300 years ago as I believe their story, and that of the early Methodist movement, remains as relevant today as it did in the 18th century. I believe ‘preserving our history is an act of shaping our future’ and that we should use our heritage as a means of outreach and mission to engage with people today. Please feel free to contact me at dworthington@gcah.org Please see my profile at https://gcah.org/about/who-we-are/