Director of John Wesley’s New Room, Bristol, UK 2006-2024
BA (International Relations), Staffordshire University, 1984
David serves as the Global Ambassador of Methodist Heritage Sites for the UMC and is responsible for preserving and promoting the significance of Methodist Heritage sites in the US, the UK and worldwide. Through his work, he raises awareness of the significance of the Methodist story in order to advance the mission of the UMC and highlight the important role GCAH plays in ‘helping us understand the past to envision the future’.
His key responsibilities are to undertake speaking tours to the US, host tour groups visiting the UK, fundraise, conduct research and collaborate in mission engagement.
He believes that ‘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.
In his role as Director at John Wesley’s New Room (the oldest Methodist building in the world, dating from 1739), he welcomed thousands of visitors to the site annually and shared with them the significance of its story in the development of the Methodist movement in 18th century Britain and America. He continues to work closely with Educational Opportunities; the largest provider of Wesley Heritage Tours to the UK, to promote group visits to Methodist Heritage sites in both the UK and the US.
He has undertaken numerous speaking tours across the US, speaking at Methodist churches, seminaries and museums (including many of the UMC’s Heritage Landmarks and Historic sites) and is known for his engaging and informative talks.
David would welcome the opportunity to come and share with you about how GCAH ‘not only preserves the past, but makes it relevant to today’s ministries and future missions’. If you’re interested in hosting him for a talk, please email him direct at dworthington@gcah.org