Enoch George
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Enoch George (c. 1767 – 1828) was an American who distinguished himself as a
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...
circuit rider and
pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...
, as a presiding elder, and as a
bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...
of the
Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...
, elected in 1816.


Birth and spiritual re-birth

Enoch was born on March 10, 1767 or 1768 (his family records were destroyed by accident) in Lancaster County, Virginia. As a young person he was under the ministry of the Rev. Devereux Jarratt, a
priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...
of the
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...
, who was one of the most earnest and effective preachers of his time. Enoch was the subject of deep
religious Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatur ...
impressions early in life. However, his father moved his family to a place where there happened to be no
evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual expe ...
clergy, such that Enoch became
negligent Negligence (Lat. ''negligentia'') is a failure to exercise appropriate and/or ethical ruled care expected to be exercised amongst specified circumstances. The area of tort law known as ''negligence'' involves harm caused by failing to act as a ...
of his religious duties, neglecting the Christian ordinances altogether. After several years, his neighborhood was visited by a
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...
Circuit Rider John Easter, under whose exhortations young Enoch became connected with the little Methodist society established thereby, and again experienced the comforts of religion.


Ordained ministry

Indeed, Enoch was soon called upon to the exercise of public
prayer Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified ...
and exhortation. He soon thereafter entered the field of labor as a
Preacher A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach components such as ...
, though with great diffidence. The Rev. George was sent by Bishop
Francis Asbury Francis Asbury (August 20 or 21, 1745 – March 31, 1816) was one of the first two bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. During his 45 years in the colonies and the newly independent United States, he devoted his life to ...
to assist in forming a circuit on the
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of the
Catawba Catawba may refer to: *Catawba people, a Native American tribe in the Carolinas *Catawba language, a language in the Catawban languages family *Catawban languages Botany *Catalpa, a genus of trees, based on the name used by the Catawba and other N ...
and
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rivers, in
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
. The difficulties were so great there that Enoch wrote Bishop Asbury asking for a transfer to some other field. The good bishop replied that "it was better for him to become inured to hardships while he was young, that when he was old and gray-headed his task would be easy." In 1790 the Rev. Enoch George was admitted on trial by the
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Annual Conference A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main pu ...
of the M.E. Church. He was
ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...
, both ''Deacon'' and ''Elder,'' by Bishop Asbury. Rev. George served for two years as the Junior Preacher on the Caswell Circuit. He then went to
South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...
, where in 1796 he was appointed Presiding Elder of the Charleston District. In 1798, because of impaired health, he temporarily retired from the active work of ministry and traveled to the North. But in 1800 he resumed his labors, and was appointed Presiding Elder of the Potomac District in the Baltimore Annual Conference. The Rev. George's health failed a second time, and he ''located.'' But again, in 1803, he resumed the work this time with great zeal and success. He was stationed, successively, in Baltimore, Alexandria, and Georgetown, then on the Baltimore and then the Georgetown Districts (as Presiding Elder)


The preacher

Enoch George belonged to the ''primitive'' school of American Methodist preachers. Though many of these had little or no scholastic advantages, yet some became highly effective preachers of the
Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...
, also attaining proficiency in Biblical and theological learning. George was especially distinguished for the fervor and
pathos Pathos (, ; plural: ''pathea'' or ''pathê''; , for "suffering" or "experience") appeals to the emotions and ideals of the audience and elicits feelings that already reside in them. Pathos is a term used most often in rhetoric (in which it is c ...
of his
pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...
ministry.


Episcopal ministry

After the death of Bishop Asbury, the Rev. Enoch George was elected and
consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...
a Bishop of the M.E. Church by the General Conference, May 1816. He served with great zeal and effectiveness for the remaining twelve years of his life. He traveled, chiefly by private conveyance, through all parts of the country. He went as far as the frontier settlements of the west and southwest, usually preaching nearly every day at prearranged appointments. Remarkable manifestations of the influence that attended his preaching were regularly witnessed.


Physical description

Bishop George would never allow his
portrait A portrait is a portrait painting, painting, portrait photography, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, Personality type ...
to be made. His personal appearance, therefore, is known only by tradition. He is described as of fair size and well proportioned, with dark hair worn long, and a complexion sallowed by exposure. Bishop
Matthew Simpson Matthew Simpson (21 June 1811 – 18 June 1884) was an American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, elected in 1852 and based mostly in Philadelphia. During the Reconstruction Era after the Civil War, most evangelical denominations in ...
wrote of him: :''He was a man of deep piety, of great simplicity of manners, a pathetic, powerful and successful preacher, greatly beloved in life, and very extensively lamented in death.''


Death and burial

Bishop Enoch George died August 23, 1828 in
Staunton, Virginia Staunton ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 25,750. In Virginia, independent cities a ...
and was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Baltimore.


See also

*
List of bishops of the United Methodist Church This is a list of bishops of the United Methodist Church and its predecessor denominations, in order of their election to the episcopacy, both living and dead. 1784–1807 ;Founders * Thomas Coke 1784 * Francis Asbury 1784 * Richard Whatcoat ...


Notes


References

* * * Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:George, Enoch Bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church 1760s births 1828 deaths American Methodist Episcopal bishops Methodist ministers Burials at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Baltimore) 19th-century Methodist bishops