Charles Wesley UMC was a new church plant in McLean, VA when it met for the first time in May 1958. Among the charter members was Janet Nelson Davenport and her young family. Her son, Craig Nelson was the first infant baptized in the church.
On December 22, 2019, Rev. Marti Rigenbach baptized two of Janet’s great-grandchildren, Brooks Wren and Lilly Nelson. Lilly is the granddaughter of Craig Nelson the first infant baptized at the church. As it turns out, Lilly was the last infant baptized at Charles Wesley.
All baptisms are a reminder that the love of God follows the generations and that the growth of the kingdom of God is a continuous activity. The baptisms of the Nelson children bring the story of Charles Wesley full circle. Congregations may change, new churches are established and others close but the legacy of the people of God lives on in the lives of the baptized children of God.
The legacy of Charles Wesley lives on not just in the lives of families it touched but in the ministries it blessed. Charles Wesley left the following legacy gifts after closing its doors this summer:
Share $30,000
Society of St. Andrew $30,000
Second Story (formerly Alternative House) $25,000
McLean Falls Church Day Care $25,000
Falls Church Homeless Shelter $20,000
Wesley Housing $20,000
Appalachia Service Project $15,000
Heifer International $5,000
Food for the City $5,000
Martha’s Table $5,000
Total Legacy Gifts $180,000