Editing Francis Asbury (section)

===Asbury's work in America===
At the age of 22, Asbury's selection by [[John Wesley]] as a traveling lay preacher became official. Typically such positions were held by young, unmarried men, known as exhorters. In 1771 Asbury volunteered to travel to [[Thirteen Colonies|British North America]]. His first sermon in the Colonies took place with the Methodist congregation in [[Woodrow, Staten Island]].<ref>Morris, Ira. K. "Early History of Staten Island", ''Proceedings of the New York State Historical Association,'' Volume 17, page 198</ref> Within the first 17 days of being in the colonies, Asbury preached in both Philadelphia and New York. During the first year, he served as Wesley's assistant and preached in 25 different settlements. When the [[American Revolutionary War]] broke out in 1775, he and [[James Dempster (Methodist)|James Dempster]] were the only British Methodist lay ministers to remain in America.<ref>"The Story of Barratt's Chapel," {{cite web |url=http://barrattschapel.org/story.html |title=Barratt's Chapel and Museum - the Story of Barratt's |access-date=2015-10-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004072532/http://barrattschapel.org/story.html |archive-date=2015-10-04 }} accessed 11 September 2015</ref>

<blockquote>"During his early years in North America, Asbury devoted his attention mainly to followers living on the eastern shore between the [[Delaware River]] and the [[Chesapeake Bay]]. Bishop Asbury was a good friend of the Melsons and was their guest many times on his rounds. When the American revolution severed the traditional ties between the American Thirteen Colonies and Great Britain, Bishop Asbury, in the interest of his religious tenets and principles and in an attempt to remain aloof from the political and military fervor that swept the country, announced he would, to keep the embryonic Methodist congregations neutral, refrain from endorsing either Great Britain or the newly formed United States of America government and urged all his followers to do the same. This request placed almost all of his followers, especially those living in Maryland, in an untenable position. The State of Maryland had enacted a law requiring all citizens to take an Oath of Allegiance to the newly formed American Congress. In addition to this, it stipulated all non-residents within its boundaries also had to take and sign an Oath of Allegiance. Those refusing were summarily incarcerated for treason. Asbury, after proclaiming his neutrality, fled to Delaware, where taking an oath of allegiance was not a requirement. His adherents in Maryland suffered the rancor of the proponents of the Oath."<ref>[http://www.ryanmelson.com/PDF/MelsonFamilyInAmerica-searchable.pdf "Ryan Melson"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918063911/http://www.ryanmelson.com/PDF/MelsonFamilyInAmerica-searchable.pdf |date=2017-09-18 }}, Melson Family in America</ref></blockquote>Asbury remained hidden during the war and ventured occasionally back into Maryland. Sometimes this had the effect of compromising his parishioners.

Note: Asbury did not become ordained or a bishop until December 1784.

Asbury taught that “slavery was a crime against the laws of God, man, and nature”.<ref>Preston, Dickson J. Young Frederick Douglass: The Maryland Years. Baltimore and London: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1980</ref> In 1780, Asbury met the [[freedman]] [[Harry Hosier|Henry "Black Harry" Hosier]], a meeting the minister believed "providentially arranged".<ref name="blafir" /> Hosier served as his driver and guide and, though illiterate, memorized long passages of the [[Bible]] as Asbury read them aloud during their travels. Hosier eventually became a famous preacher in his own right, the first [[African American]] to preach directly to a white congregation in the [[United States]].<ref name="blafir">Smith, Jessie C. ''Black Firsts: 4,000 Ground-Breaking and Pioneering Historical Events'' (3rd ed.), [https://books.google.com/books?id=steLXpuOONEC&pg=RA13-PA1820 pp. 1820–1821]. "Methodists: 1781". [[Canton, Michigan]]: Visible Ink Press, 2013. Accessed 17 October 2013.</ref>