July 8, 2010
Well, it's been one month since I started this blog.... I had intended to add to it each Monday morning, however, as Robbie Burns so eloquently put it... life sometimes stinks and things change! Had he been alive today I think he'd agree with my interpretation of his poem.

The Bible Christian Project is close to my heart. It is a very interesting study. People from all walks of life joined this religious group in England's west country before emigrating to Canada, USA and Australia/NZ, in the early to mid 1800's. After emigration many never saw a Bible Christian preacher again, as this off-shoot of the Methodists never had the financial base from which to support ministers in all areas of our large continent of North America, nor the large continent of Australia. However, those who did find themselves in an area served by the "Connexion" counted themselves lucky indeed.
Not only did the people have a hard time chopping new homes out of the bush, but the ministers, too, had a terrible time finding their way through the bush, finding "the lost sheep" in the wilderness, as one minister so aptly put it. The experiences of both the ministers and the people they served can be found in the three books I've written on the subject:
A Corner For the Preacher - the story of the emigration of the people, their journey, and the finding of their new homes in the bush.
Bible Christian Chapels of the Canadian Conference - don't let the title fool you - this book includes all the chapels built in the USA too - over 230 chapels and many never before published photos.
The Damascus Road - a short biography of all the ministers who served the Canadian Conference between 1831 and 1884 (the date of union with other Methodist bodies) with a chapter about Shebbear College in Devon, England where many of them studied.
These books can be viewed at my website. Please be in touch with me via my personal e-mail address sherleetooze@interlinks.net to give me your thoughts or to tell me about your own Bible Christian ancestors.
Sher