Charles Wesley attends Oxford while John is appointed as a fellow of Lincoln College. This appointment came with a stipend, a room at the college, and opportunities to lecture in Greek, logic, and philosophy. John’s stipend helped to defray the household expenses of the large Wesley family much to Samuel Wesley’s delight. 

Samuel Wesley was constantly in debt, being a man who was bad at managing his finances and was the head of a large family of 19 children. While John sent money home and worked diligently while he was at Lincoln College, putting in long hours six days a week he was obliged to leave the college for some time to return home to assist his father with the family expenses. 

John returned to Epworth on an extended leave of absence from Lincoln College to help his father oversee the parish in Epworth so Samuel could take on a second parish church in nearby Wroot to supplement the meager family income. 

While John was away in Epworth his brother Charles founded what later became known as the Holy Club. The group was the product of Charles’ need for spiritual support. With his brother away from Oxford, Charles’ found himself being drawn away from the principles he had been raised to embrace and his spiritual life began to languish. Sensing a need for likeminded friends who could provide both accountability and fellowship Charles invited two of his fellow students, Robert Kirkham and William Morgan to join him in his room once a week for fellowship, bible study and prayer. It was the first cell group planted on a university campus and it was the spark that ignited a movement.