John Cennick (1718-1755)

John Cannick was an early Methodist and Moravian evangelist and hymn writer. He was born in Reading, Berkshire, England to an Anglican family, originally from Bohemia, and raised in the Church of England.

Aged 9 he heard his dying aunt proclaim Last night the Lord stood by me and invited me to drink of the fountain of life freely and I shall stand before the Lord as bold as a lion . These words stayed with him for many years. He dreaded going to bed in case he would end up in hell. He prayed each night that he would be good the next day - he never succeeded.

Aged 13 and from humble means he left school to find an apprenticeship. 8 times he made the trip to London but failed to get a job. From 17-19 he suffered from depression.

His conversion
He entered St. Lawrence church, Reading on the 6th September, in 1937. Heard these words from Psalm 34 v19-22b Great are the troubles of the righteous, but the Lord delivered him out of them all. And he putteth his trust in God shall not be desolate. His heart danced. He heard Jesus say* I am they salvation*.
( Read The conversion of John Cennick)

John worked as a surveyor in Reading. He read the writings of George W.hitfield he met the Wesleys.

John joined the growing Methodist movement .He began to write hymns. Charles Wesley wrote in his Diary* I corrected Mr, Cennick’s hymns for the press* (July 1739).

In 1740, on John Wesley’s recommendation, he taught at Kingswood, England.
On Kingswood Hill a crowd of colliers had assembled for a service. The expected preacher did not show up, John stepped into the breach.

When Whitfield returned from America John was asked to join him on his preaching tours. In 1745 John went over to the Morovians and went to Germany to study their doctrines.

In 1747 Baptists heard him preach and invited him to Dublin. After differences with his hosts he concentrated on Ulster. Between 1747-52 he founded 220 Moravian Societies and helped to establish Evangelicalism in Ireland.

John spent time in England and Ireland as an itinerant evangelist. Enduring aat times violent opposition. By the time of his death in 1755 he had established 40 churches.

Throughout the rest of his short career and life he published several collections of hymns.

His conversion came during a normal church service and not even through preaching but through the reading of a Psalm. We see how God uses ‘normal’ worhship to bring people to himself. Too often we underestimate the importance of the normal church service.

Sources used
Evangelical Times
wikipedia