March 31, 1816 - Francis Asbury, First Bishop of the UMC, Dies

Francis Asbury was a major figure in the growth of the United Methodist Church. He was a circuit riding missionary who traveled thousands of miles on horseback throughout the United States before and after the Revolutionary War. He and Thomas Coke were the first bishops of the Methodist Church in America, and the Cokesbury Christian bookstores are named after them. Asbury died on March 31, 1816. Pictured is a stature of Asbury in Washington, D.C.