As a ministry of the Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church, the Wesley Foundation at Tulane University shares in the same historical, doctrinal, and biblical story as our denomination.  More specifically, however, we trace our Methodist campus ministry roots back to the earliest days of Methodism.  Far before the days of an official Methodist Church, John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement, practiced an early form of campus ministry when he, along with his brother Charles and others, attended a small group meeting with students at Oxford University in 1729.  Through Christian study and social action activity, these early “Methodists,” as they were then called derogatorily, were learning to “unite the pair so long disjoined, knowledge and vital piety.” 

Though the roots of Methodist Campus Ministry may have begun in Oxford, it was 1913 before the denomination’s first campus ministry was officially launched.  In that year, the Rev. James C. Baker established the first Wesley Foundation at the University of Illinois, Urbana.  Baker later explained that he used the name “Wesley” to point to the founder of the Methodist movement and to the roots of the denomination itself.  Likewise, Baker envisioned this new campus ministry forming a stable Christian “foundation” on which could be built unique experiments relating Christianity to independent university education.  Again, in the same way that Wesley may have originally seen in his group meeting in Oxford, Baker may have also hoped to “unite the pair so long disjoined, knowledge and vital piety.” 

Thus, since our own organization in September of 1944, the Wesley Foundation at Tulane University has continued along the strong path of campus ministry that had already been formed within what is now the United Methodist Church.  Today, our ministry is an active one, serving students from both Tulane and Loyola Universities, and including students from twenty-seven states throughout the U.S.  We exist to develop and call forth a new generation of Christian leaders.  To this end, we envision the Wesley Foundation as having three focus areas: worship, mission, and fellowship.  Through weekly worship, Bible study, small groups, service projects, and fellowship activities in and around the New Orleans area, we hope to create a generation of leaders who are challenged by the Gospel of Christ to love and serve both God and neighbor.

                        We invite you to join us on this journey of faith!