George Whitfield and Celtic Kirk

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George Whitfield (or Whitefield) (1714-1770) was an English itinerant preacher and evangelist and one of the founders of Methodism along with the Wesley brothers, John Wesley and Charles Wesley.
George Whitefield started an orphanage, the Bethesda Academy, in Savannah, GA, which exists to this day. Bethesda means "House of Mercy" in Hebrew.

Whitefield wanted the orphanage to be a place of strong Calvinist influence with a wholesome atmosphere and strong discipline. Boys were taught trades so that they could earn a living as adults.

The Whitefield Chapel is still on the grounds of Bethesda Academy in Savannah, GA.

The Whitefield Chapel is still on the grounds of Bethesda Academy in Savannah, GA.

I attended a small Presbyterian churchs' services there in the 2003-2004 school year. That small church was called Kirk O' the Isles (Presbyterian Church PCA), where "Kirk" is the Celtic name for "church".

This little church started on Whitfield Island, but later moved nearby to the mainland and changed its name to "The Kirk Presbyterian". The web site is https://www.kirkpca.org/ (as of 2021-08-12)

The Whitfield square in Savannah is named in honor of George Whitfield.

Benjamin Franklin had a printing shop in Philadelphia, PA. A statue of Franklin at his printing press is in Philadelphia and a similar one at the Masonic Homes Masonic Lodge in Elizabethtown, PA.
Benjamin Franklin heard George Whitefield preach at a revival meeting in Philadelphia, PA. Franklin did not believe Whitefield could preach in open air and be heard by tens of thousands of listeners.

While Whitefield preached, he paced towards his shop until he could barely hear what he was saying distinctly, about 500 feet. He then estimated that a crowd of 30,000 could hear him preach in open air (at 2 square feet per person). The actual number would be about 29,000 square yards, ignoring other acoustic factors.

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