John Wesley is one of the most influential people who ever lived. He was raised in the 1700s, one of three boys in a large family in a small country town in the north of England called Epworth. His father was a well respected clergyman in the Church of England and his mother was well regarded for her faith, compassion and her concern for the poor. From an early age, John Wesley had a calling on this life to serve. He was educated at Charterhouse School in London and then at Oxford University.