Thomas Olivers facts for kids
Thomas Olivers (1725–1799) was a famous Methodist preacher and hymn writer from Tregynon, a village in Montgomeryshire, Wales. He also helped create the Arminian Magazine for many years.
Early Life
Thomas Olivers was born in 1725 in the Welsh village of Tregynon. Sadly, both his father and mother passed away when he was only four years old. He grew up learning to be a shoemaker. As a young man, he sometimes made poor choices and got into trouble.
After some difficulties, Olivers traveled to Bristol. There, he heard a famous preacher named George Whitfield speak. This sermon deeply affected Olivers, and he decided to change his life. He wanted to follow Whitfield, but another preacher suggested he join the Methodist society instead. This is where he met John Wesley, one of the main founders of Methodism.
His Work as a Preacher
After joining John Wesley, Thomas Olivers became a preacher himself. His first assignment was to preach in Cornwall. Because he was a brave and fearless speaker, he later traveled all over Great Britain and Ireland to share his message. In 1757, he was working in Limerick, Ireland, where his ideas inspired a woman named Eliza Bennis.
Olivers also had good relationships with the Jewish community in Great Britain. He visited Jewish synagogues and became friends with Rabbi Myer Lyon.
In 1775, John Wesley asked Olivers to help him write the Arminian Magazine. Olivers often had a lot of control over what went into the magazine. Because he didn't have much formal schooling, the magazine sometimes had printing errors. This annoyed Wesley, but he still saw Olivers as a friend. He even added a list of errors to the back of the magazine in 1778.
However, after many more mistakes, Wesley decided he had to make a change. In 1789, he removed Olivers from his position, saying the errors were "intolerable." Even with this change, Olivers and Wesley remained close friends, almost like a father and son. When Thomas Olivers passed away in March 1799, he was buried in Wesley's grave in London.
Writing Hymns
Besides preaching, Thomas Olivers also wrote hymns. He wrote 20 hymns in total. His most famous hymn is "The God of Abraham Praise." He wrote this hymn after hearing his friend Rabbi Lyon sing a Jewish prayer called "Yigdal" at the Great Synagogue of London. Olivers was inspired by Lyon and rewrote parts of "Yigdal" to give it a Christian meaning. Lyon also gave him the music, which Olivers then named "Leoni" after his friend.
