Places and People Make History — And History Makes Us

by Dr. Dan Kittle, President of Dakota Wesleyan University

July 22, 2026

Our personal histories tell us more than simply where we came from. They help explain our beliefs and values, why our communities developed as they did and even how we understand the world. Family stories have a remarkable ability to shape identity. I recently discovered that the same is true of institutional history.

Earlier this summer, I had the privilege of participating in a Wesley Heritage Trip through England. We traveled to the places that shaped John Wesley and the Methodist movement, a revival within the Church that ultimately influenced millions of people around the world and gave rise to institutions that continue to shape our own community, including Dakota Wesleyan University and United Methodist churches throughout our region.

Visiting these places reminded me that places themselves can shape people, and people, in turn, shape history.

We worshipped at St. Andrew's Church in Epworth, where John Wesley was baptized and where his father served as rector. We visited the Wesley family home, where Susanna Wesley faithfully raised nineteen children and quietly modeled the disciplined faith that would become the hallmark of Methodism. We walked the streets of Oxford, where John and his brother Charles organized the "Holy Club," a small group of students committed to prayer, Scripture, accountability and serving those in need. What began as a handful of university students seeking to understand and deepen their faith became the seedbed of a movement that would eventually circle the globe and find a home right here in South Dakota.

We also visited Bristol's New Room, the oldest Methodist chapel in the world. More than simply a church, it became a center for education, care for the poor, medical assistance and community life. Long before "serving the whole person" became common language, Wesley understood that authentic faith should inspire people to love God by serving their neighbors and communities.

Perhaps the most moving stop was Aldersgate Street in London, where Wesley experienced what he famously described as his heart being "strangely warmed." After years of ministry, study, and even missionary work in America, Wesley came to realize that faith was not merely about knowledge or duty, but about God's grace personally received, a grace that should transform not only what we believe, but how we live. That moment became a turning point not only in his own life, but in the Methodist revival itself.

As I walked these historic places, I was reminded that the Church has always been shaped by imperfect, well-meaning, and courageous people. From the apostles who carried Christ's message into the world, to faithful leaders like Augustine, Francis of Assisi, Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Wesley, God has continually worked through ordinary people to renew the Church for a new generation.

Wesley, like the faithful leaders who came before and after him, did not accomplish this work alone. His brother Charles composed thousands of hymns that continue to be sung throughout the world, giving theology a voice that ordinary people could carry with them throughout the week. Their mother, Susanna Wesley, is often called the "Mother of Methodism" because of the profound influence she had on her children's faith and character. Together, they remind us that movements are not built by one remarkable person. They are built by families, mentors, congregations and communities that faithfully invest in others.

The trip also reminded me of the founding of Dakota Wesleyan and how we can all draw lessons from that story.

When Methodist pioneers established DWU in 1885, and helped sustain and grow this very region, they were carrying forward the same convictions that had shaped Wesley's ministry nearly 150 years earlier. They believed education should prepare people not merely for careers, but for lives of leadership, service and faith. They believed communities are strengthened when people are educated intellectually, spiritually and morally. Those convictions continue to shape our university today.

History is never merely about the past, nor is it solely about the extraordinary people whose names become associated with moments and movements that define generations and fill our history books. It provides perspective for the present and inspiration for the future. Understanding our heritage helps us better understand ourselves. More importantly, it reminds us how meaningful change actually happens. It occurs when ordinary, imperfect people are inspired by enduring values and choose to live them faithfully. Wesley's story reminds us that compassion, grace, education, service and love of neighbor are not simply ideals to admire; they are convictions to practice.

Like those who came before us, we have the opportunity, and, I would even say, the responsibility to build communities marked by grace, service, learning and hope. That, perhaps, is the greatest lesson I brought home from England.