Marvin Horton honored with Society of John Wesley award

South Carolina’s Marvin Horton has been honored with the Society of John Wesley award, the highest award given by the United Methodist Men.

The Society of John Wesley is a fellowship of individuals committed to the support and expansion of United Methodist Men’s ministries.

Fellows in the Society of John Wesley are known by their witness, vision and stewardship that enhance and strengthen the mission and ministry of the church. The society was created by the United Methodist Men Foundation to promote greater awareness of the Christian principles and practices embodied in the church.

Horton said getting the award was a complete surprise to him, and he feels honored and blessed.

“It is a special honor for men’s ministry, and it aways comes from the fact that in South Carolina we have such an incredible team of people, and we’re just blessed with all kinds of leadership,” Horton said. “I just feel like I’m part of the team. It’s got my name on it, but I just represent a whole large group of people from our conference leadership team.”

Established in 1982 by the directors of the United Methodist Men Foundation, the Society of John Wesley is a means of recognizing those who exemplify the characteristics of John Wesley. These characteristics are best seen through service to fellow men and women and commitment to the teachings of the Christian faith.

John Wesley called together such people to form “The Holy Club.” These men with varying talents and skills contributed to the rapid growth and spiritual enrichment of early Methodism.

To become a fellow in the Society of John Wesley, a gift of $1,000 to the UMM Foundation must be made in their honor. This gift is used by the foundation to support the ministries of the foundation including scouting ministries, men’s ministries, men’s prayer ministry and evangelism.

Individuals do not need to be United Methodists to join or be recognized.

Horton was recognized at the Men N Ministry spiritual retreat, held Feb. 24 at Journey United Methodist Church, Columbia.

Over the years, 13 South Carolina United Methodist Men have been awarded with this honor: Bill G. Smith (1989). William L. Jones Jr. (1989), Bishop J. Lawrence McCleskey (2001), L.W. Smith (2004), Dr. James C. Adams (2004). Clayton Easter (2006), William C. Smith (2007), Dr. Charles L. Johnson Jr. (2009), Javy R. Gwaltney III (2017) Bishop L. Jonathan Holston (2018), Dr. Tim McClendon (2018), Herman Lightsey (2020) and Marvin Horton (2024).