 At the Methodist conference in England on August 16, 1768, Methodist founder John Wesley had presented the idea of sending preachers to America.At the conference the following year in Leeds on August 1–4, 1769, Joseph Pilmore and Richard Boardman volunteered to go to America to assist the Methodist societies already forming there and to build upon the years of work done by George Whitefield and others in the Great Awakening.Joseph Pilmore and Richard Boardman volunteered to preach to the fledgling Methodist movement in the new world colonies.