John Mason Peck and his wife left their home in the East to travel into the wilderness of the American Midwest. On his day in 1817, after 129 days of travel by wagon, on foot and by boat, they reached St. Louis, Missouri. The trip had taken its toll on the future missionary. He arrived so sick that he had to be carried off the boat on a stretcher. After his recovery, Brother Peck began his ministry among the children, Indians and slaves in the area, but he didn’t confine himself to home. He made excursions in every direction. Not only did he plant several churches, but he lead to Christ some of the pioneers who were beginning their adventures on toward the West Coast. He planted the first Baptist churches west of the Mississippi, and the first college in the West. He made himself so busy that he became known as “the man with twenty hands.”
In Brother Peck’s journal there is this 1825 entry: “I have been absent from home 53 days; have traveled through 18 counties in Illinois, and 9 in Indiana, rode 926 miles, preached regular sermons 31 times, beside delivering several speeches, addresses and lectures. I have been able to revive 3 Bible societies (apparently referring to churches), to establish 7 new societies; aided in forming 3 Sabbath-school societies, and in opening several schools where no societies exit.”
And, how much financial support did he receive from churches in the East? Five dollars a month. Needless to say, the Pecks lived a frugal existence. But their rewards in Glory are no doubt very great.
– Source: This Day in Baptist History, Cummins & Thompson