Peter Cartwright
One of my favourite characters in the Unknown Christians’ Hall of Fame is a Methodist circuit-riding preacher who lived in the early 1800’s in America. His name was Peter Cartwright.
One time, after riding all day and not coming across a single person, he decided to seek shelter for the night. The one and only building he found as it was getting dark was a small overcrowded tavern with a party well underway. Peter tried to make himself inconspicuous in a corner. Before long an attractive young woman boldly asked him for a dance. As a Methodist, he had never danced in his life. But he got up, took the woman’s hand, and in everyone’s hearing told the crowd he never did anything of importance without asking God’s blessing on it first. Without wavering he fell to his knees (now holding the woman’s hand very firmly because he could feel her desperately trying to get away), and began to pour out his soul to God. He could hear some people leaving but wouldn’t stop until he knew everyone left had heard the gospel. When he opened his eyes, the woman beside him was weeping as were many others in the room. So he kept praying. When he couldn’t pray any more he began to sing. Fifteen people confessed Christ that night. The next night the place was again full but the people were wanting to know about God. Again he prayed, sang and preached. Another seventeen souls professed faith in Christ. The tavern’s landlord was one of the thirty-two new believers and the tavern became a church building. Peter had to leave the next morning. When a Methodist preacher finally looked in on the group some time later, he found a thriving assembly. A number of those converted over the two nights later became Methodist circuit riders.
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