Earl Soham Baptist Church - who are we?
Edith Peck
Many think religious beliefs are something you grow out of, like believing in Father Christmas or the Tooth Fairy. Not so with Edith, another musician from the Peck family. Aged three, she heard one of her father‘s sermons (John was minister at Thaxted Baptist Church in Essex) and asked Jesus into her heart, with help from Mum.
She moved with the family to Glasgow and during school holidays used to visit grandparents (Bill and Vera Holloway) in Suffolk, Bill being minister at the chapel in Earl Soham. After the Pecks’ move to Earl Soham in 1978 she studied for A levels at Colchester Tech, then an arts degree in Glasgow.
Edith in a Shakespeare production last summer
Her first job was in Chadwell Heath with Christian Nationals, who sponsored children and bible students in other countries. She returned to Earl Soham when she married in 1988, and Hannah and Matt were born. Later as a single mother, she was working at local libraries, teaching Sunday School at St Mary’s (also on PCC), Chairman of the Playgroup and providing music at the Rainbow Nursery in Saxtead. How did she do it? Moving to Framlingham in 1997 she is looking after Alice (5), active in Suffolk Singers, playing organ sometimes for Foxearth Nursing Home and directing music for a youth theatre at Halesworth—but watch out for her as Puck in Midsummer Night’s Dream in the summer with Mouth to Mouth Theatre! Possibly in crutches, as she has just injured her Achilles tendon!
With all this activity, why is the church so important in her life? Because despite the troubles God has sent her since she was three, she has not stopped believing in Him. She is part of the Leadership Team with overall responsibility for worship, and naturally, she uses her musical talents. She likes the style of worship, the openness and welcoming and acceptance of people from different backgrounds, and awareness of global issues.