Earl Soham Baptist Church - who are we?
Michael Peck
If you were in Earl Soham in the late ‘70s you may have heard the melodic strains of violin coming from the Old Rectory. If so the young Michael Peck was responsible.
Born in Bishops Stortford, at age eight he and family moved from Thaxted to Glasgow because Rev John Peck was lecturing at the Bible Training Institute there, but in 1978 they moved back south to Earl Soham and Michael finished his A levels at Mills Grammar and at Thomas Mills school. His musical talents must already have been apparent at Mills Grammar, for he wrote his first musical Murder at the Convent, for 60 girls and two boys! Then he went to Glasgow again for three years at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and came back with a music degree; meanwhile the family moved to Ipswich and then to Framlingham, where he and John now live.
Michael now teaches violin with the County Music Service and some freelancing. Outside of work he likes writing music, especially for church (where he has contributed some new songs) and musicals. He has also had many acting roles with the local Mouth to Mouth Theatre company, where his Shakespeare performances must not be missed! In his “spare time” he does voluntary care work, generally with elderly people.
Now Michael is on the church’s Leadership Team, an occasional Youth Workshop teacher and a regular musician—but how did he get there? He claims his sister Edith led him with parents’ help to give his life to Jesus when he was only five, but he doesn’t remember it! In Glasgow the family went to an English Episcopal Church where he was baptised (at 12) and confirmed. Since then God has hung on to him through thick and thin, often sending him troubles but always providing everything he’s needed.
He appreciates the acceptance and bearing one another’s burdens at the church. “Hypocrisy is only skin deep there,” he says. As an actor he has to pretend convincingly to be something he isn’t, but in the church “they don’t pretend to be anything they aren’t.” Amen to that!