Ms. Henri Burnett interviewed former Pastor Jolliff's daughter Dallas and husband Bobby Shealy last Sunday and discovered recent events related to Zion Lutheran Church of Silverhill and Zion's former seminarian Bill Peacock. "Bill" and wife Gretchen Almer Peacock were supported while Bill went to seminary under Lutheran Church in America auspices. He was ultimately ordained at Zion in 1987, one year before the LCA was amalgamated into the ELCA. Bill died earlier this year. With a little perusal of the internet, here's what we know about the second seminarian that came out of the fellowship at Zion Lutheran Church.
Pastor William H. Peacock Jr., 64, of Park City, Utah, had most recently served Christ Lutheran Church in New York from 1995 to 2008. He died on February 5, 2011 at Intermountain Medical Center, Salt Lake City. Pastor Garry Squire, Messiah Lutheran Church, Annadale, and dean of the Staten Island Conference of the ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod noted that Pastor Bill “challenged Christ Lutheran and his friends to boldly live the call to follow Jesus.” Bill introduced several innovative ministries using musical performance opportunities for all ages, a clown ministry, Puppeteers, a shawl ministry and tele-ministry. His community leadership led to the church welcoming Alcoholics Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, Al-Anon and Ala-Teen, Scout troops and community service organizations. Earlier in his ministry he had served St. John’s Lutheran Church, Thurmont, MD, working within the ELCA Delaware/Maryland Synod to develop evangelism education. He was an HIV/AIDS educator in his synod and in an interfaith group. He retired from Christ Lutheran because of health, moving to Portland, Maine, and then to Park City last year for medical treatment.
Peacock was born in Mobile. He graduated with a BS in education from the USA, Mobile. Before entering seminary, he had been a music educator for 15 years. Zion's former Pastor Charles Jolliff offered some background on the Peacock family in an interview in 2004. William Peacock married Gretchen Almer, daughter of Pastor Carl Almer from St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Mobile. Bill was a musician and Gretchen was an organist. Bill felt a call from music education into the ministry and went to Southern Seminary. The Peacocks had several children at the time. The family's needs were presented to Zion which ultimately decided to cover the family's rent during seminary (1983-1985). Gretchen played the organ at Zion. Bill was ordained at Zion upon graduation in 1987.
When St. Peter's closed its doors in the late 1980s, the sanctuary candle now hanging in the chancel of Zion Lutheran Church, was donated in memory of Gretchen Peacock's father, Pastor Almer. That sanctuary candle has been in continuous use since the early 1950s, first at St. Peter's in Mobile and then at Zion in Silverhill.
Pastor Bill is survived by his wife of 43 years, the former Gretchen Almer, three sons, Carl, William, and Benjamin, and a daughter, Angela Brennan, and five grandchildren. Memorial services were held at Christ Lutheran Church in Great Kills, NY.
Zion Lutheran Church of Silverhill severed its ties with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, aka "ELCA," in 1995. Zion Lutheran Church is now affiliated with the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations, aka "AFLC," the fourth largest organized Lutheran group in North America.
