Bethersden Baptist Church in Kent has appointed former Gillingham football player Gavin Peacock as its interim pastor. Peacock, who has also played for Premiership clubs Bournemouth, Newcastle and Chelsea, is returning to Kent after a career as a pundit with BBC Sport and a stint as a pastor in Canada, where he has been since 2012. Peacock, 57, will spend a year at the Kent church before considering his next move.
Peacock said his wife’s illness and spell in hospital in 2006 made him consider going into “church leadership”. He said he thought it was his calling, and gave up his media career to become a pastor. “Being a pastor really is calling to me,” he added. “I’ve played at Wembley in an FA Cup final but feel a stronger sense of responsibility when I’m giving a service to 30 people.”
Peacock is not turning his back on football entirely, however. He played in a faith and football talk, which was attended by 250 people, last Saturday where he signed copies of his book. The footballer has been a Christian since he was 18.
The appointment of Peacock comes at a time when new research has revealed that 10% of Anglican churches do not have a full-time, paid vicar. Figures released by the Church of England indicate that in areas of social deprivation, one in six vicar posts is vacant, and that congregational giving has fallen so dramatically over the past 50 years that many churches can no longer afford to pay a full-time vicar
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