Leaving the Boss in Charge Bill Peck from Rangiora Corps shares his journey of faith and his passion for connecting with people through music, media and the message of Jesus. I grew up in Hornby in Christchurch, the middle child of five children. When we were young, my eldest sister Dianne took my younger sister and me to our local church. She asked if we could sit with her in Sunday school but was told that we would have to go to the junior Sunday school class instead as we were younger than her. Not happy with the response she received, Dianne took us to The Salvation Army and asked the same question. This time she was told, ‘You can sit wherever you want to—you are welcome’. My mother became a soldier in The Salvation Army, as did two of my sisters. And I thought, Why wouldn’t you follow the cross? and I became a junior soldier. It was through the Hornby Corps that I was introduced to playing a brass instrument, and I began my lifelong love of music.
The God of mystery I remember encountering Jesus when I was 10 or 11 years old. What first sparked my faith was looking at our universe—at the intricacies, the plans and the construction of our world—I knew that it didn’t just happen. I have always had a sense that God works in mysterious ways and knew that our world was made by a mysterious God.
And I thought, Why wouldn’t you follow the cross? I moved from Hornby to get married and to train as a police officer, and then returned to the area to serve in this role for 17 years. I knew many members of the local community through my connections with The Salvation Army. Looking back, I can see that I drifted away from some aspects of my faith when I joined the police service. The culture and lifestyle were different. 18
January 2024
I used language that I don’t use today, but I never forgot that God was there, and I kept talking to him. I continued to support The Salvation Army. I played in the Christchurch Police Band and sometimes we played together with The Salvation Army band. If the Sallies needed something, I was always there to help.
I never forgot that God was there, and I kept talking to him. Poor health caused me to retire from my work as a police officer and I moved to Oxford. I remember saying to God, ‘Here I am Lord, I am back’, and have been faithful ever since. I am grateful to the many people and The Salvation Army community for always supporting me in my faith. It was like coming home to family. I joined the Rangiora Corps in 2000 and helped to establish a small brass band. I became a senior soldier in 2004 and five years later I became the bandmaster.
Ministry through music and media I tell people about Jesus all the time. I work as a competency assessor for Firth Concrete, which involves lots of travelling around the South Island. This job gives me real opportunities to connect with people. I always take my bugle with me when I am on the road for work and often play at cenotaphs along the way. People always come up to me with their stories and we connect. Another way I share my faith at work is by drawing cartoons. Sometimes people don’t want to read, but they will look at a cartoon. I always include the nativity scene in each Christmas cartoon I create for my company Christmas card. I am a life member and chaplain for the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services’ Association (RSA) in Rangiora. As a chaplain, I have the privilege of
