William Pete Phillips, of Ashland, retired in October after 24 years as coordinator of the jail ministry he started in 1992.
While serving as director of missions (DOM) for Carey Baptist Association, Phillips established the ministry at Clay County Jail in Ashland. Each year about 16 pastors have volunteered to be on a rotating schedule to give weekly sermons at the jail.
“We saw a lot of people’s lives changed,” Phillips said of the jail ministry. “We baptized a lot of people.”
Bruce Willis, current DOM of Carey Association, observed Phillips’ diligence in leading the jail ministry. “He would arrive every Sunday before 9 a.m., meet the preacher, go in to set up the gospel music, lead in prayer and introduce the minister and serve the inmates. On some occasions, he would even speak himself.”
In 1990, Carey Association’s search committee asked Phillips, a layman, to fill the DOM vacancy for a few months while a replacement was sought. Those few months turned into 13 years. Phillips retired as DOM in 2003.
And 88-year-old “Mr. Pete,” as he is known, said he retired from the jail ministry because, “I have had too many birthdays.”
Before becoming DOM, Phillips served full time in the Alabama Army National Guard for 35 years. He retired as chief warrant officer. Ashland’s armory is named in his honor.
Phillips is a deacon and treasurer at First Baptist Church, Ashland, and a golfer. When asked about his future plans, he said, “The next thing for me is the rapture.”
Phillips has been a widower for nine years. He and wife, Mary, were married 56 years. He has three daughters, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. (Leigh Pritchett)
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