Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Highway 169 off Jefferson Avenue is one of St. Peter’s better kept secrets: the Calvary Baptist Church. The small red brick church building home to a congregation of 20 people is one of the community’s smaller houses of worship with almost no digital presence of which to speak.
But Calvary’s new pastor Tim Levin is hoping to change that.
Levin and his wife Tersea recently made the move 900 miles north from Dallas, Texas — which boasts a population of 1.3 million — to the small Minnesota town of Le Sueur last March to preach the word of God at St. Peter’s Calvary Baptist Church.
Levin originally hails from Colorado, but he’s no stranger to Minnesota. After hearing the call to become a pastor — following in his own father’s footsteps — he earned his Master’s in Divinity and took up his first job leading a congregation in Dover, a small town just east of Rochester.
Some parts of the move have been easier than others. The shortage of snow this winter was a welcome surprise to the couple. Though there’s also been some cases of culture shock — Teresa noted that businesses are open much later in Dallas than in small town Minnesota. Settling in Le Sueur has also taken them away from their daughter down south, while their son is on the move to New York, but the couple has also enjoyed getting to know their new neighbors.
“We’re looking forward to reaching out to the community,” said Levin. “Our church is going to be in the [St. Peter] parade [on] July 4th. We also want to do an open house near the end of August to allow people to get to know us a little more. We’re doing some updates to the church to make it look and feel more welcoming and we’re looking forward to getting to know people in the community.”
Levin said teaching God’s word is his primary focus, but the pastor also seeks to heighten Calvary Baptist’s presence within the community. While the church has been a part of the fabric of religious life in St. Peter for many years, Levin noted that some people who live in town still aren’t aware of its existence. He recalled once meeting a Gustavus Adolphus College alumnus who told him she had no idea St. Peter had a Baptist church.
“What we want is for people to realize there is a church here and, if they’re looking for a church or they’re thinking they want God in their lives, that we’re here to help them find Him and have a relationship with Him,” said Levin.
In the digital age, Levin said one of the primary ways people find places to worship is through searching for churches online — yet Calvary Baptist is the only church in St. Peter which lacks a website or active social media page. The pastor is seeking to change that by building a website for the Baptist congregation.
In addition to building a digital presence for the church, the Levins are also working on installing windows on the front doors to create a more inviting presence. The idea was inspired by parishioners the Levins met from South Korea, who told them that Korean churches leave their doors open to welcome people in. The Levins hope to emulate that same feeling at Calvary.
“We want to put windows in the front doors because we think that makes it look more welcoming. The doors look a little bit — someone characterized it as looking like prison doors,” said Levin. “So a window seemed like it would be more open.”
Being the son of a pastor, Levin had considered dedicating his life to the church from an early age, but it wasn’t until junior high that Levin said he truly felt called to be a pastor himself. He takes a propositional approach to preaching, which involves examining why people should follow the Bible’s teachings and how people can apply the lessons learned from the text’s passages into their own lives.
“Since it’s God’s word it transcends time and it’s as applicable today as it was when it was written,” said Levin.
Outside the church, Levin is an avid golfer and racquetball player — though he’s still looking for a racquetball partner in Le Sueur. The pastor also has some pipes of his own and used to sing in a barbershop chorus.
Teresa is an avid gardener, tennis player and home decorator. Never without a cup of coffee drinker, she’s on a first name basis with many baristas at River Rock Coffee and Tea.
The couple also loves to fish in some of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes and spend time with their goldendoodle Simon.
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