Matthew Castle is new pastor at Calvary Baptist Church

by Angela Geno-Stumme

Calvary Baptist Church welcomes Matthew Castle and his family to Waukon, as Matthew becomes the church's new pastor. He has moved his family all over the world with his career in the Navy, and his retirement takes them to Iowa for the first time.

Matthew, his wife Sharon, and their children: Matthew, age eighteen; Jessica, age sixteen; Sarah, age eleven; Hannah, age three; and the twins Thomas and Elizabeth, age one-year old this October 13, moved to Waukon this past May. Matthew is originally from upstate New York, where he grew up on his family's 70-acre farm. He joined the Navy twenty years ago and he and his wife Sharon traveled the states and Europe while Matthew was in the Navy.

Matthew's Navy career began on the U.S.S. McCloy and included over seven years working in Sicily as a LAN administrator, ultimately coming to an end with his retirement in Dahlgren, VA. He did computer networking for the Navy at Sicily's U.S. base, which was 'basically an air-base' that also dealt with communications. Sharon home-schooled the children while Matthew was in the Navy and when they had free time the family would take short trips around Europe. "We loved Sicily," Matthew said, "the food, visiting cathedrals, seeing mosaics, and seeing artwork by Michelangelo." One of their memorable trips was traveling to Germany, where they drove all over the country visiting castles, and where they saw the castle Walt Disney based his own off of. What brought this family to Iowa was Castle's call to take up a position in an empty church.

While in the Navy, Matthew and his family were part of the Military Missionary Church in Sicily beginning in 1995. Two years later, Matthew began studying to become a pastor while finishing out his Navy contract in Dahlgren, VA. Before his contract ran out, he preached at the Military Missionary Church in Sicily before coming to the States in 2002. While in the States, he preached in nursing homes and ran junior church classes.

Before his retirement June 30, 2006, he had begun his search for "churches without pastors." Matthew contacted The Calvary Baptist Church of Waukon last October and the Church asked him to come preach as a candidate at the Church. When Calvary Baptist Church offered him the position he brought his family out to Iowa to begin preaching May 10 of this year.

Matthew is interested in drawing more youth to the congregation, hoping to "get back to the roots" and have youth become more "grounded in faith." With this in mind, he has begun a series of sermons called "Back to Basics." He speaks on different doctrines, such as the Doctrines of Rewards in Heaven. Matthew feels that morals need to be taught with the final authority in mind, because society has gotten "away from the roots of the Bible."

"I think that's where the church is failing," he stated. "The community has no grounding in faith." He also has a series of sermons called the Five Different Crowns in the Bible, where he speaks of those judged and those saved in Heaven who receive crowns. Castle hopes to promote family and wants to stress that part of family is family devotions. His family is also active in the church, with Matthew leading the congregation in song, Jessica playing the violin, and Sharon teaching class and nursery.

The family is excited to be in Iowa, already starting to explore the area with a trip to Phelps Park and Rochester, MN. The fall season has already struck a familiar cord with Matthew, who stated that the forest and rolling hills remind him of his childhood home in New York. The children are excited to experience winter in Iowa and going sledding on their backyard's hill. The oldest son Matthew is excited to see Iowa's snow, remembering when they lived in Virginia, where "it would snow six inches and the next day be gone." Although the family members will miss their time in Sicily, they are continuing their traveling in the Midwest and excited to experience Iowa.

The services at Calvary Baptist Church are Sunday Worship at 10 and 11 a.m., Sunday evening service at 6 p.m., and a mid-week service Wednesday at 7 p.m. The teachings are different each service, and Sunday at 11 a.m. children can have a class to Camp with the Disciples. The Camp with Disciples is taught by Cindy Johnson and Lisa Moose and will last for 12 weeks. Children can bring sleeping bags to put into a tent set up inside and sit around a mock camp fire to hear stories of the Disciples. The suggested age is seven to 12 years old and it is open to the public. Calvary Baptist Church is located at 1704 Green Valley Road NW, Waukon.