Even before taking his job as Washington Street Baptist Church’s new pastor, Peter Balentine fell in love with what he called “the United Nations of Lynn.”
“The ethnic diversity really reflects Lynn. It is a comfortable place,” he said.
Since starting work last month, Balentine has returned Sunday services halted by the pandemic to in-person worship with attendance numbers steadily rising above the two dozen congregation members who filled Washington Baptist’s pews two weeks ago.
He embraced the Spanish-speaking congregation that shares the church with long-time Washington Baptist members and helped shoulder the food distribution held on the last Saturday of each month.
With its ivy-encased brick tower, Washington Baptist has been an imposing presence on the corner of Essex and Washington streets since 1874, 22 years after its founding by East Lynn Baptists.
The church survived a fire in the tower in 1905 and congregation members received centennial congratulations by letter from President Harry S. Truman in 1952.
Balentine is Washington Baptist’s 15th pastor, succeeding Eric C.B. Nelson, whose tenure stretched from 1982 to 2017.
A Rhode Island native who served four years in the Navy and earned degrees from Boston University and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Hamilton, Balentine’s early faith path took him to an inner-city Boston church where he fell in love with urban ministry.
His ministry career led Balentine, his wife, Allison, and four children to New Hampshire with summers spent doing faith work in Africa. He was leading a Newburyport congregation in 2017 when he met Washington Street Baptist interim pastor James Smith.
“In my heart, I said that church and Lynn sounded really interesting,” he said.
Balentine, 55, credits Washington Street’s Reopening Committee with plotting a methodical plan to return to in-person services on Sundays at 10:45 a.m. Church pews are designated for socially distanced seating and church members socialize in the Washington Street’s big parking lot.
He has learned his way around the cavernous church, but Balentine continues to marvel at Washington Baptist’s stained-glass windows, its pipe organ looming over the altar, and ornate wood work.
The church congregation includes residents who live near the church and Balentine wants to attract more neighbors to services and ensure the church after-school club returns to in-person activities.
“Lynn is a great place. The people are really friendly — they have time to talk,” he said.
