Some people go a lifetime and are never sure if they found their true calling.

For 11-year-old Levi Horton, that call came early and he answered.

A year ago, Horton, the son of Cas and Marcia Horton, decided to pitch in and help lead the service at Galax First Assembly of God in his parents’ absence. And he hasn’t stopped since.

“We were on a business trip for the church and he decided he wanted to help out by filling in for Mama, so he got up and started singing, leading the congregation while we were gone,” said Cas, the pastor at Galax First Assembly of God. “When we came home, he continued improving. The piano player at the church (Marsha Catron McCraw) is really good about working with him. As he has continued to improve and get his confidence, he has done more and more.”

Levi said he enjoyed getting in front of the congregation and singing.

“It was fun doing it,” he said. “There was nobody to sing except our piano player so I thought I’d give it a whirl.”

Marcia Horton said having the help from McCraw, whom most people still know as Marsha Catron, has been key in helping Levi grow as a musician.

“She’s wonderful. She plays for him and goes with him and she’s wonderful,” Marcia said. “They get together and it flows because the other one knows what the other is thinking. She has been wonderful and helpful. If it wasn’t for her, I don’t think he would be as open and animated as he is.”

Plus, Levi, who said he wants to go into the ministry when he is grown, gets plenty of encouragement at home from his sisters, Rachel and Farris.

“His sisters have been inspirational,” Cas said. “They’ll be home sometimes and they’ll get instruments and play together. They’ll ‘Amen’ him while he’s preaching at home. That’s his little congregation, his sisters.”

Levi was born with a tumor in his head, which was diagnosed when he was 18 months old. After undergoing two earlier operations, he lost his eyesight after a 2005 surgical procedure, but it hasn’t stopped him. A fourth grader at Laurel Elementary, Levi does well in school and seemingly in all of his other endeavors.

“He continues to improve. We know all that glory goes to God. If it wasn’t for Him, he wouldn’t be here,” Marcia said. “Levi does really good in school and has a lot of good helpers there. His blindness doesn’t seem to frustrate him. He goes right on and doesn’t complain about it at all. He’s an overcomer. He finds a new way to do things. If he can’t do it one way, he finds another way.”

Since performing at his home church, Levi has performed at Coulson Church of the Brethren and Hillsville Pentecostal Holiness Church, among others, and is working on a CD. On Saturday, he will open for the world-famous Chuck Wagon Gang at Hillsville VFW Post 1115.

“Our church booked the Chuck Wagon Gang as a fundraiser for the Fellowship Hall for the church,” Cas said. “My dad’s coordinating that and he said let’s let Levi open up and sing a couple of songs with them too. I thought it was a good idea so we decided to go with it.”