Chat with Madalyn Metzger: Annual Conference Moderator-Elect

BY RUTH RITCHEY MOORE

WHAT WERE SOME OF YOUR MOST MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCES IN THE CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN AS A YOUNG ADULT?

Growing up, I spent part of my summers at Camp Emmanuel in central Illinois, and I’d say some of my most meaningful experiences happened there. Later, when I was in high school, I had the opportunity to be on our District Youth Cabinet, which then led to also serving as one of the first youth representatives on the IL/WI District Board.

I also was invited to serve on the National Youth Cabinet from 1995-1997, which was my first time serving the denomination nationally. While it wasn’t a National Youth Conference year, it was enriching to be part of planning for other youth and young adult-related events and resources, including providing input on some new Sunday school curricula at the time.

In college, I also worked one summer as a Conflict Resolution Team member for On Earth Peace. That program (which is no longer in existence) trained a handful of young adults in conflict mediation skills, and then we worked in pairs at various Church of the Brethren camps across the country, teaching kids how to handle disagreements and conflicts interpersonally and peacefully.

WHAT HAVE YOU ENJOYED MOST SO FAR ABOUT BEING MODERATOR-ELECT?

I’ve appreciated the opportunities to talk to people from across the denomination, getting to know them and hear how they are seeing God’s love in action around them, and how they are making God’s love real for others. These days, I think many people are feeling weary of the journey – especially when it feels like our faith communities are becoming more and more fractured. Yet, there is ministry happening. In both big and small ways, people are sharing Christ’s love with one another in our personal and collective experiences and humanities.

WHAT HAS SURPRISED YOU THE MOST AS MODERATOR-ELECT?

I don’t know if I’d say this is a surprise, but definitely something I am grateful for is all the words and prayers of support that have been offered to me since being elected to this position. Serving the denomination in this way is no small undertaking under the most traditional of circumstances, much less as someone who is in an executive-level full-time job outside of a congregational setting. So, it means a lot when people (some of whom I’ve never met face-to-face before) reach out and let me know that they are praying for me.

WHAT DO YOU MOST LOOK FORWARD TO AS MODERATOR?

I’m looking forward to visiting more of our districts and congregations. I’m looking forward to meeting more people and hearing more of their stories of how they’re extending Christ’s love in their neighborhoods and communities.

WHAT IS ONE SCRIPTURE THAT IS INSPIRING TO YOU AND WHY?

Micah 6:8, “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God.” This was one of my grandfather’s favorite scriptures, but it’s one of my favorites, too. It reminds me that I am part of a larger faith community, called to actively love one another as God loves us in meaningful and transformative ways.

WHAT IS AN EXAMPLE OF A PLACE THAT INSPIRES YOUR FAITH?

I often find God in places that remind me of how vast and beautiful this world is – and that even if my role in this world is a small speck of time and place, it is a privilege to be part of God’s creation.

HOW HAS YOUR FAITH GUIDED YOUR LIFE OVER ALL?

In the Anabaptist tradition, we are people called to live together in community, in service to each other and to God. I feel this calling deeply, and as I look over my life so far, I see how it has guided me over the years. My first job out of college was with Church World Service as a fundraising communications specialist. Eventually, my career path brought me to the Marketing team at Everence Financial® (then known as MMA/Mennonite Mutual Aid), where I’ve been for nearly 18 years. When I was younger, I wouldn’t have guessed that I would end up working for a financial services organization, but I really resonate with the Everence mission of helping people be responsible stewards of their financial resources, in ways that allow them to incorporate their faith and values.

HOW DO YOU STAY CONNECTED TO CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY?

My work at Everence – as well as my adjunct teaching roles at Eastern Mennonite University (Harrisonburg, Virginia) and Bluffton (Ohio) University – gives me opportunities to be connected to many in the larger Anabaptist Christian community. I’m also a member of the Goshen (Indiana) City Church of the Brethren in the Northern Indiana District, and serve on the Board of Trustees for Manchester University. I value all of these connections and relationships, which include a wide variety of theological perspectives and experiences.

DO YOU HAVE MEMORIES OF CAMP MACK? IF SO,

PLEASE

SHARE,

OR YOU CAN SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES FROM

ANOTHER CAMP.

I didn’t grow up going to Camp Mack (although members of my family did). Since I grew up in the Illinois/Wisconsin District, I spent my summers at Camp Emmanuel in Astoria, Illinois. Some of my favorite childhood memories are from my camp experiences. But one that stands out in particular occurred in my high school years, when a handful of youth from the Illinois/Wisconsin District decided we needed to build better relationships between those of us who went to Camp Emmanuel and those who went to Camp Emmaus (another Church of the Brethren camp in the district). We worked hard to foster friendships, and some of those people are still good friends of mine to this day.

Sarah Righter Major was born on August 29, 1808, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Little did she know, she would become an influential female in the Church of the Brethren. At 18, Sarah heard a sermon from Harriet Livermore, who was a well-known preacher in Philadelphia. After hearing Harriet, Sarah joined the Brethren congregation in Philadelphia and felt a call to preach. This calling worried Sarah because she knew many Brethren did not support women preachers at that time. Sarah suppressed the calling she felt to preach.

Eventually, she told her father about her call and found him to be supportive. She began to preach occasionally at her church in Philadelphia, was noticed by others, and brought to the attention of the Annual Meeting (now known as Annual Conference). The consensus at the Annual Meeting was not as open to her preaching as her home church; they wanted her to stop preaching. Sarah wrote to the Annual Meeting, giving a biblical basis for her preaching: “I conceive it would be very inconsistent in an apostle who laid his hands on men and women and prayed over them that they might receive the Holy Ghost, to quench the gift of the Spirit of God because it was given to a woman…” When Sarah kept preaching, the Annual Meeting sent James Tracy to silence her. However, he chose not to silence Sarah. “I could not give my vote to silence someone who could out-preach me,” commented Tracy.

Sarah married Thomas Major, who was a Brethren minister, and they continued their ministry together. People often wanted to hear Sarah speak out of curiosity, but often invited her back to speak out of appreciation for her words. By 1878, Sarah was invited to preach at the Annual Meeting. Sarah died in 1884. It was not until 1958 that the Church of the Brethren opened the way for full ordination of women.

As we consider the theme “I’m not done with you,” based on Jeremiah 18, Sarah provides us a great example. Sarah continued to listen to God’s call on her life and served as a pioneer for women preachers in the Church of the Brethren. May we also faithfully listen for God’s continuing call on our lives!

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