- Ian Allen
Malene Carr, an elder at Meadowbrook United Church in St. Andrew.
MANY YOUNG persons her age have their focus elsewhere - on 'blinging' out in the latest fashion trend, maybe, or just having a 'good' time.
But 25-year-old Malene Carr is an elder in her church at Meadowbrook United in St. Andrew. The young auditor who was already on the finance committee of the religious body said that she had really desired "something more", but was totally stunned when one of her pastors came to her and requested that she take up this senior position in a congregation of over 400.
At the start of 2002, she was asked to enter the missions group in her church as an elder. She was very doubtful. Six months later, she was asked again, and it was then that she said yes, although she still felt some trepidation.
Now, in her role as elder, Carr assists the pastor in his duties, catering to the spiritual growth of the congregation (including many much older than she is) and administrative tasks.
Pastor Colin Cowan, in charge of Meadowbrook United, told Outlook: "Malene is one of your youngest elders. Part of what Meadowbrook is trying to do is to highlight and affirm a number of our young people who are outstanding both in terms of their personal lifestyle and leadership capabilities. Malene is one of our outstanding young people. She has come up through the ranks of youth fellowship, drama group, youth choir and she has gained the love, admiration and respect of a wide cross-section of the congregation, cutting across the generations. She is ambitious and stands out as one of the young who demonstrate a sense of commitment to the leadership and the future of the church."
Very articulate
The young lady, he said, "is very articulate and visionary. She is committed to the values that undergird all aspects of the ministry which we pursue together."
Each elder in the church is assigned to a district or group of people in a geographical location. In Malene's group are 15 people.
"You need to meet with them regularly and conduct cell group meetings where everyone can share and learn together," Pastor Cowan says.
The role of the teacher is sometimes delegated to capable people in the group, but the buck stops at Malene's door.
She is also responsible for visiting individuals, especially the sick and shut-ins. The youthful elder submits a quarterly report to the pastor on matters in the district, indicating those members who need prayerful support.
Additionally, if you visit her church, you will see Carr collecting offering and reading lessons. She is also a member of the Strategic Planning Committee of the church.
Maintaining values
According to Malene, she has never felt any resentment from older members because of her age. These, she said, have been a source of unqualified support.
Leadership is also about receiving, she hastens to point out. "I have benefited spiritually. I have seen myself develop." Her perspectives on many issues, she said, have been broadened.
How does she manage to maintain her Christian values in a secular environment of work? Malene is head of internal audit in her department at Digicel, the telecommunications firm, and also oversees other Caribbean offices.
The graduate of Immaculate Conception High and the University of the West Indies (Auditing, Economics and Management), who has also completed the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants tests, says that climbing the corporate
career ladder has never been enough for her.
She remains a Christian, she said, because her beliefs are a source of hope.
"Sometimes when you are down, you have the privilege of drawing on this source. I am assured that God knows everything and is working on my behalf.
"I believe that if you have not come into that relationship with the Lord, then you remain spiritually dead and after your mortal life is past, there is no hope. Naturally, we are made with a desire for a relationship with a higher being. Family, career, friends are not enough. In everyone there is a space for God."
Great worship
The young woman also claims "the whole worship experience is a full joy. We are naturally spiritual beings".
Carr, who has been a Christian since she was nine years old, and says she's never been tempted to sample an 'unsaved' life, said that both her parents are believers. Their influence may have had a strong impact on her own decisions.
The Christian life, she says, is not easy, but she has never considered alternatives.
Malene does have Christian and non-Christian friends alike, but they all share the same basic values. In her free time, she likes to go to the movies, to plays and out travelling to the country with these friends.
"I find that the person I am naturally attracted to, shares the same values."
Those who have not yet committed themselves, she encourages to become a part of the faith.
She is always on the mission field.
As an elder, the most singular lesson has been the necessity of having a vision. This she has been able to transfer seamlessly to her corporate job, where she hopes in the future to become a part of the management team.
Her deepest desire, she said, is to "mature spiritually". Her term as elder will last for three years.
"I will be satisfied if I have made a meaningful contribution to the work of God," Carr says.
- Avia Ustanny
