Transcript

Maxine Gough · Called to Serve

0:02
Hello and welcome to the start of Season 7 of Call to Serve, a
0:07
podcast where we share stories from women who have been
0:10
ordained by the Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada.
0:14
We have spoken with almost 100 pastors, chaplains,
0:17
missionaries, and community leaders as we learn what it's
0:21
like to be a woman in ministry. The first story we're sharing
0:25
with you this year is from Maxine Goff.
0:28
Maxine was ordained in 2005 and continues ministering today.
0:32
In her 80s, she describes growing up in a segregated black
0:37
community in Nova Scotia and her experiences ministering in
0:40
churches of the African United Baptist Association.
0:44
She also describes the joys and challenges of attending seminary
0:48
in her 60s as a blind student, believing that God has called
0:52
her to serve Him in her blindness.
0:59
The name is Maxine. Goff I was born in Halifax and.
1:05
I was born at. Home on.
1:07
The corner of Garish and Creighton St.
1:11
A real Halifax person. And of course.
1:13
That makes me. AC4, which I thank the Lord for
1:17
those years. My.
1:19
Family. Well, they're from all over,
1:22
originally East. Preston is my family.
1:25
Home. My father grew up there.
1:27
And my father's. Family goes back to well.
1:32
Big ma and black. Marriage, the father is.
1:36
Big Ma and the. Mother was black.
1:39
And on his mother's side was an escaped slave.
1:44
That was brought in during the American Revolution.
1:50
My father's family landed in the.
1:53
Valley down the Yarmouth way and then of course moved around for
1:58
a bit eventually. Moving on to his.
2:01
Mother's. Family land on the.
2:04
Windsor Highway, a little section about a mile or so long,
2:08
which is recorded. Maroon Hill we never used.
2:13
That name, but it was on my. Uncle's papers.
2:17
We used the middle Sackville. I should.
2:21
Say that I grew up in a. Segregated black Community
2:25
Schools. In Nova Scotia were segregated
2:29
by law there had been a school for the black people but.
2:36
This is at the. End of the depression and the
2:39
beginning of the war, so finances for the.
2:42
School were limited, the building was.
2:45
There and rather dilapidated. But Missus Plessa Caldwell.
2:51
Was asked if she would teach the black children and her first
2:57
person. Was a.
2:59
Young man, 14 years old, who her son befriended and she undertook
3:04
to teach him to read. And eventually, that maroon.
3:08
Hill School. Was established in the.
3:12
Plessa Caldwell's kitchen. So the school was.
3:17
Named Maroon Hill School with in brackets the kitchen school, so
3:23
the furnishings were quite unique, like the chalkboard.
3:27
Was an. Easel with a rope to keep it
3:29
from. Sliding out of place.
3:32
That could be folded. Up and stood behind.
3:34
That stove at the. End of the day, the desks were
3:40
hard. Tables and the chairs for the
3:43
older children were folding chairs that went with the card
3:46
table. Everything could be folded or
3:49
stacked. So at the end of the day.
3:52
That became regular living space.
3:55
And I didn't start. There until I was. 6 but misses
4:00
Caldwell. Taught Sunday school, so I was
4:03
taken with my older sisters to Sunday school when I was 4 and
4:08
that was the first time that I really remember just having a
4:12
visceral feeling. About the Lord, I didn't know
4:15
what it meant. The hymn that is still deep in
4:20
my memory is He arose, It started.
4:24
Low. In the gravy lay, which is very,
4:27
very dark, and then the up from the grave heroes and I remember.
4:32
Just something about. That but still continues to be
4:36
deep in my memory. One experience I remembered so I
4:40
would be. Quite small at that.
4:41
Time because I was small enough to be carried and we were in a
4:46
church service and I started talking and my mother said,
4:51
Maxine, you can't speak, you can't talk here.
4:56
And I said to her. The man is talking and the next
5:01
thing. That, I vividly remember, is
5:04
being out in the parking lot. So.
5:08
It's a wonder that. I got back in, so I did Sunday
5:13
school. And when I was six, I entered
5:16
regular school part of. The schooling was to.
5:21
Convince or to show that black children did have the ability to
5:28
learn. So we were entered into many
5:32
different activities, concerts and then the music festivals in
5:37
Halifax. So we did.
5:39
A lot of. What I look at now as being put
5:43
on show, that was my connection. With the school right up until.
5:48
1950. 3 when it close. When Missus Caldwell passed
5:53
away, I was 13 having finished Grade 8, and it was around that
6:00
time that there was the move to do away with the segregated
6:06
schools, which really didn't happen until the late. 60s
6:10
completely. My mother passed.
6:13
Away and we moved. Around it for a while and the
6:17
lift in Halifax for a year. That's when we attended
6:21
Cornwallis Street Baptist Church, now New Horizons.
6:26
A couple people had Sunday school in their homes.
6:30
But. There was a lady.
6:32
By the name of. Bertha Ford, Her husband was
6:35
Charles and she was very much interested in.
6:39
That. Community having the word
6:43
preached. There was a.
6:45
Lot of itinerant preachers around at that time and they
6:49
would come first to her. Home and.
6:52
We went to her house for. Not so much studying.
6:55
Was usually preaching. That I can't.
6:57
Say I got a lot out of it, but. The hymns were good.
7:01
I like the music that went until.
7:04
I. Took a teaching position.
7:06
At East Preston and when I was at East Preston is when I.
7:12
Accepted the Lord. Jesus as my Lord and Savior and
7:17
became a member. Of the East.
7:19
Preston Church. And I was baptized.
7:23
In the Pratchett River, so I was a member there for about 7 years
7:27
so eventually moved my membership to Halifax.
7:33
In Cornwallis Street, now New Horizons.
7:36
I began teaching Sunday. School and I was on.
7:41
Committees and boards and I was the first female to be elected
7:47
to the Board of management. I was chair of the board of
7:50
management for about 10 years, which was a change for them.
7:56
In addition, the African United Baptist association.
8:01
The umbrella organization for the African Baptist churches.
8:07
I when I attended. My first conference there.
8:11
I got. Elected chair of the.
8:15
Education Committee. I was somewhere in my 20s.
8:19
So I held that post for a while. And a lot of the.
8:25
Churches were not keen on women in ministry.
8:29
One of the things I always found was.
8:31
Interesting. Women to some extent could go
8:36
and be missionaries in other countries, but when they came
8:39
back home they wouldn't let them preach in their churches back in
8:42
North American with it was kind of crazy.
8:45
You could have the lady fox. Story You could have the
8:48
missionaries, but you. Didn't take any.
8:51
Leadership Posts. What they did have was the title
8:55
of Deaconess. And the deaconess was.
8:58
The wife. Of the Deacon.
9:01
Well, I guess. The position was to kind of.
9:04
Work with the young women and. Do that what I'm going.
9:08
To call the housekeeping jobs, but when I went to Acadia,
9:13
which? Was in 20 O one that was.
9:17
Still very strong. There was an understanding that
9:21
women were not to preach in the church and a lot of churches.
9:27
Did not take women. And would not call women to
9:31
their pulpits. I found New Brunswick to be.
9:34
Among the strongest. Against Women in ministry and
9:38
the AUBA followed that same principle.
9:43
The first two women to train at Acadia were not.
9:47
To receive despite the fact that.
9:50
They were praying for God to send some ministers and two
9:56
women. I think Aretha boarded and Tracy
10:00
Gross. When they.
10:01
Came forward it was. No, no, we want.
10:05
Ministers, but we don't want you.
10:08
By the time I. Applied to Acadia to.
10:10
Study I had completed. My teaching career and I also
10:16
had lost. My vision.
10:19
So I was 51 still. You know, working at New
10:23
Horizons and it's also around. That time when I realized I
10:28
don't know enough about the Lord.
10:30
I don't know who. God is.
10:32
I don't know who the Lord Jesus is I need.
10:36
I need to know more. I was under.
10:40
A misunderstanding that. The Christian walk was busy.
10:47
The part that I miss. Till quite a bit later in my
10:50
life. Had to do with the fact that I
10:54
needed to know who God. Is who our Lord?
10:58
Jesus is and what his life looked like so that I could.
11:04
Pattern my life after his. And at that time.
11:08
Also, there were several crises in my family in a period of
11:14
about 10 years. 6:00 to 8:00. Members of my family passed away
11:20
with long illnesses and I had retired at that time from.
11:24
Teaching and I. Was able to, you know, help.
11:28
Out and be with. Them and after.
11:32
There was that space. With doing nothing and I think,
11:36
Lord, what do you want me to do? What should I be?
11:39
Doing. I would lay on the.
11:42
Chesterfield in the afternoon and.
11:44
Listen to books and. Recordings and things like that,
11:47
eh? And what came?
11:51
To my mind, almost. As if there were somebody in the
11:54
room. It was just.
11:55
Well, first get up off the Chesterfield.
11:59
Then I thought, well. Started looking around for
12:01
places for study. It was in the.
12:03
Spring, so Acadia was having its orientation.
12:06
And I said I wanted to. Attend the orientation and know
12:12
the. Possibilities because I thought.
12:15
My role would be in a teaching capacity and not in the pulpit.
12:21
I know preaching is teaching. But and I said.
12:24
I'm blind, so I would. Need someone to come?
12:28
With me for the orientation sessions.
12:30
So. At Acadia, they provided a hotel
12:34
room for my aunt and I, so I applied.
12:37
I was told later when they were discussing me it was, you know,
12:42
the poor. Lady and then when they got my
12:45
application to enroll. It was poor off.
12:49
Because. They had not dealt with a blind
12:51
person, Doctor Trice. He had retired but his wife.
12:56
Eugenia was part of Woeful Baptist.
12:59
Church, and that's where I went. She was very good in helping
13:05
with getting kind of orientated into.
13:08
Woeful and into the. Church and taking me to.
13:11
Bible study. Things like that, things go
13:14
well. When the Lord is.
13:15
In it and things really went well when I was that woeful
13:19
because. This crazy blind woman when I
13:23
went to look for an apartment and the woman.
13:26
Said, well, it's fairly close to the university.
13:30
And it would. Take maybe?
13:32
About, you know, it's about a 10. 15.
13:34
Minute walk but not. For you.
13:37
And the taxi company that I. Started.
13:40
Traveling with, I mean. They were just excellent.
13:43
They said. You give us your class schedule
13:48
and you don't have to call every day for a.
13:51
Taxi and one morning the people that.
13:54
Owned the apartment, went to Florida and they had hired
13:59
caretakers. And they did.
14:00
Say to me it's not likely the snow will be shoveled in that.
14:04
By the time you go to classes, right?
14:07
So I heard, and I was. Shoveling.
14:09
And I said, oh, this. Thing he's out early today.
14:12
And when I. Went out the door.
14:14
It was the taxi. Driver shoveling the steps for
14:18
your safety and. How many taxi drivers?
14:20
Do you get if I needed to? Pick up.
14:24
Something you know, you run out of bread or milk or something
14:27
and I'd say to the driver, I need to stop at a store they'd
14:31
go in with. Me and.
14:33
Bring my bags in if I were out for like an evening.
14:38
And I was coming back. I would always come in to the.
14:42
Apartment to make sure everything was OK when I went
14:46
in. That's a.
14:47
Blessing, and it's one person I have to mention.
14:50
My brother-in-law Eugene did not read well.
14:54
But he would take. My.
14:56
Books because I could scan them on the.
14:59
Computer, right And we'd. Go through the passages and
15:02
parts that I need it. He would mark them.
15:06
And he was always coming up with a good way to mark the book, so.
15:09
I'd know what it. Was and read if I needed
15:12
something. Looked up, he would look up the
15:14
Bible. Passages at my ordination.
15:18
And it was my turn to, you know, give a few.
15:21
Remarks I had to say. You know, part of my degree
15:25
belongs to Eugene. As I say, I'd.
15:28
Love him to pieces and now I I keep saying.
15:31
How are you? Reading.
15:32
Well, no. Why did you?
15:34
Stop and also CNID send somebody from Halifax up to what Wolf
15:42
Hill to work with. Me so that I.
15:44
Got to be able to scan and read my material on the computer.
15:50
So they do send people free of cause to teach the use of the
15:56
computer for the blind. The computer has changed a lot.
16:03
Braille is not used that much, and a few years ago there was a
16:09
movement to bring Braille back. But a Braille machine?
16:15
That I had is like a. $1000 The other thing reading Braille if
16:21
you have arthritis or something like that, and your fingers.
16:25
Lose sensitivity. It's difficult.
16:28
To read Braille, but there are two programs on the computer. 1
16:32
is called Jaws, it reads everything on the computer
16:37
keyboard. Then there's another program
16:41
called Curse Valve and you can scan.
16:44
Books. And materials, material, then it
16:47
will read it to you. And that's what the CNID helped
16:52
me with when I was at Acadia. So I have a lot of help, but I.
16:58
Still always got into trouble with my computer, so every
17:01
Monday morning I was at the office.
17:04
I need help but it was good and. The principal at the.
17:09
Time was Lee McDonald and he said to me, if you.
17:12
Lose your way when you're going through the.
17:14
Building. He said just grab the arm of the
17:16
first person and tell them where you want to go.
17:20
So I was actually. Able to complete the course in
17:24
three years, which is the normal time.
17:27
Eh, I came out with a masters of.
17:30
Divinity graduated in 20. O4.
17:34
And then the next. Year was the mentoring and
17:37
preparation for ordination the Lake Reverend Tracy Gross.
17:42
Who I got to know and love. Dearly did that with me under
17:47
New Horizons Church. We were kind of.
17:50
In a bit of. Flux because we had a minister
17:54
there and he was very supportive and we work very well together
17:59
and. So eventually he left before I
18:02
completed my. Work for ordination and so after
18:07
he left. This is the part that it gets.
18:10
A little crazy. I.
18:12
Find that sometimes congregations.
18:16
Believe that the. Church is theirs.
18:19
They make the rules, they kind of forget.
18:22
That the church is. The body of the Lord.
18:24
And you need to ask what should we do?
18:28
And where should we go? So they had a.
18:32
Program a lay ministry program and they trained lay people to
18:37
fill in like when there was times without a minister or.
18:42
So. When the reverend was.
18:44
Leaving, he sat with the deacons and told them OK.
18:49
You have people that can keep your church going until you get
18:54
a permanent minister, so take your time and the.
18:58
Other thing would be. Pray about.
19:00
It but they decided that he was. Trying to control them.
19:05
So. I got caught in that because.
19:07
I did my. Ministry, but he was there.
19:10
And in fact, Reverend. Tracy applied during that period
19:15
of time for the position at the church.
19:18
And no, they didn't want her. And another person called and
19:21
they didn't want him. And they told me we will ordain
19:25
you, but we will not use you. So that was a little rough.
19:32
Reverend Tracy, she was funny. She told me I was somewhat
19:36
difficult and. I mean, she was.
19:39
Good to work with because she was much younger than I was,
19:42
which was great. I didn't.
19:44
I didn't mind that, but when I was.
19:46
Going for my exam. She said to me and.
19:50
Don't you go there and embarrass me?
19:53
Like, do you think I want to embarrass myself?
19:57
So after I came out of the examination, she said to me.
20:02
I hope I don't get another and I said another pigheaded person
20:09
like me. I don't understand kind of what
20:11
that relationship was, but anyway we.
20:16
Did become very close friends. But.
20:20
I think she was quite sad in her ways to A and I'm quite sad in
20:25
my ways. And you get that because from
20:29
the time I was 13 I was looking after a household of six people.
20:36
So you mature. And maybe get a little.
20:39
More authoritarian than another 13 year old so I was ordained in
20:46
the 20 O 5. I was given the.
20:49
Title of associate pastor and I was given a stipend according to
20:57
the, you know, Acadia. So that was.
20:59
Fine, so when I. When I was ordained, that was
21:03
the. Point when I was.
21:04
Told about We're going to ordain you, but we're not.
21:07
Going to use you which means. You no longer have.
21:11
That position and. So therefore the stipend stops
21:14
too. And I have to say.
21:17
The Lord is good. Because I did.
21:19
Not need that money, the Lord made sure.
21:24
That I was in. Position to take care of myself
21:28
because I was 30 when I discovered that.
21:32
I was losing my vision, my blindness.
21:34
Was gradual. There's no pain, there's no
21:38
treatment, there's nothing. It just went but.
21:42
By the time my vision was becoming a.
21:45
Challenge I had 33 years teaching, 51 years old.
21:50
And I had enough accumulative. Days to get me into my 35th
21:58
year, otherwise I would not have had a pension so.
22:03
You can see why. The Lord is looking after me.
22:07
So. When the church.
22:10
They decided. We can't afford.
22:11
This. So I said fine, we're taking
22:14
half of it. OK, I said.
22:16
We'll take all I'll say. It wasn't a very congenial
22:21
relationship up until the time I left.
22:25
And I just got. That I.
22:27
You know, was doing. Less in the church and I was
22:30
content. Because.
22:31
I believe the Lord. Directs what you should be.
22:34
Doing and if the direction for me was to be a member in the
22:38
church, to just stay there until you're moved to something else.
22:43
So that. Continued until September of
22:47
2023 as I'm presently I'm a member of Victoria Rd.
22:51
United Baptist Church in Dartmouth.
22:54
Sometimes I wonder. If I missed something.
22:59
And now if I should have continued to be there?
23:03
But I am content now that I. Made the right decision and
23:07
Victoria Rd. They're starting to ask me to,
23:11
you know, participate in. Part of the leadership I'm
23:15
sitting on the. Board of Deacons now and leave
23:18
some prayer meeting. We have what?
23:21
We call a prison ministry. Just been going 20 years now and
23:27
originally the federal government paid transportation
23:31
and meals. But that's.
23:32
Been withdrawn every time you turn around the train something.
23:36
But with this it's. Spring Hill, the 2 Dorchester's
23:39
in New Brunswick and the Maximum Prison Atlantic in northern New
23:46
Brunswick. Various churches from the AUBA
23:51
contribute, but we also have other churches.
23:55
We're a conglomeration of people.
23:58
We do like a visitation. We do devotional.
24:02
And hymns sing. They love to sing.
24:04
And talk and the inmates, you don't talk about what's going on
24:08
in their. Lives and and vent.
24:11
But it stays there. And we go up.
24:14
On a Friday and come back Saturday and the guy says you
24:18
drove all the way up here, you came here.
24:21
To visit with us. Oh, thank you, opposition.
24:27
To. Women in ministry or.
24:30
Opposition to women in general also comes from.
24:34
Women that. Kind of surprised me.
24:38
At convention. There was a.
24:40
Discussion of. Women in ministry and the women
24:45
were getting up. Talking about, you know, it was
24:48
not biblically acceptable for. Women to be in.
24:53
The pulpit I wasn't at. The last convention, but I
24:58
understand there was. Some opposition to the new
25:01
executive minister so things. Change.
25:05
Slowly. Having gone through the.
25:08
Segregation bit and the. Opposition there was to changing
25:14
that. Of course it hasn't changed.
25:16
That much yet? And it was by agreement.
25:19
And it just boggles. My mind how people can take a
25:23
stance and agree like we agree. We're not going to.
25:27
Rent the black people. So it was a hard time getting
25:31
an. Apartment to live in.
25:32
If the Superintendent. Could look down the hall and see
25:36
what's at the door. If it was a black person they
25:39
wouldn't even open. The door wouldn't even speak to
25:41
you and up until 19. 65. Dartmouth would not.
25:49
Hire a black teacher in their system.
25:51
I was. One of the first 3 black
25:54
teachers hired in Dartmouth in. 1965 and Halifax was the same it
26:02
was a. Fight for them to take the
26:05
teachers and of course now the whole province.
26:09
Black and white. Children go in at 4 into the.
26:13
School System 50. Years ago, that was.
26:18
An idea by a predominantly black and a predominantly white.
26:22
Church there's a lot more opening up and there's a
26:28
concerted effort to put both black and male and female in
26:35
positions that they never held before.
26:38
It's almost like in the case of a a black woman.
26:43
Black comes first. And the.
26:46
Well, you all, you have the. Thing of being accepted as a.
26:50
Woman and people get really upset with the.
26:53
Women's Limb and. All of that, but there are.
26:58
Things that need it. And still needs to be changed.
27:03
And this positive? Change there, really.
27:05
Is in fact. Almost every day we're making
27:09
history. We're making history constantly.
27:12
And I keep saying. I should be writing this down.
27:16
I noticed the women. That.
27:19
I meant at Acadia. Most of them at that.
27:22
Time were post career people and.
27:26
So they could take. The smaller churches because
27:30
they had their security for healthcare and all of that.
27:35
One day when we were at Acadia, four of us all landed in the
27:40
bathroom at the same time. And we got talking about the
27:44
fact that while some. Were in their 50s, they say
27:48
Well. I don't know.
27:49
Kind of if I should be here but. This is what I.
27:53
Feel led to do. And I said.
27:56
Yeah, well, look at me at that time.
27:59
I was 60. We ended up being.
28:01
A great support for one another. Another time I was.
28:07
At the church, I mean. And I knew my way around the
28:10
church and I. Went out to go to the.
28:13
Washroom and I heard someone say go down and put the lights.
28:18
On put the lights. On forever and off.
28:21
So the person came down the stairs behind me.
28:24
And he said, what's the matter with?
28:25
You false a person can't go to the bathroom on the road and I
28:29
had a friend in and I was making her a cup.
28:32
Of tea I just. Said to her, OK, I made the tea.
28:35
And I got out. Everything you need.
28:38
But I'll. Let you pour the tea, she.
28:40
Said, well, I could. Do that if you turn the light
28:44
on. I just forget.
28:47
What people can't see. And of course, that's my project
28:52
for my new. Church is to find my way around
28:55
the church now. When I was going blind, there
29:00
were people. That would say if you're a.
29:05
True Christian, you would not be blind.
29:09
Believe you me. I had hands on.
29:13
I was an anointed. I've.
29:16
Been prayed over and everything because as a Christian you
29:22
shouldn't be blind. And I said.
29:25
Leave me alone, this is the Lord.
29:27
'S doing. I believe that if the Lord has
29:33
something for me to do that required my sight, He would give
29:38
it to me. At any time I needed it but the.
29:42
Lord requires me to serve Him in my blindness.
29:48
He trusts me. The Lord trusts me to serve Him
29:52
in my blindness. Thank you to Maxine for sharing
30:00
her story with us. If you would like to be entered
30:03
into a draw for a free copy of our upcoming book, send us an
30:07
e-mail by March 31st with the subject line Free Book.
30:12
Our e-mail address is called to Serve at acadiau.ca, which you
30:17
can also find in the show notes. Everyone who emails in will
30:21
receive notification when our book comes out and be entered
30:24
into that. That book contains 14 stories of
30:28
ordained women in ministry. You can follow Call to Serve on
30:32
Facebook and Instagram and keep up to date with our latest news
30:36
at Call to serve.ca. We'll be back in two weeks with
30:40
another woman's story of being called to serve.