The Marketplace Magazine November/December 2022

Reflections on a bygone era of Mennonite broadcasting

Memoir of an Unimagined Career: 43 Years Inside Mennonite Media By Melodie M. Davis (Masthof Press, 2022, 199 pp., $16 US)

Melodie Davis’s reflections on her notable career provide a fascinating window into a time when Mennonite theology had a place on mainstream radio and TV.

As a 16-year-old farm girl collecting eggs in a chicken coop, she decided that her career goal was to become a Christian writer. She attained that goal, and much more than she could have imagined, during more than 40 years working for Mennonite Broadcasts, Mennonite Media and the present-day MennoMedia.

Davis worked during a time when Mennonites and other faith groups had regular radio programs and the opportunity to do national TV public service pieces. From a college work term at a public broadcasting station in Harrisonburg, Virginia, she went on to ghostwriting, hosting radio shows, writing a syndicated newspaper column, producing a video curriculum, and editing and authoring books.

A video documentary series she worked on, Journey Toward Forgiveness, aired on ABC-TV. For people who grew up in the Mennonite tradition, the book contains stories about the Mennonite Hour program and well-known names from past decades such as Margaret Foth, David Augsburger, and Art McPhee.

Davis highlights interesting projects she helped with, and outlines changes that led to de-emphasizing of broadcasting and video production, plus the eventual merger with the downsizing Herald Press book publisher. Her values shine strongly throughout, and she is frank in discussing the challenges of being faithful during times of workplace turmoil, including organizational downsizing due to financial realities. .