Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 23, 1994 TAG: 9410240030
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: FRANCES STEBBINS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Long
"On the surface," the pastor recalls, "it sounded terrible. We all remember about our fraternity initiations; things went on that you don't expect in a church. But I took it to the session and we looked into it thoroughly. Turned out the fraternity was service-oriented, a fine group of students and they used our church for four years . No problems."
The memory says a lot about Vernon Miller who ends his pastorate of 26 years at Christiansburg Presbyterian on Nov. 20. He and his wife, Edna Ruth, are packing up to move to Hilton Head Island, S.C., in time for Christmas.
Miller turns 65 on New Year's Eve, but the couple decided to leave the congregation at the end of the church year so farewell festivities wouldn't conflict with Advent celebrations.
Although he's been "the boss" at the old downtown church since 1968, Miller has tried not to take advantage of his position. He has made few decisions without consulting his board of laity and he has remained flexible over the years.
That flexibility, the ability to work with people in community improvement projects and what Miller laughingly calls "the loving and forgiving nature" of his congregation, have made Miller an important player in New River Valley church life.
He has also consciously tried to "network" with many service agencies and has been in contact with folk of many denominations and walks of life.
The manse on Hummingbird Lane is dominated by a grand piano, a symbol of Vernon and Edna Ruth Miller's love of music. It brought them together nearly 40 years ago in Baltimore when he sang bass and she alto in a "Messiah" performance.
From Baltimore, Vernon Miller went into the Air Force and the Korean conflict. Then it was several years in personnel work before a move to Goldsboro, N.C., sent the couple to activity in a Presbyterian Church.
Originally members of other denominations, the Millers eventually found themselves at Union Theological Seminary in Richmond with three little girls.
Today, Patricia Lynn is in legal work in Arlington, Kathryn Suzanne is in medical research in Raleigh, N.C., and Mary Carol Gavin lives in nearby Cary, N.C., with her husband and two small daughters.
After Miller's ordination in 1962, the family spent three years at West End Presbyterian Church in inner city Roanoke. There Miller experienced warm fellowship in the old Montgomery Presbytery, which led to his acceptance of the call from the historic Christiansburg parish.
"I didn't expect to stay 26 years. My predecessors [Robert Kinnaird and Cothran Smith] had stayed for more than 20 years each, and that seemed a long time to me."
But the mix of pastor and congregation was a good one. Over the years the church has grown from 375 to 550 members. It has vastly expanded its staff and programs, especially those in music and education which both the minister and his wife see as important for the many younger families.
Headed by Dr. Nicolo LoMascolo, the music staff includes a half dozen gifted and committed men and women who train children and adults of all ages in choral, instrumental and bell music.
The education program has been upgraded by the addition of a professional, full-time director, Juliana Sheffield.
The church has grown, the Millers say, partly because the town's population has doubled in their years there. The freshness of ideas the New River Valley's newcomers bring has resulted, they know, in a better-than-average way of life.
Then why leave Christiansburg with its many friends and memories?
This was no hasty decision, the couple says. They bought a house in the affluent seaside community near Savannah, Ga., more than a year ago, and Miller plans to spend the coming winter using his carpentry hobby to upgrade it. They chose a place, Edna Ruth Miller said, where they might find part-time jobs and do plenty of volunteer work with the poor undercrust of the vacation economy. Despite the threat of tropical storms, the weather will allow them to play tennis and exercise.
The pastor said he feels strongly about the need to give his successor - first an interim and later a "called minister" - freedom to know the church and to serve it without his interference. In a town where he is so well known, that makes it almost essential to move out of the area, he said.
Edna Ruth Miller said they feel good about the future of the church they are leaving. Long pastorates do produce stability, and the staff of various ages will ease the transition to new leadership. Miller gave a year's notice of his retirement, taking his board fully into the process of planning.
Still, he said, for the congregation as well as the clergy, transition times must be expected. Then, he said, there will be a new vision for the church.
by CNB