I am very blessed to have many dedicated members of the Mission Committee. These FPC members devote countless hours of their time and assist me with mission budget allocation, grant reviews, as well as serving as coordinators for various subcommittees and/or as liaisons with mission partners. The Mission Committee is comprised of elders, deacons, PW representatives and at-large church members. I couldn’t do my job effectively without their help and I want you to have the opportunity to get to know them better.
Mission Committee Member: Bill Miller, Bolivian Mission Representative and Current Deacon
Joined FPC:
1999 – I was born a Presbyterian and have been an elder five times and a deacon twice.Family:
Laura and I have been married 53 years. We have a daughter, Laurie (and family) in Miami, FL, and a son, Jonathan (with family) in Raleigh, NC. Both children teach youth (Laurie: 9-12 grade math; Jonathan: civil engineering at NCSU). My brother, Doug, lives in Hawaii. I grew up with an energetic beagle and our children were raised with a Keeshond. We dearly loved both dogs.Career:
I am a WNR distinguished professor of biochemistry, emeritus at NC State University (1976-2013). Gene regulation of male and female reproduction was my research.
Kathy: What mission are you most closely affiliated with and why?
Bill: At FPC I participate in a unique youth program in Santa Cruz, Bolivia in partnership with South Korean Presbyterians. It focuses on the Presbyterian Eden school (650 students; K-12) led by Rev. Ik Bai Moon, an inspiring Korean missionary. FPC scholarship donations have helped 2,000 students attend Eden since the year 2000, and FPC medical teams have cared for over 30,000 Bolivians at Eden ages birth to 90 years old. This unique FPC mission program has ministered to thousands of youth in a country that desperately needs quality Christian leadership.
Kathy: What was your most memorable trip or vacation?
Bill: I’d have to say a trip to Denali National Park, Alaska. The wildlife, hiking, and plane ride around Mount Denali were super but most remarkable was meeting Karen Johnson, an FPC member, in the Alaskan wilderness. We had never met in Raleigh!
Kathy: What is an item on your bucket list?
Bill: A trip to Finland’s arctic circle (near Santa’s workshop) where reindeer live, snow falls always and Northern Lights make the night skies glow and dance like waves of fire-flies.
Kathy: What is something positive that you’ve experienced during the pandemic that you may incorporate into your life going forward?
Bill: COVID19 has isolated many, but zooming on-line has helped bring people closer. Our Rick Brand Sunday School class has added 8 members by Zooming. When in-person Sunday School classes resume, we plan to incorporate Zooming into the class so home-bound and out-of-towners can still attend.
Kathy: If you could invite 3 people (living or dead, fictional or real) to dinner, who would they be and why?
Bill: I want to dine with my deceased mother; her love and care for me were extraordinary and I want to learn more about her. I would dine with my deceased mother-in-law to learn about her life in Georgia, North Carolina and back-woods Tennessee in the early-mid 1900s. Finally, I would like to dine with Jesus Christ to ask so many questions.