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: Laura Miller – 2020 Missions Moderator and Current Elder
- Joined FPC: 1999
- Family: I have been married to Bill Miller for 53 years. We have a daughter, Laurie, living in Miami, FL. She is a math teacher, married to Fernando Rodriguez, and has two children, Benjamin (10 yrs. old) and Mina (7 yrs. old). Our son, Jonathan, is a teaching assistant professor in civil engineering at NC State University. He is married to Erika and has a son, Sanders (12 yrs. old).
- Career: I was a laboratory assistant for 10 years, working at Harvard Medical school, Cornell University and the NIH in Bethesda, MD. When our children were older, I worked with H&R Block for 28 years. I enjoyed my clients and the chance to help them with a job they preferred not to do, thus, giving them time and freedom to do other tasks they enjoyed more. I am now retired.
Kathy: Why do you feel missions are important to FPC?
Laura: Missions are service to others and this is what Jesus wants us to do. As a church we can have a greater impact working together.
Kathy: What mission are you most closely affiliated with and why?
Laura: As new members to FPC in 1999, Bill and I joined a new and exciting international mission program which had just begun involving Presbyterians in South Korea, Bolivia and our FPC. We visited the Suhnam church in Kwangju. It was a wonderful experience worshiping with Korean Christians. The language, food and customs were all different, but we served the same God and loved the same Jesus. A special memory was a drive around the beautiful countryside late one evening with our Korean hosts. We wanted to communicate, but they didn’t know English and we knew no Korean; we started singing Christmas carols (in June) and they sang the same carols in Korean. This turned out to be a wonderful way to communicate through the universal language of music. This Korean connection led us to the support of the Eden school in Bolivia. I would love to have you meet our friends in Bolivia, have a meal with them and experience our joy in sharing the love of Jesus Christ together. This mission partnership with Koreans, Bolivians and Americans shows that anything is possible in Christ.
In 2020, I was privileged to chair our FPC Mission committee. Near the end of last year, we analyzed our most recent Vision Report from a congregational brain-storming effort designed to identify missions we want to emphasize in the future. Topping the list was homelessness and affordable housing. Also, there was a desire for more personal involvement in our mission projects. In fact, the Newsletter you are now reading sprang from that effort, to let you know what opportunities FPC offers for personal involvement – your time & talents!
Kathy: What was your most memorable trip or vacation?
Laura: I love to travel and have had many memorable trips with our children and friends to Alaska, Montana, Portugal, Hawaii, a dude ranch in Colorado and many beaches along the eastern seaboard and Florida’s gulf coast. I look forward to more travels with our children and grandchildren.
Kathy: What is an item on your bucket list?
Laura: Covid19 cancelled our trip to Finland in 2020 to see the Northern Lights. Maybe this trip will be possible in the future.
Kathy: What is something positive that you’ve experienced during the pandemic that you may incorporate into your life going forward.
Laura: More time to reflect and stay in touch with family and friends. I allowed myself to be less rushed, to have more time “smelling the roses” and enjoying God’s marvelous creation and visiting with others through Zoom and phone conversations.
Kathy: If you could invite 3 people (living or dead, fictional or real) to dinner, who would they be and why?
Laura: I would like to break bread with Jesus to hear of his ministry directly from him. I would like to have dinner with my parents and 2 brothers so we could have one more family meal together. Finally, I want to have a meal with family still living; with our busy world, we often do not take the time to be connected. A nice leisurely long meal would be very nice.