This article was originally published in the Winter 2016 edition of the Northstar Magazine.
Flipping back through the pages of great memories with Northstar, there are many incredible people that jump off of the pages of my mind but Paul and Allie Miller are deeply special to me. Paul and Allie came to Virginia Tech in 2009 and became involved in Northstar as students. They met for the first time as they both became involved in a ministry reaching Greek students called Legacy.
As individuals and a dating couple, Paul and Allie were very involved in Northstar. It was not a rare occurrence to find Paul doing his own flamboyant twist with the Sunday morning announcements or to be encouraged by his teaching from the Bible for small group trainings. Allie ministered to many women around her and was a huge influence for Christ in her sorority during her undergrad years. After finishing Paul’s Master’s degree, they moved to the University of Georgia for Paul to pursue his PhD in meteorology. Soon after arriving in Georgia, they added one to their family with the birth of Hayden June.
I wanted to follow up with them for this issue of the Northstar Magazine to find out how they were invested in life and ministry in Georgia.
How are you being the church now in Athens?
Paul and Allie wasted no time getting involved in a local church and are now very involved in Classic City Church. Paul has continued using his ministry gifts in many of the same ways that he did here at Northstar. Paul serves as the church’s small group coordinator and has helped their church grow its small group ministry in great ways. Paul still finds that God is using him to reach fraternity men through being an advisor in Beta Theta Pi and discipling Greek men. On top of being a great mother and working, Allie has taken up helping lead in the women’s ministry at Classic City.
How have you grown spiritually since arriving in Georgia?
Paul shared how the largest area of spiritual growth has been his prayer life.
“Spending prolonged time with the Lord in prayer used to be awkward but now spending time with Him in prayer is refreshing and comfortable.”
It was encouraging to hear Allie’s growth in her view of biblical community.
“Since coming to Georgia, the importance of biblical community has risen to a new level and plugging into our church has been a huge catalyst of growth.”
How did your time at Northstar prepare you for your current service in church?
Both Paul and Allie explained how they have a large appreciation for their time at Northstar and how that time benefited their transition. Paul commented, “It is hard to pinpoint all the exact ways in which we grew during our time at Northstar. It was such a formative time for our walks with the Lord.” Paul said that their time at Northstar helped dramatically with their transition in helping them find a great local church in Georgia that they are able to serve in.
In their time helping their current church family grow, Allie mentioned how her experience at Northstar has helped their current church grow. “There are many times during ministry strategy conversations where we will share ideas that we got during our time from Northstar.” Both Paul and Allie are reminded of how well Northstar does ministry and that is very helpful to them as they Be the Church in Athens.
Update, March 2019
We reached out to Paul and Allie for an update, and this is what they provided for us:
After five years in Athens, Georgia, the Millers (who now number four with the addition of Luke Miller in August 2018) are moving to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. They are excited to begin their ministry in the bayou, and see how the Lord with use them to further the kingdom in their new community.
Throughout their time in Georgia, Paul and Allie were members at the same church, and wholly invested themselves in that body. As such, Allie has remained active in the women’s ministry, and Paul coordinated the small group ministry until he was let go from volunteer staff in summer 2018. The Miller’s don’t-go-be attitude in Athens manifested through frequent discipleship. Allie has found a passion for ministering to new moms in the church, and Paul has been meeting with college men and international students on a near-continuous basis since arriving in Georgia. The Millers’ time at Northstar continues to be instrumental in their spiritual development, and continues to serve God’s purposes far beyond the NRV.