| David Jay Miller
I am delighted to be in the Anglican Orthodox Church! As a student at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, I found myself attracted to the confessional stance and liturgies of the Reformation, and as an historian, I rejoiced in the historic connection with the early Church. I am grateful to the Lord for all my experience in Presbyterian churches, but now have found a home in the AOC.
I was called by our Lord to the ministry, and was originally ordained in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, in which I served a pastorate in Bend Oregon, later transferring to the Presbyterian Church in America. After moving to Georgia in 2001, my wife and I soon became involved in an Anglican Church newly formed out of people who have left Episcopal churches and which is now becoming a part of the new North American Province.
But I began to notice issues of belief and practice that owed more to the 1979 Prayer Book and to questionable practices of the Episcopal Church than to the historic Anglican Formularies. I found that in good conscience I could not sign on to the new American Province. At that point I was glad to find an Anglican Church that truly embraces the historic Reformation confession of the Thirty-Nine Articles and worships with the historic tradition of the Prayer Book of 1928. After articulating my stand as best I could and meeting with Bishop Ogles, I am now happy to be in the AOC.
The Lord has not put me on the shelf, though. Since there is no AOC church in the Atlanta area, and there are some other good people also concerned about a truly Biblical and historic Anglican expression of the faith, I have continued conducting services just as I did in our former church, only now in a home and with the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. We are praying and looking to the Lord to see what He will do among us. We are enjoying good fellowship around His Word and Sacrament. There are about six of us right now, and we are expecting more will be added to our number as we remain faithful in prayer and preaching. The Lord has given me a passion for teaching the Bible, and it is exciting to begin this new adventure of faith!
Judy and I have three grown daughters: Deborah is a career professional, living in Pennsylvania. Joanna lives in Minot, North Dakota with her husband and son (so far, our only grandchild); and Kristin lives in Athens, Georgia with her husband.
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