By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher, GwinnettForum | Gwinnett will lose two exemplary residents soon, as Captains Abby and Andy Miller are transferred by the Salvation Army to new positions in Tampa, Fla. He and she will be the associate area commanders for the Tampa Corps.
The two captains have made a solid mark in their four years here, leading the Lawrenceville Corps of the Army to new heights in community involvement, social interaction and congregation building. Andy’s grandmother, Joan, has resided in Gwinnett since 1989 when she and her late husband, Andrew Miller Sr., retired to Gwinnett. They had at one time been the Southern Territorial Commanders based in Atlanta, and purposely chose Gwinnett to retire for its good weather, and because of its great Atlanta airport connections.
Andy Sr. was in demand all over the country for speaking engagements, therefore often on airplanes. Before his retirement, Andy Miller Sr. was the national commander of the Salvation Army in the United States, based in New York.
The entire Miller family for generations have been involved with the Salvation Army. One of Andy Sr.’s offspring, Sue Swanson, is now with the Army in Chicago. At one time she and her husband, Barry, were the number two Salvation Army officers in the world, based at the London headquarters. Andy III’s father is with the Army, as the area commander in Quincy, Ill.
The Miller family
Abby and Andy are now packing prior to their move next week. They came to Gwinnett from Army offices in Dallas, during which time Andy III earned his Doctor of Ministry degree from Southern Methodist University. His book, based on his dissertation, is entitled: Holistic Hospitality: A Bridge to a Future Army. The couple will be highlighted at a reception at the Sugarloaf Corps location during the June 18 church service at 10:30 a.m.
Andy III says that it is with “fear and trembling” that he moves to his higher post. “That Corps has had some difficulty, but we look forward to a challenge there. While I would like to stay in Gwinnett, we understand the Army moves you often, and after all, God leads me.”
The couple have three children, Andrew IV, 9; Titus, 7; and Georgia., 5.
Andy III is sold on “….our mission. No one does spiritual and social work combined better than the Salvation Army. We are liberal and conservative at the same time, serving people aggressively in Jesus’ name, but committed to the gospel, and able to use a variety of different gifts. I’m not just a preacher, but am necessarily involved in the community, in relationships, communicating the gospel, and working with the homeless community. We love to be visible through our uniform and through the way we work our faith. We have to be visible to do our job.
“What this means is that we punch beyond our weight. The Salvation Army is small in many ways. Our national church membership is now with only 125,000 people, and with that number, you would not think that we should be the Number One charity in the country, but we are.
“You must take into consideration the balance that the Army has in social and spiritual ministries. Our congregation in the Lawrenceville church numbers 275, which makes us the Number 1 or 2 largest congregation in the Southern Territory of 15 states. (During the winter, the Clearwater, Fla. Corps increases, and then they are number one, and larger than we are.”)
These two Millers, following in the footsteps of his grandparents’ impact on Gwinnett, will be sorely missed.
We wish the Andrew Miller III’s family Godspeed in Tampa. And as Andy will tell you, it’s foreordained.
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