Our church will reach its 50th anniversary as an officially organized congregation of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church on May 13, 2021. That is quite a milestone for our church and it is fitting to enter into a season of thanksgiving to God as we reflect on this history. This year, we also experienced another milestone of sorts — the death of our beloved Rev. Richard C. Miller who pastored the church for the majority of these 50 years, from 1974 to 2006. While we continue to mourn his death, we recognize that this is also a fitting occasion to commemorate his ministry and legacy which is intimately bound up with the history of our church.
Consequently, this blog will be dedicated to reflecting on the history of our church over these last 50 years and especially on the ministry of Pastor Miller during that time. May these reflections serve to give all the glory to God in our heartfelt thanksgiving to the LORD for all that he has done in this ministry in Novato and the North Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. Soli Deo gloria!
Our first snapshot from the past will be an article from September, 1975 in Outreach published by our denomination’s Committee on Home Missions and Church Expansion (CHMCE). In the early years of the church, we came under the support of CHMCE to help our young congregation become more fully established. Pastor Miller was given opportunity by CHMCE at several points to provide a report to the denomination on our church’s ministry. These reports are a wonderful opportunity to learn about some of the challenges faced during those early years, see some photographs from the time, and recognize God’s blessings and answered prayer. While reading such reports, it is very interesting to see what things have changed over time and what things have stayed the same! Here is one such report:
