Pastor Dan Miller 

On Tuesday evening, Pastor Dan Miller from Back Mountain Harvest in Trucksville, Pa came into our class to speak with us. He is not your typical pastor - instead of pastoring a church, he pastors a COMMUNITY. In their community, because of the ministry of the church and Pr. Dan, there are more people being ministered to outside of the church than in the church. Pr. Dan said some really interesting things that spoke volumes about his passion for the Lord. 

Their ministry tries to "engage the culture." He makes sure that he is engaging the culture everywhere that he goes. 

Something very unique in his ministry is that he does not try to grow the church - he does not aim to get the church more members, he cares about bringing people to Christ. As he said, "Jesus never asked me to build a church, he asked me to expand the kingdom." I think this reflects his heart - he is not concerned about getting people inside a church, he wants them to know their Savior. On the same note, he said, "Church is not about us, it's about those who are not 'us' yet."

Through the church, they have plans to establish a school, as well as purchasing a gym to use as a community center. Pr. Dan and his team have already opened a NIGHT CLUB! It's technically not Christian, but there are different genres of music, which is mostly Christian. No alcohol is served so it is safe for parents to bring their children. They also have a center called the Hope Center. At the Hope Center, there is free medical and legal advice offered to everyone who wants it or needs it. They also offer pastoral counseling. 

There have been huge amounts donated to the church. When asked about how and where this money came from, Pr. Dan responded, God provided. When asked in detail, Pr. Dan encouraged us to be sure that we are called to what we are doing. He explained to us the difference between God's love and God's favor. We all have God's love, but His favor is a different story. When we have God's favor, He opens door for us.