BIRMINGHAM, England (ABP) — Paul and Eveline Miller had good reason to feel a sense of déjà vu during the Baptist World Alliance's centennial congress.
They attended the 1955 BWA congress in London during their honeymoon. And they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary during the BWA congress in Birmingham July 27-31.
While most other delegates' BWA experiences weren't nearly so historically symmetrical, they also expressed joy and gratitude to attend the worldwide gathering of Baptists from more than 200 conventions and unions.
The Millers put off their honeymoon from October 1954 until the summer of '55. They stalled in celebrating their golden anniversary so they could celebrate at the BWA again, Paul Miller said.
He attended his first BWA congress as a youngster in 1939 in Atlanta when George W. Truett of Dallas, a distant cousin, was alliance president. And as a couple, the Millers have been to about 10 BWA congresses since their honeymoon.
They served as missionaries at the Nigeria Baptist Theological Seminary in Africa for 30 years before retiring to Fort Worth, Texas.
Through the years — and this year was no exception — the Millers have looked upon BWA congresses as reunions.
“It's always good to come back and see friends,” Miller said, noting they connected with Nigerians, family members, friends from the United States and friends from other countries whom they have met through BWA.
Another major value of participating in the congresses has been “a chance to have a broader perspective on who Baptists are,” Miller said. “It's not just their beliefs, but how they express who they are.”