POW Patrick Miller Found Faith Last Year at Kan. Baptist Church

Written by Michael Foust

WICHITA, Kan. (BP) — A Southern Baptist church in Kansas is rallying to support the family of American POW Patrick Miller whose wife is a longtime member.

Olivet Baptist Church in Wichita is reaching out to Miller's wife, Jessa, and her two young children following the capture of her husband by Iraqis during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Miller, 23, and four others are members of the Army's 507th Maintenance Company who became the war's first American POWs.

Miller and his wife were married at Olivet Baptist Church about a year ago. The church's pastor, Ron Pracht, performed the ceremony and provided the couple's marriage counseling, during which Miller accepted Christ. Shortly after the marriage, Miller and his wife left for Fort Bliss, Texas, where the 507th Maintenance – part of the 111th Air Defense Artillery Brigade – is stationed.

Jessa returned to the Kansas area after her husband was deployed. Pracht said he has talked to her since the news broke.

"We're praying with them (Jessa and her family)," Pracht told Baptist Press. "Our women's teams are ready to provide meals. (Jessa) is just real reticent to that. She's still pretty numb."

Pracht said he learned of the news Sunday night, but "didn't put two and two together until Monday morning."

He has since sent out a prayer request e-mail to church members. He believes Miller's family will receive more comfort in the Wichita area than they would have by staying in Texas.

"She has a lot of support around here," Pracht said, adding that one of Jessa's cousins serves as the church's administrative assistant.

Providentially, the church is going through a study of the "one another" sayings of the New Testament, such as encourage one another, comfort one another, and serve one another.

In addition to Miller's safe return, Pracht requested prayer for the church to receive "wisdom in serving Jessa (and) letting her experience God's love."

Miller grew up in Valley Center, a town of 5,000 people a few miles north of Wichita. Several churches came together March 24 at a local United Methodist Church to pray for Miller.

Bobby Massey, the pastor of Valley Center Assembly of God, has known Miller for some 10 years. He said Miller visited his church as a youth. "Obviously, all the churches in town have him on their prayer chain," Massey told Baptist Press.

Yellow ribbons, he said, are "all around town."

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