Christopher F. Millett (November 7, 1966 - May 14, 2024)
It seems fitting that we would honor our friend and brother in Christ, Pastor Chris Millet here on our Blog/News page so that his life might serve as an ongoing reminder to us who visit here in the days to come. Just seeing his smiling face in the photo above reminds me of how he could make anyone feel loved, without saying a word.
Its difficult to process that he has moved on from this life and the many people he loved so well. He will certainly be missed, that is until we get to high-five him in eternity and laugh with him again. His sudden passing has challenged me to honor him by carrying on some of the attributes he lived out so well and I hope that you would join me.
Chris' longtime friend and fellow local pastor Trent Pope did a brilliant job in celebrating Chris' life and capturing these attributes which Chris exuded every day. In an effort to "not re-create the wheel", I asked Trent's permission to share his notes from the service here so that the best of Chris might live on through all of us. Here's what Trent wrote:
"What a gift we had in Chris. Whatever position he played in your life, he was a gift from God. A blessing from God Himself. He blessed all of us with the incredible, strong, encouraging and loving gift that was Chris. He was special. Chris truly was one of a kind. God gave us Chris. What a gift.
He lived a full life and leaves a legacy that is unmatched. And as I thought of his life, I felt the best way to honor him was to challenge us all to be a little more like Chris. There were a million things that made him special. And as we honor and celebrate his life,I want to pull 4 lessons we can learn from Chris. Because I believe that this world needs a little more Chris in it.
Love Deeply
Loved his family. Loved his friends. Loved his God.
It is so important to let those around you know how much they mean to you.
Life is unpredictable, filled with both joyous and sorrowful moments. It is during times like these, when we lose a loved one, that we are reminded of the fragility and preciousness of our relationships. We often find ourselves reflecting on the things left unsaid, the moments we wish we could relive, and the opportunities we missed to express our love.
Because the truth is we don’t know when the last time you will hear I love you will be. This life is crazy, and can be hard. Make sure you spend time with those you love the most and make sure they know how much you love them.
Lead by Serving
Chris was one of the best pastors I have ever been around. He loved people and served them so well. I am pretty sure Chris single handedly has moved 80 percent of this room. Whether he moved you or not, he probably served you in some capacity. Just a few weeks before his passing he was at our Sanford Location setting up our Fortify weekend. He moved tables, chairs and literally scrubbed floors.
You see it wasn’t the task that was so important to Chris, it was how he could make people feel by serving them. I loved Chris, but I hated setting up Chairs in the auditorium with him. He would diligently comb over each row. A young impatient Trent begging to be anywhere else. He taught me something though, if you want to lead, you better learn to serve.
You see Chris didn’t see his role as Pastor to be one to be served, but rather one to serve. He modeled Jesus in this way. The Bible says the Son of man came not to be served, but rather to serve. Matthew 20:28
Chris led by the way he served. He truly understood what servant leadership was. He was a great teacher of this.
One of the family's favorite Sermons Chris ever preached was on what it meant to be a servant. He broke down the greek in 1 Peter 5:2-11
These verses are a summation of how he pastored..
2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be;not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.5 In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”[a]6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
Serve somewhere. Serve somebody. Stand for the hurting. Believe in those who don’t believe in themselves. Focus more on what you can do for people, rather than what people can do for you.
Pursue God Passionately
Chris loved Jesus. Chris might be the most faithful YouVersion Bible plan user of all time! He had more badges on the Bible App then all these baptist Awana kids here combined. Over a thousand highlighted and shared verses.
He was currently doing Bible plans on daily prayers for my wife and daily prayers for my kids. You see, Chris didn’t just say he loved the Lord. He was passionate about God. He loved his Father. He was passionate about the things of God.
A life long learner. He pressed into who God was. In an age where we beg men to step into the things of God, Chris led the way.
He was a man of prayer. Man he could pray. He would bring peace to any chaos just by the soft inflection of his voice reaching to heaven. He would text often asking what he could be praying for me about.
He was a worshiper. That man could sing!
Chris was special, but perhaps what I appreciated about him the most was how he lived out the fruit of the spirit. He wasn’t walking in his strength but Gods.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
What if we, just in this room, modeled Chris in this. That we really read and loved the word. That we prayed with diligence and lived out the fruit. What impact could be made for the kingdom of God!
Encourage Intentionally
Chris was an encouragement to so many. He spent his life lifting up those around him.
Chris was so encouraging but it was always intentional. He was incredible with his words. He could build you up and make you believe that you really were that awesome!
“Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” Ephesians 4:29
“Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.” Proverbs 12:25
Chris will be missed dearly. His wisdom and love for his family is his legacy. Although his story has concluded here on this earth, its richness lives on. He is in the presence of God, worshiping a God he loved so dearly."
Thank you Trent for honoring our friend in your beautiful words. I pray that we, and all who knew him, would honor his life by being just a little more like him in the days to come.
May God bless Chris' family and friends as we remeber the gift that he was to us. We will be sure to walk with his wife Kelly, his children Allison, Corey and Brenton, and their families in every way we can.
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