It is with sadness that I have learned of the recent death of Jule Miller.  Brother Miller was a victim of leukemia, a disease that eventually took his life.  I have the feeling that the Lord’s church has lost a great servant and he will be missed.  He has, however, left a legacy of evangelism that has empowered many others with filmstrip and projector in hand to go and preach the gospel to every creature.
     My acquaintance with brother Miller has been meager through the years.  I cannot say that I knew him well.  He always impressed me as the kind of person I would like to have known well.  The first time I ever met him was in 1990 when the Geyer Springs congregation hosted a personal evangelism seminar with Jule and Judy Miller.  I learned then that brother Miller was quite adept at using magic in teaching Bible lessons to children.  My wife has grown to love Judy Miller through the years by means of her many books.  The Miller’s reared ten children.  Sister Miller often wrote about their experiences at home.  We have felt a kinship to the Millers at least in the large family department.
     Like most people, I suppose, I knew the Jule Miller filmstrips before I ever knew Jule Miller.  Of course, the filmstrips were properly called The Visualized Bible Study Series, but everybody called them the Jule Miller Filmstrips.  When I preached for a mission congregation in central Georgia in the 1980’s I utilized the filmstrips in my teaching opportunities.  The church in Milledgeville was equipped with the filmstrips, a projector and portable screen.  I will never forget the opportunity I had of showing those filmstrips to a Bible class of a Baptist church in Milledgeville.  The members of the class found the filmstrips enjoyable and agreeable, but I was certain that the final two lessons on the Lord’s church and the plan of salvation would certainly spark some word of disagreement from them.  If they ever felt it they never voiced it.  I was happy that they were taught these truths even though I did not convert them.
     As the filmstrips were updated we utilized the newer versions.  We were benefited in our efforts to teach black people with the newer filmstrips as they were made adaptable to various ethnic groups.   Jule Miller changed his visualized Bible study series with the times.  One thing that never changed was the good, effective teaching that came through in each of these lessons.  For a general introduction to the Bible they are very good
     Who will be able to count the souls that have been taught the gospel by means of the Jule Miller filmstrips?  How many souls will populate heaven because of the evangelistic fervor of Jule Miller?  The work of teaching people the gospel with this simple, but effective tool continues.  Jule Miller sought to make Jesus Christ known to the masses.  He certainly has done that well.  He will, however, be remembered for his works sake.