By RHYS WALTERS

Judson Baptist Church's two-year search for a new full-time pastor is finally over. Pastor David Miller was recently named to fill the position that had been vacant since the departure of Judson' s founder, Pastor Alex Burghard.

Judson is located at 35th Avenue NE and NE 127th in Lake City.

Miller, 40, arrived here last month from Nyssa, Oregon, a town near the Idaho border, where he served as pastor of Owyhee Community Church.

He brings with him his wife Karri and their 2-year-old daughter Makkayla.

Miller grew up in a suburb of Portland called Lake Oswea. He says he inherited his outgoing personality from his father, a Portland police officer who enjoyed chatting with passersby while patrolling his beat.

Miller describes his teen-age years as a tumultuous time that included bouts of binge-drinking. After attending church at the invitation of a concerned friend, Miller decided, at age 20, to become a Christian.

Miller went on to attend Moody Bible Institute in Chicago where he earned a degree in Christian Education, followed by a graduate degree in Biblical Studies and Theology from Liberty Bible Institute in Virginia. He later received a Masters of Theology degree from Andersonville Baptist Seminary in Georgia. In 1986, he was ordained as a missionary through the Ministry of Salvation in California.

As a missionary, first with Harvest International and later with Youth With a Mission, he worked in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Russia (when it was still known as the Soviet Union. He arrived in Russia two months after the fall of the Berlin Wall).

He eventually returned to the United States and in 1994 received his license to become a practicing pastor at Woodland Park Baptist Church in Portland where he served as a youth pastor.

Four years ago, Miller landed his first full-time pastorship position at Owyhee Community Church. He describes Nyssa, Oregon, as a town that consists of "3,000 people and one stoplight."

His desire to live in a big city again was one of reasons for his decision to accept the pastor position at Judson Baptist.

But while Seattle is a thriving metropolis, Miller's new church actually has a smaller congregation than his previous church: Judson currently has 25-30 members, while Owyhee had 30-40 members.

Miller would like to see the membership at Judson Baptist grow.

As Judson's new pastor, Miller is working on implementing a new program called "Journey of a Lifetime," which he describes as a "no-strings attached education course for the Bible. He also wants to "go out and meet people" in the community and would like to work in cooperation with the pastors of the other churches in the Lake City area.

Miller's wife, Karri, plans to start a group for stay-at-home mothers, similar to the group she belonged to in Nyssa.

Miller said he and his family are excited and happy with their move to Seattle, though he did acknowledge he is still somewhat confused as to how the streets are arranged here. "But I haven't gotten lost yet," he said. He also said it's going to take time getting used to having to pay a sales tax here.

For hobbies, Miller enjoys singing, playing guitar and keyboard, and is a basketball fan who continues to root for the Portland Trail Blazers, even though he now lives in the home city of one of the Blazers' rivals, the Seattle SuperSonics.

"I think church should be fun - a place where you get to know one another, work with one another," said Miller. "Being a Christian isn't Bible-bashing people. Christianity is about relationship."

Miller says he would like to be viewed as someone people can feel comfortable turning to for help.

"Pastors need to be approachable by anyone. Pastors shouldn't be a dictator ... they need to be connected to the people," he said.

"As my wife would say," Miller added, "I know no strangers." (