An early ecumenist

Al Miller

Pastor Al Miller, co-chair of the original joint Anglican-Lutheran working group that drafted the Waterloo Declaration, has died at 69.

Mr. Miller, a Lutheran, was appointed co-chair to the group in 1995. He was credited with much of the work that brought full communion between the Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) to fruition at General Synod in Waterloo, Ont. last July.

Mr. Miller was diagnosed with cancer three years ago, but continued to lead the working group, said his co-chair, Archdeacon Jim Cowan of Victoria, B.C.

Although Mr. Miller was not well enough to travel to Waterloo to witness the historic signing of the Waterloo Declaration, he was presented with one of the chalice and paten sets given out to mark the occasion. “I also took pictures of the signing to him, and we celebrated communion using the chalice and patten set,” Archdeacon Cowan said.

Archdeacon Cowan said that Mr. Miller’s gifts including an ability to draw the group’s diverse statements together and focus them into a main thought.

An early ecumenist, Mr. Miller was incumbent at St. Mark’s Anglican, in Ocean Park, B.C., for the last five years of his 40 years of ministry. He helped start the joint Anglican- Lutheran parish of Stephen’s and St. Bede’s in Winnipeg 30 years ago.

Born and raised in the United States, Mr. Miller became a Canadian citizen after completing his studies for the ministry with the Evangelical Lutheran church in the United States.