Rev. Terri Miller
Rev. Terri Miller, the founding pastor of Valley Ministries, MCC, became a licensed minister with UFMCC in 1996. She served on the ministerial staff of River City, MCC in Sacramento, CA from 1995 - 1999. She then followed the call that God had placed on her life to begin a new work in Stockton, CA. Rev. Terri is a dedicated and faithful leader who demonstrates the love of God to those whom she meets, on a daily basis.
Rev. Terri believed she was called to minister at a very young age, but struggled with a conflict between her spirituality and
her sexuality. She found herself in spiritual turmoil, believing she was truly called by God, but also believing
the lies told in the name of God, that you can't be "gay" and be a Christian, or even that God couldn't possibly
love you if you were a homosexual. The hopelessness in her life led to a downward spiral of alcohol and drug
dependencies
Her life was changed forever when a friend took her to visit River City MCC in Sacramento, CA. Here she realized that God's love is unconditional... that the same God who called her by name as a little girl was still calling her name. "It felt like the first hug from an old friend, when you've been away for a long time. I knew I had come home," said Rev. Terri of her newfound love and acceptance.
Free to be who God made her, Rev. Terri began to pursue the path that she had put on the shelf so long ago. In 1997 she met her life time love and partner, Marilyn Sweigart, and they entered into a Holy Union together on October 2, 1998.