McMillen, an Englewood native and Northmont High graduate, attended Sinclair Community College in Dayton, then held various jobs with no particular goals until he decided to help others and was hired at Shiloh UCC in Harrison Twp. 16 years ago.
“Golf is one of my passions, and I started the outing as a way to get together for fellowship, but there was no other real purpose,” McMillen said. “During the third year’s outing, some members suggested we needed a cause, and we decided to help out families at Christmas.”
Through his work with food pantries and the church, McMillen knew there was a need, especially when he discovered that people in certain ZIP codes, regardless of need, weren’t eligible.
“With the outing’s earnings, we provide gift certificates to empower families to buy the foods they want in the quantities they use, plus clothes or a combination of whatever they need,” said the 41-year-old, who meets with prospective recipients to determine those needs. “Over the years, we’ve gotten a lot smarter about our selection process.”
The golf outing started with 20 participants and now averages 56 golfers who pay to play, but the real money is made from an auction and sponsors.
“Our first outing fundraiser made $1,100, and has grown more than tenfold since. Support from the congregation is strong, and I hand deliver form letters to businesses and families. We had $7,500 in sponsorships by mid-August, and Cassel Hills Golf Course in Vandalia, where we’ve held the outing, dinner and auction for the past few years, gets out sponsorship signs — they had to have 17 made this year.”
Although McMillen claims he never had an epiphany that led him to the ministry, “Through a divorce, and with a young daughter, I knew I could do so much good in the world to make her proud of me,” he recalls. That’s when he was hired part-time at Shiloh; a year later, he became full-time associate pastor, has become a licensed minister in the UCC and recently started the process of ordination.
His daughter, now a senior at Miamisburg High School, not only takes pride in her dad’s work but also often assists him. McMillen said, “She’s always enjoyed helping out, and what I see her do is often an extension of what she’s seen me do.”
As for the families who benefit from the golf outing, McMillen says “I feel good about everyone we’ve helped, and often hear from people we’ve served later, maybe someone who volunteers at a food pantry because she was helped by us when she was a child. That’s so humbling, and it’s all about the church’s mission.”
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