Covenant News

From Printer to Pastor: Special Gifts for Special Ministry

LA BOLT, SD (February 2, 2000) - Scott Miller had spent twelve years in the printing business, but wanted to serve God in full-time ministry, thinking that his talents would be better used as a pastor.

Nowadays, Miller pastors two churches, but he's putting his printing experience to good use as well. Miller has started Solid Rock Printing as a local job training program, and the idea has gained the support of businesses throughout the region.

"My passion, besides serving the Lord, was entrepreneurial - and you do what you know best," said Miller in explaining why he started the printing business. "We hope this will bring money into the town, as well as do outreach."

Miller, former owner of a printing business in Black Falls, Wisconsin, arrived in South Dakota two years ago after being called to pastor La Bolt Covenant Church in La Bolt, as well as Elim Covenant Church in Stockholm, congregations located 10 miles apart.

Soon after, he and his wife Christine noticed that activities for the youth in the area were few and far between. They began developing a vision of a meeting place for teens, and in the past year have found both the building and the volunteer resources to make the dream a reality.

In September 1999, Grace Lutheran Church in La Bolt closed and Miller asked the church board if he could use the building to run the Solid Rock Youth Center for kids in the area.

The church board deeded three acres of land at the church site for the center. Shortly thereafter, a local granite company donated a six-foot sign for the center, and other businesses provided additional support.

The youth center now has a satellite dish, big-screen television, pool table, video library, aquarium and other amenities, as well as furniture and a new furnace, all donated by the community. Miller said eight churches in the area have supported the center.

Since opening, an average of 20 to 30 young people use the center each day after school from 4 to 8 p.m., four days a week. From 8 p.m. until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, 60 to 70 teens participate. In the accompanying photo, one of the teens participates in a fund-raising event to help finance the youth group's CHIC trip this summer.

Program director Joyce Larson organizes the volunteer base and Miller says the center never lacks for food, drink, or love, thanks to a slew of helpers from his two congregations. "The schools and church are still an extension of the family here," said Miller, who also runs drug and alcohol awareness classes at local schools. "They see a need and they fill it," he said. "We may not necessarily have the economic base, but everyone volunteers, and because many are retired, they have a lot of time to give."

Although the outpouring of support for Solid Rock Youth Center pleased Miller, it also created a challenge: how to finance his new venture. Thankfully, Miller's background in printing and his connections have become useful again, and with the support of both big business and government, his prayers for Solid Rock Printing are being answered.

A state representative in South Dakota made available a building in La Bolt to house Solid Rock Printing. Richard Clark, CEO of A-B Dick Printing in Sioux City, Iowa, sold Miller about $40,000 of printing equipment for $5,000, giving the business a kick-start.

The Northwest Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church has provided another $5,000 in support, and many local farmers are fixing up the building during their off season. Miller's next step is to find the computer resources available in order to provide commercial printing of business cards, letterhead stationery, brochures and the like.

There are a variety of reasons why Miller is investing time in Solid Rock Printing. In a rural area where jobs are hard to come by, Miller's new venture is an opportunity to provide young adults with employment and training. Miller has found that the job market for entry-level printers is wide open and Clark has stated that he will provide job placement assistance for those trained at Solid Rock Printing.

Because printing can generate outside revenue, the business will be able to offset the costs of the Solid Rock Youth Center. And, most importantly to Miller, the business will allow him to touch lives spiritually through a practical means.

"We had seen the blessings of Solid Rock Youth Center, but we knew we needed to support it," Miller said of the printing business. "This will allow us to give not only work training, but spiritual training," he said. "People in rural communities are loyal and hard-working and that work ethic has been handed down through the generations. And we have a solid prayer base at both La Bolt and Elim Covenant," he added.

For more information on Solid Rock Ministries, contact Miller as follows - by telephone: 605-623-4242; by mail: P.O. Box 104, La Bolt, SD, 57246; or by e-mail: www.covenant@tnics.com

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