Praying mayor lets God set his agenda
New mayor relies on two-way prayer life
By Patrick Erskine Special to ChristianWeek
TRURO, NS–Torrential downpours and subsequent flooding of low-lying commercial properties in late January didn’t catch Truro Mayor Bill Mills unprepared. Elected last October after a campaign run on "$2150 and faith," Mills, 41, makes no apologies for his on-going reliance on intimacy with God.
He likens hearing from God to opening the fridge door and deciding what to eat: something comes to mind and you make your choice.
"As I watched Quebec ice storm news January 9, the thought came to me: ‘This could happen here. Am I up to speed?’ So I went to work reading manuals, making lists and calling EMO [Emergency Measures Operations]. It was a dry run. When the real thing hit January 25, I was ready," he said.
"As long as I listen to and obey that little voice, I’m okay. I pray about things, bring God into decisions and ask for lots of wisdom. [At the next election] people will decide if I’ve received it."
Such reliance is nothing new for Mills, says David Burke, a close friend of the mayor. Burke is pastor of Truro Christian Fellowship, where Mills is a co-elder and lay preacher.
Burke remembers meeting daily for prayer and mutual accountability when he was unemployed and Mills was coping with a difficult co-worker at CKCL radio, where he is an advertising salesman. The co-worker moved, but not before Mills, responding to God’s prompting to "bless him before he goes," was able to thank him in writing for "how much he taught me."
"God was preparing the man for ministry [as mayor] and the ministry for the man," says Burke, adding that the two maintain their close relationship and meet with other Truro pastors once a week to build relationships and pray for the community of about 40,000.
They continue a Saturday men’s prayer breakfast that has met for eight years, and Mills often receives "prayergrams"–notes of encouragement to let him know others in the community are praying for him.
Mills, a father of seven children under age nine, says reliance on God in every situation has not always been easy but the direction he and Phyllis have chosen has never failed them in the long run, even when circumstances looked grim.
Citing George Hill’s book, Winners and Losers, Mills explains, "Losers work harder and still lose, while King’s kids turn it over to God."
