John M. Semmes

For this southerner, moving to New Jersey was a daunting prospect. For a second-career southerner in my 40s, beginning work on a Masters degree at Princeton Seminary was nothing short of scary as hell. But I had been told to look up a southern preacher-and-secretly-rabid-professional-wrestling-fan-turned-internationally-vaunted-Old-Testament-professor named Pat Miller, and after his class on the first day, I nervously introduced myself to make a shared Memphis connection. His warm and generous response helped me know the next three years were going to be okay. We went on to forge a lasting friendship. He accepted an invitation to preach the culmination of a study on the Ten Commandments at the Mississippi church I served, answered every email I ever sent regarding denominational or vocational concerns, and, in advance of annual trips to Montreat in recent years, always welcomed my requests to visit him at Givens Highland Farms. On the last such occasion, in March of 2019, I noticed as I arrived he had left hanging a holiday decoration on his apartment door that simply said, “JOY” At first, it seemed like a forgotten relic of the previous Christmas. But I recall thinking, “Knowing Pat, maybe not." I will cherish those visits always. As one of his esteemed colleagues shared with me regarding Pat's loss, “I have generally managed to pull myself out of despair these days. Not today.” I couldn’t agree more, and am grateful for having had one of God's wisest and most grace-filled creations influence both my vocation and my life.

John M. Semmes

PTS MDiv, 2001
Saint Andrews Presbyterian Church
Raleigh, NC