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John swaps Castlemilk for Zimbabwe

A former leader of the Kirk is retiring from his Scots parish to help fight HIV and AIDS in a poverty-stricken African hospital.

The Very Rev John Miller, 66, gave his last sermon in Glasgow's Castlemilk yesterday after 36 years in the community.

The area is one of the most deprived in Scotland - but its poverty pales in comparison to that in his new home, Buhera in eastern Zimbabwe.

John, a former moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, is moving to the tiny Murambinda Mission Hospital, which relies on three doctors and 39 nurses to treat 300,000 people.

He and wife Mary, 60, will swap their comfortable home for a bare room and kitchen in the grounds in September.

John said: "Painful though it is, it seemed to be the right time to retire.

"I have a great affection for Castlemilk and will be very sad indeed to say goodbye.

"I visited the hospital when my daughter Anna worked there as a doctor in 2000. We made friends with some of the people at the hospital and were very glad when they said we could go and help out there. I hope to be able to carry out simple administrative tasks that they will find for us to do.

"I also hope to be able to take part in a small church in another rural area in Zimbabwe, too. It would be in a much less formal role than in Castlemilk - a simple pastoral role. I think it will be more substantial and interesting than just going and sitting on a beach."

The Murambinda Mission Hospital is the only such facility in Buhera, one of the poorest districts of Zimbabwe. The farming area is crippled by malnutrition, malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS. Infant deaths are common and many mums die during pregnancy and childbirth.

Dad-of-three John became determined to help at the hospital after visiting his youngest daughter Anna, 33. She helped the Zimbabwean government set up a medicine programme that has helped reduce the number of babies who grow up with HIV after being born to infected mothers.

John said: "A lot of the population of Zimbabwe is wrestling with AIDS. The intensity of problems there are almost unimaginable.

"But in Castlemilk, I've learned a tremendous amount about humanity and I think it will have prepared me for going out there."

John achieved great academic success before taking on Castlemilk East Parish Church in 1971. He earned a degree in classics from Oxford University, a first in systematic theology fromEdinburgh and a master's degree from the Union Theological Seminary in New York.

Life in troubled Castlemilk was tough for him and his family. His eldest daughter Sarah was shot in the head with an airgun when she was just 12. She had been out carol singing when the pellet ploughed into her skull. But she was not seriously hurt. The windows of his house were broken and his son James was beaten up.

But he and Mary remained determined to help people in the area. John even ditched his dog collar so he wouldn't get any preferential treatment in local shops. And Mary, who works with children as a play therapist, set up the successful Jeely Piece Club, which provides opportunities for parents and youngsters.

John's commitment made him incredibly popular and his success was rewarded in 2001 when he was made the public face of the Church.

On Friday night, locals organised a farewell party. All 750 tickets sold out weeks in advance. John said: "Apparently, the church wasn't big enough, so they had to hire a marquee for the party. I'm quite embarrassed because I didn't organise it. But I shall be very sad to say goodbye to everyone."

To make a donation to the hospital, visit the Friends of Murambinda website at www.fmh.org.uk/donat.htm.

Full story at the Daily Record.