Fall 2011

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E P F E A T U R E A R T I C L ECHUCK & JEANNEM I L L H U F FA StoryWrittenby GodThe windows of ourchurch were crankedopen as wide as possible,with all fans circulatingat full capacitythat hot, July morning in l957. Itwould be a packed house at FirstChurch of the Nazarene, Peoria,Illinois - the special attraction:the Viking Quartet and trombonetrio from Olivet Nazarene College.On occasion, Ruth Stock, ourorganist would ask me to fill in atthe organ while she played thepiano. This was such a morning.It was exactly one month until fallsemester at Olivet would begin,and I was planning to be a freshmanthere.From my vantage point onthe organ bench, I had a full viewof the rear door of the sanctuarywhen the members of the quartetentered and strode down theside aisle, three of them carryingtheir trombones. I could hear theclick of his steel caps on the heelsof his gleaming cordovan shoesas I turned to watch a tall, handsomeyoung man with black hairand intense dark eyes move to hisplace on the front row. He wasthe essence of self-assurance andcharm as he sent a smile in mydirection. Somewhat distracted,I reigned myself in, eager notto miss the cue for the openingsong. The performance thatfollowed was impressive. Theywere musically talented and welltrained, but something more: theywere sure of their message bothin testimony and song. When theyleaned in to the microphone tosing "Just a Little Talk with Jesus,"I was certain that going to Olivetwas going to be something akinto going to heaven. This was myfirst glimpse of Chuck Millhuff,and though I wanted with all myheart to be introduced to him asone of their prospective Olivetians,I slipped out the back doorand walked home, having avoidedany contact at all with the boyfrom Chicago.Several weeks later, duringthe first week of school, I saw himagain in the Universe, the studentcenter in the basement of ChapmanHall. Charlie James, my date,had gone to the counter to placeour order when suddenly Chuck6 / EVANGELISTS' PERSPECTIVE / Fall 2011
Millhuff brashly pulled a chair upclose to me and asked me to attendSunday morning church withhim the next day. Without hesitationI said yes, which was the firstof many to follow.I soon learned that ChuckMillhuff had a burning passion topreach...that beneath his appearancelay an unusual commitmentto God, a great yearning to touchthe lives of others, and an abundanceof natural talent and intelligence.The main focus of his lifewas to become an evangelist. Hehas never entertained any otheroptions. I was aware that somespeculated that this was impossible.He would be like "a meteorflashing across the horizon." Trustme; I knew for certain God hadhis hand on his future as well asmy own, and we went right onlooking forward to becoming allthat God had in mind for us to be.Now as we look back, we revel inthe grace of God that has producednearly 60 years in evangelism,a long and fruitful ministry,and a wonderful commitmentto each other that has lasted 54years.Walking Through the DoorHaving struggled throughyears of unsuccessful schooling inthe Chicago school system, Chuckwas determined to attend college.His lifelong friend Paul Cunningham*made it happen when thesummer before their freshmanyear (l956) he had said to Chuck,"Let's go to Olivet and roomtogether." From then on it wasthe major step in his goal: to bewell-educated for his profession.He soon learned while registeringthat his high school gradeswould prevent him from admission.On hearing this, Paul wentto the other end of the hall andmet President Harold W. Reed andpresented him with this proposition:"Could you give Chuck sixweeks to try in a probation periodand then make your decision?" heasked. Dr. Reed agreed, and thatact of kindness became the catalystfor a major change in Chuck'slife.During that six-week period,Evangelist C. William Fisher cameto hold the fall revival on thecampus. He was impressive. Hisarticulate speech and courtroomlikeapproach, as well as his fineappearance and musical abilitycaught Chuck's attention. Heplayed the trombone masterfully,as if the rest wasn't enough. Onemorning, with his back againstthe rear wall of the chapel in thebasement of Burke AdministrationBuilding, Chuck says he was "slainwith conviction by the message."A student stepped up beside himand asked, "Chuck, would you reallylike to be a Christian?" "I havefailed at this too many times," hesaid, his hands gripping the seatin front of him, clearly thinking itthrough.Chuck knew he had failed atmany things that appeared tomilitate against the possibility of aconsistent Christian life. His mindspanned the years: memories ofbeing sent home on his first dayof elementary school for misbehaving,failing the third gradewhen his twin brother went on tothe fourth (a stinging defeat laterrectified by a double promotion),longing to be an athlete but hisgrades sinking that dream timeand again. All of this culminatedin the ringing conclusion of hisCalumet High School counselorwho told him: “Charles, forgetcollege. You’re not college material.”Most of the goals he everhad were sabotaged by patternsof failure which would forevermark him as an outsider. Or soit seemed…unless God had thepower to make a difference. As aseven year old sitting in the sideof the horseshoe balcony with hisfamily in Chicago First Nazareneduring a revival with EvangelistU. E. Harding, Chuck had heardGod telling him that some day hewould be doing what that manwas doing, preaching as an evangelist.The one thing he was certainof was the call. The studenttouched his shoulder, “If I go withyou, would you go?” she asked.It was all he needed. He steppedout into the aisle, walked to thefront where (continued on next page)Fall 2011 / EVANGELISTS' PERSPECTIVE / 7
Page 4 and 5: y W.E. McCumberThe Jesusof ActsActs
Page 8 and 9: CHUCK & JEANNE MILLHUFFC O N T I N
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Page 14 and 15: http://wwwE V A N G E L I S T S ' W
Page 17 and 18: MOORE, NORMAN (T)Sep 2-5 Vicksburg,
Page 19 and 20: Fires of RevivalBeauty for AshesIsa
Page 21 and 22: FIRES OF REVIVALC O N T I N U E DGe
Page 23 and 24: have now lost our church buildings.

Fall 2011

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