By Ted Harbin

Bradlee Miller didn’t spend much time in the Texas capital city celebrating his bareback riding victory at Rodeo Austin.

Instead, he had more important things to tend to 150 miles east.

Not far from his home in Huntsville, Texas, stands the burned skeleton of Branded for Christ Ministry, a church founded by Bubba and Tammy Miller two decades ago. It is a family ministry, involving Bradlee and his sister, Sonilyn.

The church caught fire last Wednesday, and while there is much rebuilding ahead, the Millers and their congregation still needed to worship.

“For the last five years or so, we’ve slowly but surely been building a really big sanctuary with classrooms for the school kids, a game room for college kids and youth events,” said Miller, who sits third in the world standings. “We were finishing up the final steps of it. Recently, we added 50-foot wings on both sides of the building for more classrooms for the private school we have. We’ll have worship there Sunday, and then we’ve got a tent donated that we’ll use until we get the building back covered.”

School also returned to session.

“I thought it was one of the best lessons they could learn, that no matter the hard times, disappointments and hardships we face, you don’t take a day off,” he said. “Those kids came right back to school, whether they were helping us clean up, doing the little bit of school they could, or just being there for the people who were hurt the most.

“All the kids showed up with their families, and there’s not an event that’s going to be canceled because of the fire. We’re not letting it affect anything.”

Resilience is part of it. Faith is, too. More than anything, the Millers and their congregation are determined to let the fire become part of their testimony, not the end of it.

“My mom and dad started the church in 2004,” said Bradlee Miller, a two-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier. “My dad had a barn that he shod horses out of for years, and he started the church in the alleyway of that horse barn with the horse stalls on each side of the sanctuary. There may have been days when there were only four to six people in it. I know there were some days where the only people at church were me and my mom, and I was in a stroller.”

Like most churches, Branded for Christ Ministry feels like family. In this case, though, that faith has been built by one family for years and now will be built again.

In the photo are Sonilyn, Bradlee, Tammy and Bubba Miller. Photo Courtesy of Miller Family