GOSHEN — Hundreds of students, colleagues, friends and community members met Sunday evening outside Goshen College's Schrock Science Annex to mourn the tragic death of professor James Miller and to pray for his family and the community.

Miller was killed and his wife Linda was seriously injured after an attack at their home near the college early Sunday morning.

Approximately 500 people circled the plaza outside the science building where Miller had taught, led in prayer and reflection by Goshen College President James Brenneman and Campus Minister Bob Yoder.

“We gather now in shock, in disbelief, confusion and deep pain to mourn the loss of our brother Jim, to pray for his family and to pray for Linda's immediate physical recovery,” Yoder said.

Yoder led the group in prayer for the family, the community, those investigating the incident and for the person who committed the crime, and Yoder and Brenneman called for continued prayers.

Yoder invited those gathered to light a candle as they prayed. People could also write a message on a large pad of paper of their memories and thoughts of Miller.

Many of the messages recalled students' times in his classes, mainly upper level biology courses for premedical and nursing students, and how he and his classes had impacted their lives.

Brenneman and Ryan Sensenig, chair of the biological sciences department, spoke in a press conference of Miller's quality teaching and his record of helping pre-medical and nursing students succeed.

Sensenig noted that at a biological sciences luncheon Saturday, professors, alumni and current students honored Miller for mentoring students and for his accomplishments as a professor.

At a gathering Sunday afternoon, Miller's students and other science professors met in reaction to Miller's death.

Sensenig said that one thing students repeatedly shared was that while Miller taught difficult courses, his door was always open to help and discuss with students.

One of Miller's past students, Georgette Oduor, a 2010 nursing graduate, attended the vigil because she said Miller had shaped her as a person and as nurse.

If students could get through Miller's classes, she recalled, they could get through those years of college.

“His hardness definitely prepared you for the class and definitely everything past that,” she said, adding that “he was a kind-hearted man.”

For nursing students, she said, professors become like family because they are constantly working in and outside of class on assignments together. “He generally helped me become who I am today,” she said.

Oduor also spoke about how unreal the situation seemed.

Sensenig said that just like Miller's students, professors don't know how to deal with the situation either.

“I'm reawakened to the realization again that life is extremely precious,” he said.

Brenneman said that the college will continue to pray for the community and the Miller family, especially his wife, Linda, as she recovers from injuries.

“Tonight, we had an experience here in front of our science building in which we gathered together a large crowd to sing hymns and to light candles because we believe deeply that as we light these candles, we do so in remembrance, in recognition and with profound belief that light overcomes darkness and that the darkness cannot bear the light,” Brenneman said, adding later, “We'll miss him very much.”

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