Bishop Miles

Bishop Victor Houston Miles died peacefully Sunday, December 13, 2020 at 4:15 AM at Prisma Health Hospital in Greenville. He was 92. Throughout his life, Houston Miles preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to tens of thousands of people in the United States, Russia, Australia, Vietnam, Nicaragua, the former Eastern Communist Bloc, and many countries around the world, and most recently in Cuba. At one time he was bishop to over 1500 churches worldwide, many of these started in evangelistic crusades that he had preached. In 1950 he entered the ministry and founded a church in Palatka, Florida. Over the years he pastored churches in several cities, including Atlanta, Georgia; and Spartanburg, South Carolina, where he pastored for over 35 years at Evangel Cathedral. He was well-known as a pastor in the Upstate of SC, but he was also beloved as a bishop and apostle who shepherded other pastors. He was the founder of Evangel Fellowship International, a non-profit fellowship of churches. In that role, he counseled and trained other ministers as he held numerous pastors conferences in the United States, Russia, Latvia, Vietnam, and Central America, among others. Born on October 28, 1928, he grew up during the Depression and developed a work ethic that would carry him through decades of ministry on six continents. His preaching emphasized the integrity needed in ministry: "Your ministry stands on the shoulder of your character." After attending Stetson University in Florida, he and his wife Evelyn Fout Miles entered into the pastoral ministry as a lifelong team. While Houston Miles' initial focus was to shepherd local churches in the U.S.A., he soon felt the burden to take his message to the world, focusing on the former Soviet Union. The year the Iron Curtain fell, his ministry was already poised to go in with the Good News, which swept through sections of Russia like a fire. Today in the former Soviet Union, hundreds of congregations stand and thrive as a testament to his foresight. He said his life's mission was to:...make a difference in nations around the globe...[and] fulfill the Great Commission at home and abroad." Houston Miles is survived by his wife of 71 years Evelyn Fout Miles; his two brothers, John R. Miles, and Thomas E. Miles; son, Phillip (Lynn) Miles; 4 grandchildren, Levi Miles, Rachel Miles Pellegrino (Joseph), Justin Miles and Jonathan Miles; and 3 great-grandchildren, Ezra, Isabella, and Isaac. A Memorial Service will be held 6:30 PM Tuesday, January 19, 2021 at Free Chapel of Spartanburg (formerly Evangel Cathedral) 500 Evangel Rd, Spartanburg, SC 29301. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts for Missions may be made to: Evangel Fellowship International, PO Box 326, Conway SC 29528 or online at: http://efiglobal.org/donate. "HE WHO HEARS MY WORD AND BELIEVES IN HIM WHO SENT ME...HAS PASSED FROM DEATH INTO LIFE" (John 5:24 NKJV) Floyd's North Church Street Chapel To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Bishop Victor Houston Miles please visit our Sympathy Store.