Doug Diamond

My name is Doug Diamond. I grew up in Masontown, PA, and currently live in Eden, NC, where I am pastor of Eden First Church of the Brethren. I grew up in the Fair View Church of the Brethren in western Pennsylvania, where I attended since birth. My first taste of Brethren life outside of the local congregation was serving as a volunteer counselor at Camp Harmony, attending a Western PA District Youth Retreat and being elected to the District Youth Steering Committee.

When I am not doing church work or spending time with my family, you will probably find me on the soccer field. Not because I am a great athlete, but because for the past 20+ years, I have served as a soccer referee. I have officiated high school matches in PA, WV, MD, VA, and NC.

If I weren’t a pastor, I could imagine being a chef or other food service worker, maybe even having my own restaurant.

I believe that Young Adult Ministries are important because these are years when you go from having your parents’ faith to having your own faith. It’s when you really begin to solidify your role in the church and in the world. I would encourage you to take this time to give your faith hands and feet. Work to make what you believe not just be abstract but to have a real effect on your life and on the lives of those around you.

Cristal Herrera

Cristal Herrera is originally from Panama and currently lives in Southern Virginia. She serves as pastor, alongside her husband, of Iglesia Nueva Vida. She became involved with the Church of the Brethren through a family member, which helped shape her journey in ministry and faith.

In her free time, she enjoys baking and trying new recipes, as well as reading. She has always had a desire to teach and once hoped to become a teacher. Her passion for ministry reflects her belief in the importance of young adult ministries. She points to 1 Timothy 4:12, where the apostle Paul encourages young Timothy not to let others look down on him because of his youth, but instead to be an example for all believers.

One important piece of advice she carries with her and shares with others is to be an example in one’s walk with the Lord. She believes there will always be someone watching, and that each person can be an instrument God uses to make a difference in the lives of others.

Naomi Kraenbring

Naomi Kraenbring currently lives in Manheim, Pennsylvania, and serves as the Pastor of Worship and Administration at Elizabethtown Church of the Brethren. Her connection to the Church of the Brethren runs deep; her family has been part of the denomination for multiple generations. Both her father and grandfather were ordained Church of the Brethren clergy, serving in congregational and denominational leadership roles.

In addition to her pastoral work, Naomi is pursuing her PhD in Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University, where she is writing her dissertation. She also teaches as an adjunct professor at Elizabethtown College, offering courses in religious studies, world religions, and interfaith peacebuilding. Naomi enjoys spending time with her husband and their four teenage and young adult children. She especially loves to travel.

If she were not currently serving in pastoral ministry, Naomi believes she would likely be teaching more extensively at the college level and possibly working as a travel writer.

Naomi believes Young Adult Ministries are especially important because this stage of life is a pivotal time of discernment and growth. As the parent of young adults, she recognizes how essential it is for young people to find meaningful connections and relationships as their spiritual journeys continue to unfold and as they explore pathways that shape their futures.

The advice Naomi most often shares with young adults is simple but meaningful: travel whenever and wherever possible, and pay attention to the things that bring deep gladness and feel life-giving. She encourages young adults to take the next small step in the direction of those things, trusting that those steps can lead to meaningful purpose and fulfillment.

Nolan McBride

The Reverend Nolan McBride of Goshen, Indiana, serves at St. John’s Episcopal Church (Elkhart, Indiana) and St. James Episcopal Church (Goshen, Indiana) while remaining officially on the membership rolls of Union Center Church of the Brethren in Nappanee, Indiana. He is an ordained priest and presbyter in the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Indiana, serving as a curate, which is the term used for a newly ordained priest serving under an experienced mentor. In his role, he is working to plan a Young Adult Ministry at St. John’s and is also working alongside a priest and deacon from Peru to plant a Latino/a ministry at St. James.

He was raised in an active Church of the Brethren family and was involved in leadership early on, serving on the Northern Indiana District’s youth board during high school. He was baptized at Camp Alexander Mack, attended Manchester University for college, and received his first seminary degree from Bethany Theological Seminary. During college, he spent three summers serving through Ministry Summer Service, including one summer as part of the final Youth Peace Travel Team.

Now that he has completed seminary and has more time for personal interests, he enjoys free reading, playing video games—especially JRPGs—and tabletop role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons. He is also passionate about theatre and musical theatre and describes himself as someone who will break into song at the drop of a hat. If he had not pursued ministry, he believes he would likely be studying to become a professor or trying to make it onto Broadway.

He believes that young adults are a vital part of the body of Christ, as this stage of life involves many important transitions and opportunities to explore and define personal faith. As a young adult himself, he shares that no matter how many bends a person’s journey may take, God will lead them to where they are meant to be. His own journey reflects this belief. He was raised in the Church of the Brethren and followed his call to ordained ministry into the Episcopal Church after much discernment and prayer. The deciding factor came when he was told he could not be ordained in his home district until denominational policies changed regarding the ordination of openly gay pastors, which ultimately led him to continue pursuing his call within the Episcopal Church.