Brethren bits

— Remembrance: J. Kenneth Kreider, 91, a noted Church of the Brethren peacemaker, historian, and Professor of History, Emeritus, at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College, died on Oct. 19 of a recently diagnosed aggressive cancer. His involvement in the Church of the Brethren included service as a Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) worker, membership on the Germantown Trust and the Brethren Historical Committee, membership on the boards of the Brethren Peace Fellowship and On Earth Peace, and writings published in Brethren periodicals and by Brethren Press. Born on April 7, 1934, he was the son of the late A. Clyde and Catherine Herr Neff Kreider. In his youth he was active in the Future Farmers of America (FFA) and 4-H and was awarded the Keystone Farmer Award in 1951. In 1952, he was one of the Pennsylvania representatives at the National 4-H Convention in Chicago, and the National Dairy Cattle Congress in Waterloo, Iowa. Following high school he farmed for three years and then served three years as a conscientious objector in alternative service. Following service as a normal control patient for medical research at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., and in the Metabolic Research Unit of the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor, Mich., he was assigned to BVS in Europe where his major assignment was with Heifer Project as part of relief and reconstruction work in Germany, Austria, and Italy after World War II. He also coordinated the work of volunteers in the Hungarian refugee camps in Austria following the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. His final assignment in BVS was working with actor Don Murray on an agricultural project on the island of Sardinia, Italy, to resettle and give a new start in life to refugees who had lost everything in the war. He graduated from Elizabethtown College in 1961 with a degree in history and a minor in political science. At college, Kreider also met his future wife, Carroll Hall. The couple were married in 1959. He earned a master’s degree and a doctorate from Pennsylvania State University. His teaching career with Elizabethtown College began in the summer of 1964. He obtained the rank of Professor of European History, which included numerous years as department chair. He also served many years on the Library Committee and several terms on the Personnel Council, including a number of years as chair. In 1973, he received the John Frederick Steinman Excellence in Teaching Award. He retired in 1999 after 35 years on the Elizabethtown faculty. In 2003, he received the Elizabethtown Educate for Service Award and, in 2013, a former student endowed an annual award for the Kreider Prize for Teaching Excellence in honor of “both Ken and Carroll Kreider for the decades of exemplary service they had given as professors in the fullest sense.” In a reflection on Kreider’s life, published in the student newspaper the Etownian, Aaron Girvan quoted from a presentation Kreider gave in 1966: “The government says to have peace you must kill and destroy. This is contrary to God’s law which says ‘Thou shalt not kill.’” The reflection shared from a faculty colleague that “Dr. Kreider was respected by students and colleagues because of his academic rigor as he challenged and mentored students to exceed expectations. An extraordinary historian and scholar, Dr. Kreider motivated students to pay attention to the people and places all around them while seeking opportunities for service and peacemaking which he exemplified.” Kreider was a founding board member of the Brethren Peace Fellowship as well as a founding board member of On Earth Peace. His leadership in the peace movement during the Vietnam War and during the Iraq War took place on campus and in the community, and he organized and led numerous bus groups to participate in national anti-war demonstrations in Washington, D.C. His peace and justice convictions continued throughout his life and appeared in his many letters to the editor of the Lancaster, Pa., newspaper. Most recently he attended the No Kings Rally on June 14 in Lancaster. His hobbies included travel, and he was well known across the denomination for leading the Kreider Friendship Tours that took groups totaling more than 7,500 people to all 50 states and 116 countries on all 7 continents. His books included the 588-page A Cup of Cold Water: The Story of Brethren Service (2001) and an autobiography titled From the Buck to E-town: An Awesome Journey (2010). His numerous articles included one in the book Chicken Soup for the Grandma’s Soul (2005) as well as many written for various professional publications. He delivered many sermons and presentations in various churches, service clubs, Sunday school classes, professional groups, and other organizations. He was a consultant to the board of the Brethren Encyclopedia for planning and conducting commemorative services in 2008 for the 300th anniversary of the Church of the Brethren in Schwarzenau, Germany. He was an active member of Elizabethtown Church of the Brethren, where he served many years on various committees and the executive board. He chaired the congregation’s committee that resettled 67 international refugees in the 1970s and 1980s, mainly from Vietnam. Surviving is his wife of 66 years, Carroll Hall Kreider; daughters Brenda K. Barlet (Jerry) of Elizabethtown, Pa., and Denise K. Voloshin (Michael) of Greensburg, Pa.; grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A Celebration of Life service will be held Sunday, Dec. 7, at 2 p.m. (Eastern time) at Elizabethtown Church of the Brethren. Memorial gifts are received to Heifer International and to the J. Kenneth and Carroll L. Kreider Scholarship at Elizabethtown College. To express condolence to the family, visit spencefuneralservices.com. Full obituaries are at https://spencefuneralservices.com/tribute/details/1385/Dr-J-Kenneth-Kreider/obituary.html and
https://lancasteronline.com/obituaries/j-kenneth-kreider-ph-d-professor-of-history-emeritus-elizabethtown-college/article_b163a1e2-a9e2-541f-a738-837378005fb4.html. Find the Etownian reflection at https://etownian.com/main/news/reflecting-on-the-life-of-dr-kreider.

— Remembrance: Margaret (Sarow) Drafall, 79, a former customer service specialist with Brethren Press, passed away Nov. 1 at Delnor Hospital in Geneva, Ill., surrounded by her family. She worked for the Church of the Brethren at the General Offices in Elgin, Ill., for 13 years, from 2007 to 2020. Born and raised in Elgin, she was the daughter of Frank and Helen Sarow. In 1966, she married Kent Drafall and together they raised sons Todd and Ryan. She began her career in the 1960s at Salisbury Lincoln-Mercury dealership in Elgin as a switchboard operator and later held positions at Performance Publishing Company and McGrath Buick in Elgin, where she was promoted to office manager and controller, working there for more than 25 years until the dealership was sold in the mid-2000s. She was a lifelong member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Elgin. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Kent Drafall. She is survived by sons Todd (Melissa) Drafall of Aurora, Ill,, and Ryan (Karla) Drafall of Cordova, Tenn.; and grandchildren. A celebration of life service will be held Saturday, Nov. 22, at 11 a.m. at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Elgin, followed by a lunch. Memorial gifts are received to Bethlehem Lutheran Church. Find a full obituary at www.lairdfamilyfuneralservices.com/obituaries/Margaret-Sarow-Drafall

— The Nominating Committee has extended the deadline for the submission of both nominations and nominee information forms for the Annual Conference ballot in 2026. Nominations will now be accepted through Dec. 10. Nominee information forms should be submitted by Dec. 17. Nominations are still needed for all positions, but especially for the Mission and Ministry Board, Area 5 (Pacific Northwest, Idaho/Western Montana, and Pacific Southwest Districts, although nominations from Pacific Southwest District are ineligible since that district is currently represented by two board members). Go to www.brethren.org/ac

— Bethany Theological Seminary president Jeff Carter recently was featured in a video conversation sponsored by InTrust Center for Theological Schools. He was interviewed by Greg Henson, president of Kairos University, in a conversation focused on innovation and leadership. Go to www.intrust.org/resource/practicing-innovation-innovation-over-time

— The Susquehanna Valley Ministry Center (SVMC) “is doing something new this Advent,” said an announcement of a new daily email devotional for church leaders. The new resource is provided to offer church leaders spiritual support during what is often a busy season for them. “As you attend to the spiritual needs of others this Advent, take a moment to care for your spiritual needs as well!” Those who sign up will receive via email a devotional every day from Nov. 30 to Dec. 25 including a scripture text, a short reflection, and a breath prayer. The link to sign up is at https://conta.cc/4p5RKxr

This week’s Prayer Gathering for Immigrant Justice will be “Thanksgiving themed,” said organizers. The virtual prayer gathering takes place online on Thursday, Nov 20, at 7 p.m. (Eastern time). Participants will be invited to join in “praising God for the ways people are showing up on behalf of immigrants,” said the invitation. “We’ll share our thanks for the people in our communities and congregations who are supporting and advocating for immigrants, share success stories and legal victories, and sing together.” Go to www.onearthpeace.org/2025_11_prayer_gathering_for_immigrant_justice_20251002_20251113

The Annual Conference office seeks church members who live in or around Fort Wayne, Ind., the location of the 2026 Conference, to submit videos of why they love Fort Wayne. “Do you love Fort Wayne?” said an invitation. “Are you eager to share the gems of your city with conferencegoers headed to Fort Wayne for Annual Conference next summer? We’d love to hear from you. The Annual Conference office invites you to record and share a short video clip to let other conferencegoers know why they should plan to attend Annual Conference in Fort Wayne next summer. Maybe it is a favorite restaurant, a favorite attraction, something about the energy and vibe of the city, or something else. We will share these videos as part of a series of posts on our social media platforms and post them on our website.” Tips for creating the brief videos: use a cell phone, hold it vertically, start by saying your name and congregation, record a general message or highlight one particular place or quality you love about the area. Videos should be no more than 90 seconds in length. The maximum file size is 3 GB. Submit no later than Dec. 1. Upload videos to SmugMug at https://churchofthebrethren.smugmug.com/upload/CtR6DM/mytown or email to annualconference@brethren.org.

Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) is inviting all who are interested in sending active BVS volunteers a Christmas card to receive this year’s mailing list by emailing a request to bvs@brethren.org. “Many of our volunteers are far from home during the holiday season, and receiving well wishes in the mail is always appreciated. Sending cards to BVS volunteers around the holidays or any time of year is a wonderful outreach opportunity for congregations, youth groups, or individuals!”

BVS is hosting the final Brethren Visionary Voices online event for 2025 on Dec. 9 at 8 p.m. (Eastern time). The event will feature Emily Tyler, director of development for Food for Greater Elgin, a “guest-choice” food pantry serving the greater Elgin area in northern Illinois. Tyler previously served as director of BVS. She will share about her work combating food insecurity and the impact of SNAP cuts. Register for the event at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/QTeylEzJSHCcLR4rhytxJA#/registration

Give the gift of National Youth Conference! The NYC staff are inviting participants in this year’s National Older Adult Conference (NOAC), along with others who are interested, “to support a youth in your life who will soon be registering and attending NYC 2026. We are inviting NOAC attendees to consider giving National Youth Conference 2026 registration as a Christmas gift to youth in their lives. To do this, contact the Youth/Young Adult Office (cobyouth@brethren.org or 847-429-4385) by December 1, 2025. We will take care of the details for you and mail out a certificate to be given in acknowledgment of the actual gift!” NYC take place July 18-23, 2026, in Estes Park, Colo. Registration will open online on Jan. 5, 2026. Find out more about NYC at www.brethren.org/nyc