The Reverend Dr. Mark A. Kraai
By Jan Drolen
The Reverend Mark A. Kraai, Bethany's eleventh pastor, was born in Orange City, Iowa, on September 6, 1948, to Harold and Henrietta Kots Kraai. He is Bethany's first pastor born after World War II - a "baby boomer." He is the youngest, by nine years, of four brothers. Mark grew up in Orange City and graduated from Maurice Orange City High School in 1966. He was active in sports
in high school, playing football and baseball, and he also played the tuba in the marching band. In fact, Mark played the tuba in some kind of band from fifth grade through college.
Mark entered Northwestern College, the Reformed Church in America's college in Orange City, after graduating from high school. After earning his Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern in 1970, he entered New Brunswick Theological Seminary in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He studied there for two years and then, as part of an experimental program run by the two RCA seminaries, he studied for two more years at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan, earning his Masters of Divinity degree from Western in 1974. The Reverend Kraai was licensed and ordained by the classis of East Sioux, and he then became the assistant pastor of the Fellowship Reformed Church of Lombard, Illinois.
In 1976, Bethany's leadership determined that we needed two pastors, and the Reverend Kraai was called to become Bethany's Pastor of Renewal and Church Growth. He served in this position for two years until Reverend John Tien, Bethany's tenth pastor, left in 1978. In early 1979, Bethany members officially called the Reverend Kraai to become our senior pastor, and he was installed in May.
The Reverend Kraai started many interesting and innovative programs during his time at Bethany. For several years, he hosted, as "Pastor Mark," a television program on WWMT: "Under the Rainbow." For several summers, Bethany ran a children's Bible school-type program called Kids Can that met three days per week. The program used government funds to feed neighborhood children lunch in the summer months when school was not in session. Many members of Bethany gave of their time each week to help in this program. Bethany also fielded several athletic teams when the Reverend Kraai was here: a men's basketball team, a men's softball team, and also a co-ed softball team.
A hallmark of the Reverend Kraai's ministry was his active work with both teen-agers and young adults. He facilitated, in conjunction with First Reformed Church, a singles' group that met regularly and went on retreats together. The high-school and post-high-school youth, including some from First Reformed Church, went on mission trips to Dulce, New Mexico, and Astoria, Queens, New York where they helped clean and paint a church and were able to sightsee in New York City, including viewing a production of The Elephant Man.
The Reverend Kraai was also Bethany's pastor during our 75th anniversary celebration in 1980. Like our current centennial celebration, the 75th anniversary began with the beginning of year 75 in the fall of 1979, and special events, such as a Mother-Daughter Christmas Tea and a Fun Run in conjunction with the church picnic, were held all year. The 75th anniversary celebration concluded with a Friday night banquet, a Saturday afternoon ice-cream social, and a special service on Sunday, September 28, 1980, the actual calendar date of Bethany's founding.
The Reverend Kraai's personal life also changed in an interesting way during his stay at Bethany! Sometime in 1982, a Bethany member introduced him to Linda Lesniak, an assistant mathematics professor at Western Michigan University. The math professor and the tuba-playing pastor apparently discovered that they had a few things in common! They were married in the sanctuary of Bethany on June 11, 1983. Pastor Mark's bachelor days were over, but he still holds the distinction of being our only pastor to be married while serving Bethany.
In December of 1984, the Reverend Kraai accepted a call to become the senior pastor of the United Reformed Church of Somerville, New Jersey. During his time there, he earned his Doctor of Ministry degree at Princeton University. Since 1998, he has worked as the Director of Field Education for New Brunswick Theological Seminary. In this capacity, he oversees the placement of seminary students as interns, and he also works with pastors to train them in mentoring seminary students. He also teaches a course called "Ministerium," which guides the seminary students in learning church administration.
In 2003, the General Synod of the Reformed Church elected the Reverend Kraai a Professor of Theology. This title means that he serves as a resource person for churches that seek assistance in thinking and acting theologically. Linda is now a mathematics professor at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. Both of them will be on sabbatical leave in the coming academic year, and they recently returned from a ten-day trip to France where Linda did some academic presentations. Mark also finds time to play his tuba once a week in a Dixieland band!
Their professional lives have certainly grown and prospered since they left Bethany, and we thank Mark and Linda today for their contribution and service given to Bethany Reformed Church.
© 2013 Bethany Reformed Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan. All rights reserved.
in high school, playing football and baseball, and he also played the tuba in the marching band. In fact, Mark played the tuba in some kind of band from fifth grade through college.
Mark entered Northwestern College, the Reformed Church in America's college in Orange City, after graduating from high school. After earning his Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern in 1970, he entered New Brunswick Theological Seminary in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He studied there for two years and then, as part of an experimental program run by the two RCA seminaries, he studied for two more years at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan, earning his Masters of Divinity degree from Western in 1974. The Reverend Kraai was licensed and ordained by the classis of East Sioux, and he then became the assistant pastor of the Fellowship Reformed Church of Lombard, Illinois.
In 1976, Bethany's leadership determined that we needed two pastors, and the Reverend Kraai was called to become Bethany's Pastor of Renewal and Church Growth. He served in this position for two years until Reverend John Tien, Bethany's tenth pastor, left in 1978. In early 1979, Bethany members officially called the Reverend Kraai to become our senior pastor, and he was installed in May.
The Reverend Kraai started many interesting and innovative programs during his time at Bethany. For several years, he hosted, as "Pastor Mark," a television program on WWMT: "Under the Rainbow." For several summers, Bethany ran a children's Bible school-type program called Kids Can that met three days per week. The program used government funds to feed neighborhood children lunch in the summer months when school was not in session. Many members of Bethany gave of their time each week to help in this program. Bethany also fielded several athletic teams when the Reverend Kraai was here: a men's basketball team, a men's softball team, and also a co-ed softball team.
A hallmark of the Reverend Kraai's ministry was his active work with both teen-agers and young adults. He facilitated, in conjunction with First Reformed Church, a singles' group that met regularly and went on retreats together. The high-school and post-high-school youth, including some from First Reformed Church, went on mission trips to Dulce, New Mexico, and Astoria, Queens, New York where they helped clean and paint a church and were able to sightsee in New York City, including viewing a production of The Elephant Man.
The Reverend Kraai was also Bethany's pastor during our 75th anniversary celebration in 1980. Like our current centennial celebration, the 75th anniversary began with the beginning of year 75 in the fall of 1979, and special events, such as a Mother-Daughter Christmas Tea and a Fun Run in conjunction with the church picnic, were held all year. The 75th anniversary celebration concluded with a Friday night banquet, a Saturday afternoon ice-cream social, and a special service on Sunday, September 28, 1980, the actual calendar date of Bethany's founding.
The Reverend Kraai's personal life also changed in an interesting way during his stay at Bethany! Sometime in 1982, a Bethany member introduced him to Linda Lesniak, an assistant mathematics professor at Western Michigan University. The math professor and the tuba-playing pastor apparently discovered that they had a few things in common! They were married in the sanctuary of Bethany on June 11, 1983. Pastor Mark's bachelor days were over, but he still holds the distinction of being our only pastor to be married while serving Bethany.
In December of 1984, the Reverend Kraai accepted a call to become the senior pastor of the United Reformed Church of Somerville, New Jersey. During his time there, he earned his Doctor of Ministry degree at Princeton University. Since 1998, he has worked as the Director of Field Education for New Brunswick Theological Seminary. In this capacity, he oversees the placement of seminary students as interns, and he also works with pastors to train them in mentoring seminary students. He also teaches a course called "Ministerium," which guides the seminary students in learning church administration.
In 2003, the General Synod of the Reformed Church elected the Reverend Kraai a Professor of Theology. This title means that he serves as a resource person for churches that seek assistance in thinking and acting theologically. Linda is now a mathematics professor at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. Both of them will be on sabbatical leave in the coming academic year, and they recently returned from a ten-day trip to France where Linda did some academic presentations. Mark also finds time to play his tuba once a week in a Dixieland band!
Their professional lives have certainly grown and prospered since they left Bethany, and we thank Mark and Linda today for their contribution and service given to Bethany Reformed Church.
© 2013 Bethany Reformed Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan. All rights reserved.
