Krehbiel, Christian Emmanuel (1869-1948)
Christian Emmanuel Krehbiel was born 25 September 1869 at Summerfield, Illinois. He was the seventh of the 16 children of Christian and Susanna Ruth Krehbiel, who came from the Palatinate, Germany. C. E. Krehbiel received his training at the Mennonite Preparatory School at Halstead, Kansas, and the Kansas State Normal School at Emporia. After teaching a year he entered Presbyterian Theological Seminary at Bloomfield, New Jersey. He attended the University of Berlin, Germany, 1899-1901. He married Mary A. Wirkler of Newton, Kansas, on 27 July 1902, and two children, Olin and Florence, were born to them.
In 1901-1920 Krehbiel was secretary of the Western Book and Publishing Company (later the Herold Book and Publishing Company) and did editorial work for several German periodicals. He started and edited The Sower, the young people's section of The Mennonite. He also served as the secretary of the Mennonite Charité 1908-1931, and superintendent of the Leisy Orphan Aid Society (1901-1948).
About 1921 Krehbiel retired from business to devote the rest of his life to Christian work. He served as field secretary for the General Conference Mennonite Church 1921-1930. In 1922-1923 he was in Russia in relief work for the Mennonite Central Committee. He was ordained as minister on 2 December 1923 and held many offices, both in the Western District Conference and the General Conference. He was General Conference statistician in 1923-1938, chairperson of the Board of Publication 1923-1926, secretary of the General Conference 1926-1938, president of the General Conference 1938-1945, member of the Mennonite Biblical Seminary Board 1941-1947, of the Home Mission Board 1945-1947, and editor of the Christlicher Bundesbote 1930-1946.
Krehbiel was a member of the Bethel College Mennonite Church at North Newton, Kansas, where he served as deacon for many years. He organized the Lorraine Avenue Mennonite Church, Wichita, Kansas, and was its pastor in 1931-1935. He served as supply pastor of the Eden Mennonite Church, Moundridge, Kansas, while their pastor was doing relief work in Europe.
Krehbiel wrote the following: Historical Sketch, First Mennonite Church, Halstead, Kansas (Newton, 1925); the chapter on clothing in the book Feeding the Hungry (Scottdale, 1929); numerous articles, short stories, and some poems.
Following several heart attacks, he died on 9 June 1948 at Newton, and was buried in the Halstead cemetery.
| Author(s) | Olin A Krehbiel |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1957 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Krehbiel, Olin A. "Krehbiel, Christian Emmanuel (1869-1948)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1957. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Krehbiel,_Christian_Emmanuel_(1869-1948)&oldid=95657.
APA style
Krehbiel, Olin A. (1957). Krehbiel, Christian Emmanuel (1869-1948). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Krehbiel,_Christian_Emmanuel_(1869-1948)&oldid=95657.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, pp. 236-237. All rights reserved.
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