Longtime NRB member Dr. Freda V. Crews, 86, of Lake Bowen, S.C., went to be with the Lord on Friday, October 21, 2022.
“Dr. Crews was a distinguished and accomplished Christian woman who leaves a legacy of service through her ministry endeavors,” said NRB President and CEO Troy A. Miller. “Her leadership in the field of professional Christian counseling will continue to equip generations of Christian leaders.”
Dr. Crews was a lifelong powerhouse in Christian service, assisting her husband, the late Dr. William R. Crews, with pastoral duties and devoting her life to ministry while raising a family. She was ordained at First Baptist Church in West Coral Springs, Fla., on February 16, 1997. Throughout her life, Dr. Crews held many positions in ministry while assisting her husband, as they pastored churches in Florida, Texas, Michigan, Kentucky, Arkansas, Georgia, South Dakota, and South Carolina.
Accomplished in her education, Dr. Crews completed her master’s degree at North American Baptist Seminary in Sioux Falls, S.D. She was the first woman to graduate from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Chicago, Ill., earning a Doctorate of Ministry. Dr. Crews also completed a Doctorate of Philosophy at International University for Graduate Studies in St. Kitts, where she later held the position of Director/Dean of the International University for Graduate Studies School of Christian Counseling. Dr. Crews was a presidential member of the American Association of Christian Counselors, a licensed professional counselor, a board-certified professional Christian counselor and the founder of the Cherokee County Suicide Prevention Hotline. She also served as pastor of Hope For Living Media Church. In her personal time, Dr. Crews was an accomplished private pilot who earned her multi-engine, instrument, and commercial ratings with more than a thousand hours of flight time.
Dr. Crews, along with her husband, founded Bible Study Time, a Spartanburg, S.C.-based non-profit ministry, in 1974. From its early beginnings, the organization began broadcasting a show called “The Awakening Hour” with Dr. William Crews as the host. Later on, Dr. Crews began a weekly radio program, Truth for Living, that aired from 1991-1997, and a weekly television program, Time for Hope. She held the position of CEO of Bible Study Time until the time of her passing. Bible Study Time has been a member of NRB since 1978.
NRB’s sincere condolences and prayers are with the family of Dr. Crews. Read the full obituary here.
