“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”— II Timothy 4:7-8
Bishop Kenneth Ray Kingrea of Christiansburg was welcomed into Heaven by his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ during the early morning hours of Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, while surrounded by his family.
Born Dec. 1, 1941, in Floyd, he was the son of the late Hosea Hungate and Nina H. Franklin. Skilled in many areas, he succeeded in business; however, at the age of 36, he acknowledged a call into the ministry, a decision that would create a spiritual legacy of ministry within his own family and would impact the eternity of countless individuals.
In 1977, Bishop Kingrea was licensed and ordained as a minister in the International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC) and was an active minister in the Appalachian Conference of the IPHC for over 40 years. Beginning his ministerial service at Blacksburg Pentecostal Holiness Church, he was led to plant the Pilot Pentecostal Holiness Church (now Abundant Life Fellowship) along with his brother, the evangelist Rev. Richard Kingrea. He pastored there before moving to Salem to lead the congregation of Salem Pentecostal Holiness Church (now Christian Life International). He then served the IPHC as Appalachian Conference Evangelism Director and Assistant Superintendent before being appointed to the Office of Superintendent. After completing 10 years of service to the denomination, Bishop Kingrea still could not refuse his desire to minister and continued pastoring at Oak Grove Church in Christiansburg until 2019.
An avid student of the Word, Bishop Kingrea loved to learn and earned multiple degrees including a bachelor’s degree from Trinity College of the Bible, a master’s degree from Southwestern Christian University, and an honorary doctorate from Maranatha College of the Bible. Bishop Kingrea shared this knowledge with people all over the world, traveling to numerous countries to teach and preach the Gospel of Christ. He also served as a member of the IPHC General Evangelism USA (EVUSA) Division Council and sat on the Emmanuel College Board of Trustees.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 56 years, Juanita Marcella Kingrea, and his twin brother, Samuel Jay Kingrea.
Left to cherish his memory are his three children, Towana Kingrea-Kitts of Christiansburg, the Rev. Ray Kingrea and wife Sandy of Lynchburg and the Rev. Brian Kingrea and wife Kay of Gaithersburg, Md.; one sister, Shirley Cox and her husband, Richard, of Catawba; and one brother, the Rev. Richard Kingrea and wife Renee of Christiansburg.
He was the beloved grandfather to eight grandchildren: Bethany Creger, Hannah Venable (husband Michael), Andrew Kingrea (wife Sydnah), Jessica Barbir (husband Timothy), Dakota Kingrea, Zachary Kingrea (wife Candice), Cheyenne Kingre, and Tacoma Kingrea (wife Chrissy) and great-grandfather to 10 great-grandchildren: Gabriel, Ezra, Willow, Anderson, Kennedy, Ruth, Cash, Carter, Laurel and Aaron.
He is also survived by his loving wife of three years, Nita Martin Kingrea, numerous nieces and nephews who he loved as his own, as well as many other relatives and close friends.
For those of you who knew or were impacted directly by Bishop Kingrea’s ministry, his family would ask that you honor his memory by reflecting on the time shared on this earth, most importantly, the messages he preached about salvation and the importance of being prepared to meet God. His heartfelt desire was that all would come to know Christ as Savior and could share in the joy of hearing Jesus say, as he certainly did, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and current state-mandated restrictions, there will be no public viewing. A private funeral service will be held at Harbor of Hope Pentecostal Holiness Church in Christiansburg with interment to follow at the Appalachian Conference Cemetery in Dublin.
The Kingrea family is in the care of McCoy Funeral Home of Blacksburg. Online condolences may be shared at www.mccoyfuneralhome.com under “tributes.”
