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Judith Craig (1937-2019) was a United Methodist Church bishop. Craig was born in Lexington, Missouri on June 5, 1937. Her education started at William Jewell College (B.A., 1959), then Eden Theological Seminary (M.Div., 1961), and finally at United Theological Seminary (M.A., C.E., 1968). Baldwin-Wallace College bestowed an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree on her in 1980. Bishop Francis E. Kerns ordained her a deacon in 1972 and elder in 1974 within the East Ohio Annual Conference. Craig served at Cleveland's Epworth-Euclid United Methodist Church from 1972 to 1976 as a religious education minister and later as an associate pastor. Her next appointment from 1976 to 1980 came as the pastor at Pleasant Hills United Methodist Church. In 1980 she was appointed the Director of the East Ohio Conference Council on Ministries. Craig was elected to the episcopacy in 1984 by the North Central Jurisdiction and assigned to the Michigan Area until 1992. Afterwards she administered the Ohio West Episocpal Area until her retirement. Post retirement work includes the Office of Bishop in Residence and visiting professor at Methodist Theological School of Ohio. Craig has served on the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women ( 1984-1988), the General Council on Ministries (1988-1992), and the General Board of Publication.

Robert Cowden (1833-1922), United Brethren Church minister and educator, was born May 24, 1833, in Ohio.

Cowden began his church career by assuming leadership in his local church's Sunday School. Beginning in 1877, Colonel Cowden, as he was known throughout the church because of his military service during the Civil War, served as executive secretary of the Sunday School Association for thirty-six.

During his years of service, two significant developments occurred: First, following the example of the Chautauqua camp meeting organization and the New York Normal Union, a school for training teachers and leaders, the United Brethren Church organized the Bible Normal Union in 1886. It issued diplomas to those who completed a prescribed course of study. Second, the Home Reading Circle was organized in 1887, and provided a three-year reading course of study. In 1889, the United Brethren Church Sabbath School was managed by Cowden as its secretary.

Cowden was charged with organizing and maintaining the Sunday School which replaced the Sabbath School in 1905. The General Conference of 1909 decreed that there should be a unified denominational program for the Sunday School, the Youth Society, and Men's work. As a result the Departments of Sunday School, Brotherhood, and Young Peoples work were created. Cowden assumed leadership of the Sunday School Department. He continued in this work until his retirement in 1919. Cowden died in 1922.