Meet Our Members

Einar & Laura Bredeson
Meet the Bredesons – Einar (pronounced I-nar, as the E is silent) Laura, Carol Anne, Kailey, Brooke and dog Rufus!
Einar and Laura were married at Zion by Pastor Summer in September of 1997. Daughters Carol Anne, (13) Kailey, (will be 11 on 9/21) and Brooke (7) were all baptized at Zion.  The Bredesons live in Alexandria Township (next to Pittstown). They are a busy family, with the girls very active in sports and music.
Carol Anne plays travel basketball with Hunterdon United in the fall and spring.  She plays basketball on her school team as well as DVBL, youth recreation basketball, during the winter.  She additionally runs cross country and is going into her 8th year of piano, taking Trinity piano exams annually in Princeton in May.  Kailey is going into the 6th grade, runs cross country and is a Varsity cheerleader for the Del Val Jr. Terriers.  Kailey loves to sing and is taking voice lessons, currently preparing to audition for Annie Jr. in October.  She will audition for her school play and is in her 4th year of piano.  She will also play basketball on the Alexandria Middle School Team as well as DVBL if time permits, given the demands of cheerleading this year.  Brooke, who is going into 2nd grade, is an excellent student and is quite the athlete.  Brooke loves to play soccer in the fall and spring.  She also plays basketball on DVBL during the winter and she plays lacrosse in the spring. In lacrosse she is playing “up” as she is on a team with 4th and 5th grade girls. Brooke will be starting piano next fall.  Additionally, all 3 girls play Tennis however, we have slowed that down due to all of the above.  The entire family skis every weekend possible throughout the winter in Killington, Vermont.  
Einar is a Director of IT with Verizon Corp.  He spent his early years growing up in a suburb of Minneapolis. He graduated from Rutgers University and has his masters degree in IT from Stevens Institute.  Einar served as an Officer in the United States Army from 1992-1996, departing as a 1st Lieutenant stationed in Baumholder, Germany.  Laura grew up in Holmdel, NJ.  She spent her career in Advertising working for her father’s advertising agency in Red Bank and for McCann Worldgroup / McCann New York, working on various consumer accounts.  She recently left the advertising business to invest her time with the family and 2-year-old Rufus the Samoyed! Now she is enjoying attending group fitness classes daily along with gardening and being the Chief Operating Officer of the Bredeson Household.


Colin & Kim Brokaw
Kim, Colin, Chloe and Nathan Brokaw live in Union Township.  Colin grew up at Zion, and Kim joined the church prior to their marriage in 2007.  Chloe is entering third grade and enjoys Girl Scouts and softball.  Nathan is excited to go to school with his sister this year when he begins Kindergarten.  Kim is an Associate Director of Project and Program Management at Merck in Branchburg.  Colin is a Commodity Manager and Logistics Manager at ASCO in Florham Park.
Colin has previously served on Council as Stewardship Chair and Youth Chair, and currently sings in the Parish Choir and contributes to Zion’s social media efforts with the Communications Committee.  Chloe and Nathan had a great time attending VBS this summer with their cousins Maisie and Natalie Ronaldo.  The Brokaws are looking forward to harvesting all sorts of organic veggies from their recently expanded garden.

Tom & Linda Held
Tom and Linda joined Zion in 1996.  They have two “children” — Ted, 25, and Kate, 22 — who were confirmed at Zion and enjoyed many trips to Rehoboth Beach with the youth group.
Both Tom and Linda are Western Pennsylvania natives; Tom from Erie and Linda from Pittsburgh.  Go Steelers.  Tom recently retired from Novartis after working there for 20 years.  He had two weeks of leisure time before starting a new position with the Japanese pharmaceutical company Daiichi–Sankyo.  Tom will once again rack up the frequent flier miles, which will help facilitate the Held family’s passion for travel.  When not exploring some far-off land, Tom and Linda enjoy playing a round of golf, although the concept of “lowest score wins” seems to elude Linda.   Tom is an avid runner who has competed in the Boston and New York City marathons.  Linda, who never runs, plays tennis.  
Zion has been very important to the Held family.  With no origins or family in New Jersey, the Church has helped the Held family plant some roots in Hunterdon County.  Tom has sat on the Pastor’s advisory board.   Linda taught 3rd and 4th grade Sunday School and was the Sunday School Superintendent for many years.   She has sat on Council as the Social Ministry Chairperson.  Linda continues to serve on both the Christian Education and Social Ministry committees.


No comments: