New Staff Member: Kim Benedict

Hello, I’m Kim Benedict, the newest member of the seminary’s development team. I grew up in Seattle and also spent a lot of time with extended family on the Olympic Peninsula. My three teenage children and I now live in Grand Rapids. Having grown up in the Northwest, we love being by the water, so we go out to Lake Michigan as often as possible! My professional background is in teaching, writing, and editing.

In my new role as the seminary’s Development Data and Donor Communications Coordinator, I have the privilege of communicating with our amazing donors to let them know how much we appreciate their support. I also help process gifts and write grants. Every day, I’m inspired by our donors’ generosity; their commitment to the seminary is an encouraging reminder of God’s faithfulness.

In addition to working with donors, another rewarding aspect of my job is being immersed in the seminary’s vibrant educational environment. As someone with a background in teaching, I enjoy seeing our seminary students explore new ideas and develop the skills they need to follow God’s calling. I also admire our faculty members’ passion for mentoring students and caring about their well-being.

Although I started working in my current position in February 2022, my first connections to Calvin Theological Seminary were forged during the 2015-16 school year, when I taught Written Rhetoric in the Calvin Prison Initiative program. Through that experience, I met seminary professors John Rottman and David Rylaarsdam. I also developed a strong interest in prison education programs in general and the Calvin Prison Initiative in particular. I’m thrilled that one of my current responsibilities is to write communications pieces on behalf of CPI, in order to spread the news about how the program is changing lives and transforming prison culture in the state of Michigan.

Further connections with Calvin Seminary were forged in the summer of 2021, when I was working as a freelance writer. I had the opportunity to collaborate with a talented team of staff and faculty to write a proposal for a $1 million Lilly Foundation Pathways for Tomorrow grant. During our eight-week collaboration, I was impressed by the staff and faculty’s energy, collegiality, and innovative spirit. We were thrilled when we learned that Lilly had approved our proposal! The grant funds will support the seminary’s Next Steps Initiative, a program designed to make theological education accessible to a wider variety of ministry leaders than ever before in the seminary’s history.

Having had such positive interactions with Calvin Theological Seminary, it was an easy decision to say “yes” to the invitation to join the seminary staff in 2022. I’m thankful to work alongside such gifted and dedicated colleagues to further the seminary’s mission of forming church leaders.