Facing the Future with Hope: Medenblik’s Sense of Calling

–Rachel Townsend ’16

Coming to Trinity, “floods of memories” rushed over Rev. Jul Medenblik ’82, president of Calvin Theological Seminary. He returned to campus to present, “From Lawyer to Seminary President: How Can We Discern our Calling?”

After all, Medenblik has had a transformative career path. He met his wife Jackie [Klain] ’82 at Trinity, where he received a degree in philosophy. He earned his Juris Doctor degree cum laude from the University of Floridaand began working as an associate at a Florida law firm. However, he felt the call to minister. He eventually left the law and graduated from Calvin Theological Seminary in 1995. Medenblik then accepted a position as founding pastor at a Christian Reformed Church plant in New Lenox, Ill. Returning to his religious roots, he became president of Calvin Theological Seminary in 2011.

Medenblik’s personal journey reflected his larger beliefs on one’s sense of calling. “People go through different transitions,” he said. Trinity students may feel a variety of callings when choosing a major and future career, pulling them in different directions. When discovering callings and choosing those to follow, he said we must first remember to be a faithful disciple of Christ. However, we must also focus on our specific calling, callings that are “bigger than any one story… but that also include your story,” he emphasized. Looking at our affinities, abilities, and experiences will help discern our callings.

Medenblik suggested that community best forms one’s calling. Trinity’s wide and supportive community will shape our callings, helping us to “face the future with hope.”