Seminary Opens New Housing Center

Ursula Rivers, a Calvin Theological Seminary (CTS) student, opened her arms and, with a smile on her face, gestured at the newly finished Harry and Bernice Vermeer Family Housing Center.

Within the facility, rising five stories above ground, is the three-bedroom apartment in which she and her adult daughter will be living.

“I’m so excited,” said Rivers, who will soon be a third-year master of divinity student. “God has brought us to a place where I never thought we’d be.”

Rivers, a native of Columbia, S.C., was among the nearly 200 students, families, faculty members, donors, and others who recently attended an open house and a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the completion of the more than $20 million housing center located on Burton Street across the street from the seminary campus in Grand Rapids, Mich.

The new building contains one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments that accompany study areas for both individual and group work, as well as a meeting area for family events. A playground and outdoor areas for families are also provided.

A few minutes before the start of the ribbon cutting, Rivers spoke about her journey to study at CTS.

In a voice reflecting her joy at having reached this place in her life, she said she grew up with a sense that God was calling her to become a pastor. Even so, she said, she had followed a fairly traditional path for a woman born and raised in the southern United States. 

She got married, had two children, and traveled for many years with her husband, who was in the U.S. Army. What she didn’t expect, she said, was that her marriage would fall apart and that she would be laid low for a period of time from a stroke.

But it was during her lengthy recovery from the stroke, she said, that the urge to serve God as a pastor came back – and with a persistence she couldn’t ignore. She eventually acted on it by starting a process that led her to apply and be accepted at Calvin Theological Seminary. 

“I did my research and realized how much the Reformed theology taught at the seminary made sense to me. I wanted to come here,” she said.

Until now, she and her daughter, Alexias, have been living in an off-campus housing complex owned by the seminary. The area is small and without many amenities. Besides its spacious apartment, her new home has a patio where she will be able to sit in the sunshine and enjoy nature.

“I can commune and experience the peace and presence of God,” she said. “I love this place. I believe a divine plan brought us here.” 

In 2024, the seminary hired general contractor Dan Vos Construction to break ground on the student housing project, designed by Integrated Architecture. Among other things attention was paid to making the center energy efficient. Residents will begin to move in soon.

“This is such a wonderful gathering,” said Jul Medenblik, president of the seminary, at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, held outside in an area that features tables and chairs, grills for cookouts, and the playground. “We’re here to give thanks.”

Especially, he added, it was important to give thanks for the seminary officials who more than 15 years ago arranged to purchase the property on which the housing complex now stands. 

“The leadership at the seminary sensed back then that they should purchase this property, even though at that time there was not a clear picture of what it would be used for. . . . We believe that this new student housing center continues the forward-looking nature of Calvin Theological Seminary, responding to the needs of the church.”

A range of speakers followed the introduction by Medenblik. Among them was Bianca Campos, resident director for all of the seminary’s housing facilities.

“This new complex is more than just a place to live,” she said. “It will be a community united as God’s people.”

In her role, Campos helps to oversee the life of students and their families, but she also has firsthand experience with the challenges and joys of living in seminary housing. Several years ago, she and her husband, Thiago, lived in one of the units while he earned a master of theology degree.

After he graduated, they returned to their home in Brazil, where he served as a pastor and teacher. They are now back at the seminary, along with their children, as he works on a Ph.D. in New Testament studies.

“I know how living here is a time that helps to shape the future,” she said. “You become a true community as you spend time and share life together.”

At the end of the ceremony Medenblik offered a prayer. “We want to turn all that we are doing today into praise to God,” he said. “We are grateful for the vision people have had to make this building a reality. We also pray for people from all over the world who will be living here. We believe this housing center will be a testimony of God’s blessings for many years to come.”

After the ceremony, Michael Koshan, a student from Indonesia, took a few moments to talk about the benefits he will experience once he and his family move into the facility. They have been living in an off-campus apartment complex.

“I think being able to live so close to the seminary will give us a sense of belonging and security,” said Koshan, who is studying for an advanced degree focusing on the New Testament book of Hebrews. His homeland, Indonesia, is one of more than 20 countries represented among CTS students.

“We have one car and, especially when my wife needs it, it will be nice that the seminary and the library are just across the street for me,” he added. It will help a lot, he said, that “I can just walk to my classes and can come back to have lunch with my family.”

Important to note as well, said Phillip Palacios, the seminary’s director of communications, is that this new housing center is an example of how the seminary continues to grow and to serve a larger purpose in a time when many seminaries are reducing their offerings and their investment in in-person learning.

 “We at CTS are in the wonderful position to be able to build both our online and in-person learning opportunities,” he said. “This is truly a gift from God to be able to do this. Both our online and in-person programs are in a period of strength.”