Meet Mindy & Mary
Mary loves hiking in national parks with her husband Drew Kromminga, running the occasional 5k, eating potatoes in any form (which is why she needs the 5k’s), and watching anything that’s funny and not crude (e.g. Jim Gaffigan, Parks & Rec, Bless This Mess).
Rev. Dr. Mary Hulst
Mary currently serves as University Pastor at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she has been since 2009. Prior to her current post, she spent eight years serving as the senior pastor at Eastern Avenue Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, before leaving to pursue a PhD in communication ethics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her bachelor’s degree is in classical studies from Calvin (then College), and her Master of Divinity was granted by Calvin Theological Seminary. Mary taught for one year in the Communications Arts and Sciences Department at Calvin University and then for two years at Calvin Theological Seminary, as Assistant Professor of Preaching, where she still teaches on occasion. You can follow her on Twitter @PastorMary2U and find her on Facebook as “Mary Hulst.” Mary’s book, A Little Handbook for Preachers: Ten Practical Ways to a Better Sermon by Sunday, serves as the foundation for Preacher to Preacher coaching.
Mindy loves to spend as much time as possible with her husband, their two young daughters, and two labs. A natural storyteller she loves preaching and walking with young pastors. In this COVID season you will find her baking with her girls, on a family hike or enjoying her Peloton. Mindy is most energized by being with her people as she is an extrovert by nature.
Rev. Dr. Mindy Smith
Mindy is the associate director of the Whitworth University Office of Church Engagement in Spokane, Washington. A Whitworth alumna, Mindy was a theology major, and actively involved in Young Life during her undergrad years, which led to her serving on Young Life staff in Spokane following her graduation. From there, she went on to Princeton Theological Seminary and earned her Master of Divinity in 2006. In 2008, Mindy received a call to return to Whitworth as campus pastor and spent the next ten years developing campus ministry programs at the university, teaching pastoral care and ministry training classes, and preaching regularly during weekly community chapel. In 2018, she graduated with a Doctorate in Ministry from Portland Seminary and transitioned to working for the Office of Church Engagement, where her role includes fostering community and growth opportunities within a network of partner churches and overseeing the Whitworth Ministry Summit each summer.
