King University Campus

King Institute for Faith and Culture 2022-23 Speaker Series

Hunger and Gladness

What am I called to do in life? Whom am I called to journey with?

These are questions both ancient and timeless, communal and individual, engaging both the mind and the heart.  

Frederick Buechner wrote that “the place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” In seeking this place where our innate gifts and talents align with the essential needs of others, we discover vocation, friendship, and fulfillment – topics always worthy of consideration, but especially so in our tumultuous age.

Join us this year as we seek the intersection of the world’s deep hunger and our deep gladness. Together in community and alongside our welcomed speakers, we will invite wonder, practice grace, and expect serendipity. 

We hope you’ll be part of the journey.

Previous Speakers:

Jill Peláez Baumgaertner

Author, poet and editor

Wednesday, Aug. 24

  • 9:15 a.m. – “God’s Call: Forgiveness, Freedom, and Vocation” at Memorial Chapel, King University
  • 7 p.m. – “From Shade to Shine” at Central Presbyterian Church, 331 Euclid Ave., Bristol, Virginia
Jessie van Eerden

Award-winning author

Monday, Sept. 12

  • 9:15 a.m. – “A Calling to Write” at Memorial Chapel, King University
  • 7 p.m. – “A Calling to the Midrashic Imagination” at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 760 Cumberland St., Bristol, Virginia
Mark Finlay
Mark Finlay

Director, Leaders and Followers Foundation

Monday, Oct. 17

  • 9:15 a.m. – “Who are the Cup Bearers Today?” at Memorial Chapel, King University
  • 7 p.m. – “Ambassadors Not Politicians” at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 760 Cumberland St., Bristol, Virginia
Daniel Silliman
Daniel Silliman

News Editor, Christianity Today

Monday, Nov. 7

  • 9:15 a.m. – “The Man from Mars Who Wants to Know: Who, What, Where, When, and How to Become a Question-Asker in an Age of Takes and Opinions” at Memorial Chapel, King University
  • 7 p.m. – “Listen to Your Donkeys: What I Have Learned from Reporting on the Sexual Abuse Crisis in American Evangelicalism” at Central Presbyterian, 331 Euclid Ave., Bristol, Virginia
H. Lee Martin, Ph. D.
H. Lee Martin, Ph.D.

President, Trinity Health Foundation of East Tennessee

Monday, Nov. 14

  • 9:15 a.m. – “I Dare You – A Metric to Enhance Your Joy in the Journey” at Memorial Chapel, King University
  • 7 p.m. – “Pickleball: The Future King of Recreational Sport” at Board Room, Student Center, King University
Katherine Paterson, Stephanie S. Tolan, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Katherine Paterson, Stephanie S. Tolan, and Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Award-winning authors, John Newbery Medal award honorees

Wednesday, Nov. 30

  • 7:30 p.m. – “A Calling to Write for Children” at Central Presbyterian, 331 Euclid Ave., Bristol, Virginia
Katherine Paterson

Library of Congress Living Legend

Thursday, Dec. 1

  • 9:15 a.m. – “Stories of My Life” at Memorial Chapel, King University