A Student's Passion for Art & Spirituality
 | Article Courtesy MOC Public Affairs Dept. |
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“I have always loved to create artwork, but my first sense of a calling to art began when I was sixteen,” stated Josiah King, a freshman fine arts major at Mount Olive College. “While at a summer youth camp, I was filled with the Holy Spirit. The revelation of God living inside of me awakened the artistic talent that had been dormant. The Lord began to stir me to paint and draw.”
It was during that summer that King realized the direction for his life. Over the next few years, King began developing his artistic talents. He would often find himself consumed with drawing, painting and creating detailed portraits. After graduating from Hobbton High School, King knew he wanted to attend college and major in fine arts, but he felt another more urgent calling.
“I felt that the Lord was calling me to take an extended period of time to sit before Him,” he said.
King heeded the message and entered a five month internship at a ministry in Charlotte, NC called the Zadok House of Prayer (ZHOP). According to King, The (ZHOP) is a prayer room that features live music 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with a mandate to encourage the arts. At The ZHOP, King played his bass guitar on live worship sets about 14 hours a week and painted during worship sets.
“It was amazing,” he commented. “The most important thing that I did was going deep in the Word of God. Jesus enjoys it when we spend time with Him, and this environment makes it easy to connect with the Lord. I believe that these five months were the most influential months of my life. I learned that the Lord desired me so much that he put on flesh to be with me.”
The time at The ZHOP prepared King mentally and spiritually for the beginning of his college career. He enrolled at the college of his choice this spring. King chose Mount Olive College for several reasons.
“MOC was close to home, and I was able to receive a good amount of financial assistance,” King remarked. “It also helped that my mother is an MOC alumna, so I know the school has a good art program.”
King’s mother, Tina Walker King, graduated from MOC in May of 2007 with a bachelor of science degree in art. She is excited that her oldest son is following in her footsteps.
“I think Josiah will receive a well-rounded educational experience at MOC,” she stated. “From a very early age, he has shown an artistic gift. Studying at MOC will help prepare Josiah for the direction God has for his life.”
When asked if his art abilities came from his mom, King replied, “I’m not sure if artistic talent is inherited, but it definitely stirred my creativity to be around my mother. She is an inspiration to me.”
Josiah is the oldest of four boys. His brothers are Joshua - 17, Justin - 15 and Jason - 13; they are artistic as well. The entire King family is grounded in their faith. Dad, Stanley King, is pastor at Goshen New Life Church in Faison where the family attends.
King is currently working on a large painting for Talent Quest, an annual youth talent competition sponsored by the Pentecostal Holiness denomination. The subject matter given to participants was entitled "Marked." As his focus, King chose the scripture from Song of Solomon 8:6-7.
“This verse is speaking of putting on the Love of Christ, and the relentless love that God has for us,” King said. To portray that message, King is painting a self portrait with a bright red cross streaked across his heart. The scenic background of the portrait is representative of standing on the crystal sea in the throne room of God.
“Josiah has already proven to be a disciplined and insightful art major,” stated Cheryl Hooks, chair of the MOC Department of Art and Visual Communication. “We expect to see his gifts in art and service of his faith to grow. His creative and technical options and depth of awareness for visually communicating his values and ideas, as well as expanding upon his view of himself, the world and other artists, should grow and prove invaluable in his life journey. We are pleased to have Josiah with us.”
For more information about the fine arts program at Mount Olive College, visit www.moc.edu.
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It was during that summer that King realized the direction for his life. Over the next few years, King began developing his artistic talents. He would often find himself consumed with drawing, painting and creating detailed portraits. After graduating from Hobbton High School, King knew he wanted to attend college and major in fine arts, but he felt another more urgent calling.
“I felt that the Lord was calling me to take an extended period of time to sit before Him,” he said.
King heeded the message and entered a five month internship at a ministry in Charlotte, NC called the Zadok House of Prayer (ZHOP). According to King, The (ZHOP) is a prayer room that features live music 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with a mandate to encourage the arts. At The ZHOP, King played his bass guitar on live worship sets about 14 hours a week and painted during worship sets. “It was amazing,” he commented. “The most important thing that I did was going deep in the Word of God. Jesus enjoys it when we spend time with Him, and this environment makes it easy to connect with the Lord. I believe that these five months were the most influential months of my life. I learned that the Lord desired me so much that he put on flesh to be with me.”
The time at The ZHOP prepared King mentally and spiritually for the beginning of his college career. He enrolled at the college of his choice this spring. King chose Mount Olive College for several reasons.
“MOC was close to home, and I was able to receive a good amount of financial assistance,” King remarked. “It also helped that my mother is an MOC alumna, so I know the school has a good art program.”
King’s mother, Tina Walker King, graduated from MOC in May of 2007 with a bachelor of science degree in art. She is excited that her oldest son is following in her footsteps.
“I think Josiah will receive a well-rounded educational experience at MOC,” she stated. “From a very early age, he has shown an artistic gift. Studying at MOC will help prepare Josiah for the direction God has for his life.” When asked if his art abilities came from his mom, King replied, “I’m not sure if artistic talent is inherited, but it definitely stirred my creativity to be around my mother. She is an inspiration to me.”
Josiah is the oldest of four boys. His brothers are Joshua - 17, Justin - 15 and Jason - 13; they are artistic as well. The entire King family is grounded in their faith. Dad, Stanley King, is pastor at Goshen New Life Church in Faison where the family attends.
King is currently working on a large painting for Talent Quest, an annual youth talent competition sponsored by the Pentecostal Holiness denomination. The subject matter given to participants was entitled "Marked." As his focus, King chose the scripture from Song of Solomon 8:6-7.
“This verse is speaking of putting on the Love of Christ, and the relentless love that God has for us,” King said. To portray that message, King is painting a self portrait with a bright red cross streaked across his heart. The scenic background of the portrait is representative of standing on the crystal sea in the throne room of God.
“Josiah has already proven to be a disciplined and insightful art major,” stated Cheryl Hooks, chair of the MOC Department of Art and Visual Communication. “We expect to see his gifts in art and service of his faith to grow. His creative and technical options and depth of awareness for visually communicating his values and ideas, as well as expanding upon his view of himself, the world and other artists, should grow and prove invaluable in his life journey. We are pleased to have Josiah with us.”
For more information about the fine arts program at Mount Olive College, visit www.moc.edu.
