What began as an internship with The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry has evolved into a full-time managing editor position for CSU alumnus Jesse King (’19).
After the internship, King accepted a full-time position with FOI as a staff writer in August of 2019. He then began working as a proofreader with Israel My Glory, FOI’s magazine, before taking on more involved roles. At the beginning of 2022, he took on the part of senior editor and learned from editor-in-chief Lorna Simcox, who was retiring at the end of the year. Then at the beginning of 2023, King moved into the role of managing editor.
FOI is “a worldwide evangelical ministry proclaiming biblical truth about Israel and the Messiah while bringing physical and spiritual comfort to the Jewish people.” King, a talented writer and editor is passionate about God’s Word and has enjoyed learning more about Israel and the Jewish people.
He said, “I love God’s Word and working with the written word, so this job perfectly combines the two.”
He continued, “I love learning more about the Lord, Israel, and the Jewish people, and His faithfulness to me by studying His Word and sharing it through FOI’s many media ministries. I’m blessed to work with fantastic, godly people who share my love for these things, making my work even more of a pleasure.”
King didn’t always dream about being an editor. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do until right before college when he decided to narrow his focus to writing. While at CSU, King was provided many opportunities to try out his chosen field and hone his abilities.
At CSU, he operated the campus writing center and therein discovered his love and talent for editing. He said, “I spent several years editing students’ papers to help them share their messages more clearly. Editing has its perks. Writers do the heavy lifting creatively, and editing gets down to the nuts and bolts of writing and finds ways to improve it.”
CSU fostered King’s love for the Lord and taught him how to study and cherish the whole canon of His Word. He said, “I believe God has put me in this role to glorify Him by encouraging both believers and unbelievers with truth from His Word, and CSU strengthened my love for these things. I also benefited from learning how to be a strong writer through classes on many different writing genres (creative writing, nonfiction, fiction, journalism, novels, short stories, poetry) and how to be a precise editor through my experience with the writing center.”
King is so thankful that God led him to FOI after graduation. He said, “God graciously directed my path to FOI. I’ve been blessed with many great teachers at FOI, and learning the ins and outs of publishing a magazine from Lorna for several years was a privilege that allowed me to serve in this role.”
Based on his experiences, King encourages anyone who wants to break into the writing and editing world to gain practical experience as he did. He said, “I recommend you study and learn from someone who knows the business well. You should find ways to get some practical experience in publishing, ideally through an internship.”
He also urges future writers and editors to understand how vital diversified abilities are in this ever-changing industry. “Because the medium may change (i.e., magazines may lose popularity in favor of online media), you should work on skills you can acquire that will apply to any medium, like writing, editing, web design, graphic design, I.T., photography, etc.,” he said.
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