Sojournal

Born and raised in rural Indiana, Jennifer moved to the Knoxville area for college in the mid 1990s and never left. For 25 years, Jennifer has worked with English language learners in the local school systems and in the community.

Jennifer is a product of the Templar School of Education and was a student of the late Dr. Chris Templar. Listen in to learn about Jen's journey from the Midwest to the South, her experience at Johnson, and her experience with helping English language learners in the Knoxville area.

Though she is not a graduate, Teri attended Johnson in the late 1970s. A native of central Indiana, Teri found Christ at Jamestown Christian Church in Jamestown, IN.

Originally a student at Lincoln Christian College, Teri transferred to Johnson after experiencing the campus while traveling with a musical group.

Listen in to learn more about Teri's journey to faith, experience at Johnson, and her life beyond the University.

Kim lives in Kokomo, Indiana, and recently celebrated her 30th wedding anniversary with her husband, Jim, and they have three kids (including Rebekah, a 2023 graduate).

Kim serves as the DayCare Pastor at Crossroads Learning Corner, a ministry of Crossroads Community Church in Kokomo.

A long-time public servant as an attorney in Nashville, Tennessee, Jess is living the retired life in Lenoir City, Tennessee.

Originally a product of Charleston, West Virginia, Jess lived in northeast Ohio until he came to Johnson in 1976.

Michael (’93) and Amy Edmunds have been married for 30 years. They serves the Lord in Dawsonville, Georgia, and they are beekeepers and sheep owners. The product of a broken home, Michael met Christ as a highschooler and made his way to Johnson.

Michael continues to stay involved in ministry and has an interesting journey to share.

Jason grew up in Beckley, West Virginia, and spent most of his adolescent life attending Oak Grove Christian Church under the discipleship of Ken (’61) Overdorf, Burt (’83) Brock, Rick (’83) Burdette, and Dave (’89) Mullins.

Jason's first ministry after graduation, which he started before graduation, was at Farragut Christian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. So far, it is Jason's only ministry as he has not left the church since he started more than 25 years ago. He serves Farragut with his wife, Shannon (Denney, '97, '99), and they have three children.

Trenton grew up in Columbia, South Carolina, and currently lives in Washington, North Carolina, as a 7th Grade English teacher and varsity basketball coach.

Trenton's journey to Johnson came via basketball. He graduated from Heathwood Hall Episcopal High School in Columbia and found Johnson because he was passionate about education, basketball, and faith development. Johnson was his second college experience and was a healing experience after confronting challenges at his first school.

Listen in to Trenton's journey and how Johnson impacted his life and journey to teacher education and varsity basketball coaching.

After 19 years away from the Tennessee campus, Eddie Mullins stopped by while his family was vacationing in nearby Pigeon Forge. His visit enabled us to catch up and that interaction on campus led to this podcast interview.

Eddie has experienced the ups and downs of ministry in the local church and it is his journey that will give listeners some food for thought in their own ministry contexts.

Susan (Ogdon, '67, '16) Calderon is a former missionary and Johnson University lecturer in the School of Intercultural Studies. As a retired widow, Susan has joined five other missionary/minister widows to collaborate on the book, "Who Am I Now that He is Not Here?" which was made available on Amazon in February.

Susan is passionate about her faith and helping others find hope and peace through abiding in Christ. She enjoys family and continues to worship and serve in Fountain City Christian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Jeremy ('07) Hobbs is unique among the history of Sojournal podcast guests. He is the first certificate graduate to be featured in the podcast. Jeremy earned an undergraduate certificate in missions from Johnson University in 2007.

After achieving his certificate, Jeremy went on to graduate from East Tennessee State University in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in construction technology.

Today, Jeremy serves as a Senior Pipeline Technician with East Tennessee Natural Gas as he continues his faith journey in his local church and in encouraging ministry works around the world.