Advent100 BoardWhy Advent100 | The Artists | Board of Directors | Who We Are

Mission Statement of the Board

• Honor God
• Love Your Staff
• Respect the Donor's Gift

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ."

Colossians 3:23-24

The genesis of Advent100 began with an illustration project for another Christian denomination that included a major investment in artwork, the funding coming from individual churches, members, church institutions, and wealthy patrons. The paintings were earmarked exclusively for their Christian mission service in the non-Christian world, especially in Muslim and Hindu countries. Special attention had to be paid to cultural sensitivities and customs in these lands.

From 2009 to 2011 we witnessed a practical example in miniature of this denomination's artwork project and this became our vision for Advent100. God has graced our board and advisory team with men and women that have decades of practical experience in Adventist evangelism. Our board is earnest in their belief that we can raise the standards of artwork excellence to heights than most have never imagined, by creating artwork that makes a practical and positive difference, and is free to use. And this revolutionary first century Christian approach will remove the ever present temptation to use copyrighted artwork illegally.

Does all this sound too optimistic? Can artwork really make such a difference?

Consider this: even though this world continues to be ever more visually oriented, we have not seen a corresponding increase in the creation of quality Adventist art to bolster our message for generations. And what is created is kept exclusively by those ministries paying for it, or it may require expensive licensing to use.

But there was a time when our church was a world leader in using artwork to spread the Gospel. In the early 1950s a tremendous investment was made for illustrations by the Adventist church in products like Uncle Arthur's The Bible Story Set. At the time the cost of publishing full color books was financially prohibitive, and yet our Church leaders forcefully stepped out in sacrificial faith. Literature evangelists ensured that there was scarcely a medical office in America that didn't have a sample of these books in their waiting room. Hundreds of thousands of families bought our books. Even today, many non-Adventist Christians of that generation will attest to how influential the illustrations in those books were to them.

So the impact of colporteurs selling these lavishly illustrated faith building books saw Adventist Church growth in the United States during these years. Regrettably, as the culture and technologies changed over the years, new artwork did not replace the old. Entrenched methods of evangelism continued to be used regardless of how anachronistic the artwork became. Not surprisingly, baptisms from the colporteur work dropped.

But we believe this need not continue. Publishing may not center mainly on books today, but publishing in other forms continues in this "Communication Age". Great art, like great writing, is timeless. Spreading the Third Angel's Message may now involve an iPad app or a PowerPoint sermon, but the compelling influence of the visual remains.

It is with this in mind that our board has covenanted together to launch Advent100 and asks each member to remember us in your prayers, and to share our story with others.

Lars Justinen, President
Kim Justinen, Director
Ken McFarland, Director
Byron Hill, Director