When I was approached by Garrett Caldwell in 2011 to help develop a sci—fi web series that touched on the themes of the book, called, The Great Controversy — I was excited. Because I knew it would either end up a ground-breaking moment for my church or a complete & total disaster. Depending on the day, you can say the project has been both.
But from the very first moment, Garrett, Jason Satterlund and myself got together to write, something became clear, God’s hand was upon us. From the two days I spent in Portland, where we constructed a universe and characters, which some of the finest actors I know would bring to flesh, to when they flew to the Bay Area and we plotted the full 11—episode arch, something special was going on. It wasn’t a job or a task, it was an unraveling of a story that had always existed, pieces of it implanted in each of our hearts, just waiting for the day we would be together with this opportunity.
As we reached production, it also became very clear, the project would meet many challenges along the way. From disagreements amongst our team, production problems and eventually the very organization who funded it, deciding not to move forward with the release. Failure upon failure, reminded me that the arch of the universe is long. Regardless of where the project stood at any given time, I could not have been more proud of the final film Jason directed, which Garrett and I had the pleasure of helping breathe to life.
For the themes of The Great Controversy, much like The Record Keeper, are universal and I still have to believe how it will be judged inevitably, cannot be seen just in the moment. Within the stories, the characters and the words are timeless themes. Ready to meet every nation and generation. And now with the episodes available online, along with these in-depth study guides, lives can change for any who would invest their time in its deliberation. For we will all be asked to answer one great question in this life. It is the crux of the series. Einstein asked it, “Is the universe kind?“ And now I ask, “Is God good?“
—Rajeev Sigamoney /
The Record Keeper Creator-Writer
Loretta Knopp, Lead Writer
Loretta has been a high school English, Bible, and Drama teacher for over 25 years. For more than 20 of those years, Deer Lake SDA School in Vancouver, British Columbia has been her school family. She loves helping youth become all God wants them to be, and does so in many creative ways! Loretta writes plays, musicals, and spoken word poetry for her students to perform, and then teaches them how to write their own. She plans outreach trips with her students, taking them to places like Mexico, the Dominican Republic, the Navajo Nation in Arizona, and her Oakridge Adventist Church Pathfinder Club to Peru. She loves watching her students discover the true joy that only comes from helping others. Loretta’s handy carpentry-loving, trumpet-playing husband, Larry, and energetic photographer, violin-playing son, Alexander, love to join in on the outreach trips, and will always bring their instruments. The entire family was recently featured in an hour-long campmeeting special, Loretta completing the trio on her flute: a very interesting combination, and certainly creative! She would love to hear how God has been speaking to you through “The Record Keeper“ at LorettaKnopp@gmail.com.
Kyle Stiemsma, Editor
Kyle loves to help people ask good questions and engage in good discussions about God and Christian spirituality. He recently earned his Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Regent College where he focused his study on traditions and practices of prayer throughout Christian history. Kyle writes for a variety of publications and continues to speak at churches all around the world. He is married to Leah, who is currently finishing her PhD in Microbiology and Immunology at the University of British Columbia.
Kumar Dixit, General Editor
Kumar is a popular traveling preacher and seminar presenter from the greater Washington D.C. area. He received a Doctorate in Ministry with an emphasis in Leadership Excellence from Wesley Theological Seminary (Washington D.C.) He is the author of Branded Faith: Contextualizing the Gospel in a Post-Secular World (Wipf and Stock publishers), and has co-authored Steps to Discipleship (published by the General Conference of Adventist). Dixit writes for a number of magazines and journals. He was the 2013 recipient of the Associate Church Press Award for his monthly column in the Canadian Messenger. Kumar Dixit has combined his ministry background with media initiatives for many years. As the principal director of Dixit Media Group he worked with companies and organizations in brand management. He has taught courses in communications, marketing, and theology at several educational institutions. He is the proud husband of Rajinie, a speech—language pathologist and father of three children. You can contact him at kumardixit.com.