Sterling College will welcome Phil Vischer as the speaker for The Ross and Fern Freeman Lecture Series for Servant Leadership at 10 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 30, 2016, in Culbertson Auditorium in Spencer Hall. Vischer is the creator of VeggieTales and founder of both Big Idea Productions and Jellyfish Labs. The Freeman Lecture Series, established in 2014, is free and open to the public.

“We are excited to have Phil Vischer come to campus and share his remarkable journey and story of God’s working in his life. Phil is a wonderful communicator who will benefit our students and staff as they learn about what servant leadership looks like,” said David Landis, vice president for administration and institutional initiatives.

Vischer is an animator, puppeteer, writer, voice actor and songwriter. His newest endeavor, Jellyfish Labs, is a creative workshop where he develops new faith-based projects for kids and families. Vischer, who made his first animated film when he was 9 years old, founded Big Idea Productions in 1993. He led his team in creating VeggieTales, the computer-animated children’s video series that teaches biblical values and lessons through vegetable characters. VeggieTales quickly grew into a multi-million dollar company and is now owned by DreamWorks Animation. Jellyfish Labs is the producer of “What’s in the Bible” and JellyTelly.

The Freeman Lecture Series seeks to educate individuals on the various values and applications of leadership by highlighting the servant leadership attributes present in others.

Sterling College is a Christ-centered, four-year college located in Sterling, Kansas, with a mission to develop creative and thoughtful leaders who understand a maturing Christian faith. For more information, visit www.sterling.edu.