Gospel Ideals International, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation established in January 2007. The dream of flooding the Internet with gospel truths has been the vision of Larry Barkdull since 2004. The foundation was created to pursue this objective. Gospel Ideals International is an independent, non-profit foundation that supports, but is not affiliated with or endorsed or sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or any of its affiliated entities.
Mission Statement
Gospel Ideals International seeks to promote, via the Internet and electronic media, the teachings, principles, tenets, culture and beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Gospel Ideals’ vision is to assist missionaries in spending more time teaching the gospel and less time searching for those to teach. Our goal is to introduce the gospel of Jesus Christ to a global audience and inspire them to take action by requesting gospel materials and missionary visits.
President
Larry Barkdull
Larry Barkdull is the president of the foundation. He is a longtime businessman, writer, music composer, and publisher of books, music, art and magazines. He attended both Boise State University and Brigham Young University. For nine years, he owned Sonos Music Resources and published the Tabernacle Choir Performance Library. He was also the owner and publisher of Keepsake Books. Combined, he has published about 600 products for numerous authors, composers and artists.
Larry Barkdull is the author of twelve books—both fictional and doctrinal. His books are the recipients of various national awards, including The Benjamin Franklin Book Award, The American Family Book Award, and The Book of the Year Award from Foreword Magazine, the official publication of the Independent Book Publishers of America. His book, The Mourning Dove, has been published in four languages and has sold in excess of 200,000 copies, 65,000 copies in Japan alone. His works on the subject of Zion are perhaps the most voluminous of any LDS writer.
He founded two non-profit organizations to promote LDS arts and artists, and to promote the gospel of Jesus Christ on the Internet. He writes weekly articles for MeridianMagazine.com on the subjects of Rescuing Wayward Children and Becoming a Zion Person. He is a sought-after speaker and teacher. He and his wife, Buffie, have been married for nearly 40 years and have ten children and fifteen grandchildren. They live in Orem, Utah.
Managing Editor
Tristi Pinkston
Tristi Pinkston is the author of fourteen books, including LDS historical fiction, cozy mystery, and inspirational nonfiction. She has also published thousands of articles online. As a popular presenter at writers conferences up and down the Wasatch Front and through her work as a freelance editor, she has had the chance to mentor hundreds of authors and loves helping others realize the power and beauty of words. Her greatest joy, however, comes through spending time with her husband and four children. Visit Tristi’s blog here.
Strategic Partners
The foundation’s primary strategic partners are:
- Mike Ebert—Webmaster: Alliance Web Marketing
- Jesse Fischer—Twitter Marketing: http://www.WebPromo.us
- Douglass Cole—Graphic Artist
- Angela Eschler—Editing/publisher consultant
- Paul Cook—Consultant
- Patricia Sheranian—Consultant
- Scott Volmar—Director of Marketing