ABOUT | Lightvessel

ABOUT US

THE BEGINNING

My name is Avery Brown, and Lightvessel is an idea the Lord put on my heart quite a few years ago. At age 20 I first received the gospel message, surrendered my life to Jesus, and began living in the full hope of Christ, filled with an unexplainable joy that I imagine many of you reading this also live with.

My life quickly transformed before my eyes. I began attending church every Sunday. I left my old friend groups and joined a new community of God-fearing young adults. I quit pursuing unholy lifestyle choices and overcame many unhealthy addictions. I got into the Word daily and even pursued a degree in Biblical studies. I began living with the hope of eternity and with the joy of the Lord. I had never felt more free in my life. I felt on top of the world... yet it still felt like something was missing.

As I grew more and more in love with the Lord and my joy increased, my heart began to ache for those around the world, and even those in my community, who do not know Jesus. I learned that there are millions of people worldwide who do not know the same joy, hope, and peace that I knew. How could I selfishly enjoy the goodness of God and not go tell others about Him. I quickly became interested in evangelism, and studied the Word to learn what God had to say about it.

THE CALL

“Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19)
“Let your light shine before others” (Matt. 5:16)
“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done” (1 Chronicles 16:8)
“Be [God’s] witnesses… to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8)

As I got into the Word and learned more about evangelism, the Lord put a conviction on my heart that the Great Commission is not an option to consider, but a command to obey. The Lord calls us to be more than churchgoers, but to be lightvessels, taking and proclaiming the love of Jesus Christ into the dark places of the world.

After all, “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Rom. 10:14-15).

THE MISSION

The Lord had placed a passion on my heart and a commission on my life (and yours too) to take the light of Christ to the ends of the earth. Intimidated by the daunting call, I began to ask the Lord how. How can 20-year-old Avery from Cincinnati Ohio reach the nations with the gospel? What can I do? What skills do I have that could assist in world evangelization?

The Lord answered by impressing the concept of Lightvessel on my heart. The mission behind Lightvessel is twofold:

To encourage and empower the Church to become lightvessels, taking the Gospel to the ends of the Earth.
To equip the Church with tangible articles that display the Gospel and naturally generate spiritual conversations.

As a graphic designer, I have intentionally designed each graphic that you see on Lightvessel merchandise with a specific Bible verse in mind, so that you can use what you're wearing day to day as a conversation starter. God willing, some of those conversations may lead to a presentation of the Gospel message and a new member in the Kingdom of God. Become a walking billboard for the Gospel. And do it without compromising on style.

The future of Lightvessel? I am not certain. I don't have a specific plan or direction. I just have a passion to create artwork, build a community of believers, and obey where the lord leads.

SO...WHAT IS A LIGHTVESSEL?

Simply put, a lightvessel is a ship that acts as a lighthouse.

Invented in 1734, these ships were sent to oceanic areas where weather and climatic conditions made it too difficult to construct an actual lighthouse. They served as a way to bring light to areas that were too unsafe to build lighthouses.

Lightvessels brought light to dark, dangerous, and previously unreachable places... making it possible for light to reach places that originally it would not have been able to reach.

Doesn't this sound a whole lot like our call to “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16)?

Similar to how these ships bring light to dark, unreachable places, the Church is called in the Great Commission to share the light of Christ... to "go and make disciples of all nations."

You are commissioned by God to be a LIGHTVESSEL.