Did you know that the first Precious Moments weren't called Precious Moments. These adorable children with tear-drop shaped eyes got their start under the name Jonathan & David Inc.

The company's original name was inspired by a modern day friendship with surprising similarities to the friendship of Jonathan & David in the Bible. If you’re not familiar with the story, Jonathan was the son of King Saul. Saul turned away from God, and God anointed a new king, King David. Thus began a many years of David waiting on God’s timing to take the throne while he served King Saul. Saul was envious of David’s popularity and saught to kill him. Somehow in the midst of this conflict, Saul’s son Jonathan and David formed an unbreakable friendship. 

While the story of Sam Butcher & Bill Biel isn’t nearly as dramatic, their friendship was just as strong despite some unusual circumstances.

Sam was working as an artist at Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) and while he loved the work, it was keeping him busy all day and most nights. There was just too much work for only one artist. When the pressure became too much, Sam approached his boss and asked him to consider hiring an assistant. To Sams surprise he was told they were already planning to replace him with an artist who could do the work without help.

In a testament to Sam’s Faith, he prayed that God would help him be kind to whomever his replacement would be. During his last day at CEF he was introduced to Bill Biel, his replacement. Despite the circumstances, a new friendship was born.

Bill tried his best to keep up with the work load Sam had carried, but within weeks realized it wasn't possible. When he requested help, CEF hired him a helper, and Sam Butcher ironically became the helper of his replacement. 

Just as Jonathan and David should have been enemies, most would have expected Sam and Bill to be enemies. Instead a lifelong friendship was born. After many years of friendship and working together, Bill and Sam had the idea of creating visual aids to help tell Bible stories. This idea was the seed that made them strike out on their own as commercial artists. In 1974 they formed Jonathan & David Inc. Sam was the illustrator and Bill the designer. Their talents complimented each other perfectly.

In 1975 Jonathan and David Inc. was invited to an upcoming Christian Booksellers Convention. Although initially hesitant, in the end, they decided to go. Both Sam & Bill worked tirelessly to prepare buttons and greeting cards featuring inspirational messages and children with tear-drop shaped eyes. By giving away the buttons, they created a buzz around their booth and walked away with over $10,000 in orders!

Sam and Bill were both men of faith and while the business often struggled, they love to tell stories of God’s provision during the early years. One such story involved their workspace. Unable to get a loan to fulfill the orders they’d received, the pair was looking for a place to work. They found a building with space available for $300 a month, when Sam and Bill told they owner they only had $43 he dropped the rend to just $40. Incredibly the landlord told Sam to let him know when business was better and he’d raise the rent then!

A few years later, God provided a new direction for the young company. Bill was the first to envision the greeting cards recreated as porcelain bisque figurines. It was a dream both he and Sam shared in the early years, but they lacked the money and skills to make it happen. In 1978 Eugene Freedman walked through their doors. This day changed the course of Jonathan & David Inc and was key to the creation of the adorable Precious Moments Figurines collected around the world today. 

Part 3 of this Precious Moments series is now live. I'm sharing the more details about Eugene Freedman's influence in the business, along with stories of 4 men whose shared values and hard work turned the greeting cards into 3D sculptures. In case you missed it, last week I shared the back stories that inspired many of the Original 21 Precious Moments. Thanks for learning more about these adorable collectibles, I love getting to share this amazing history with you!