Joel Kauffman was known for his comic strip, "Pontius Puddle", which was published in more than 200 newspapers. He coordinated or worked on various museum-type projects, including at Menno-Hof in Shipshewana, Indiana; Israel's Nazareth Village, and, at the time of his death was content coordinator for the Museum of the Bible in Washington DC. He was a Mennonite minister and resided in Goshen, Indiana.