Media Releases

Note: the following press releases are paid advertisements. To add your release, please contact Tiffany McCallen at McCallen@RNA.org or 614-891-9001, ext. 2#.

• Coming Jan. 11: The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything, a Veggitales movie
• The Humane Society of the United States Announces its Animals and Religion Program
• Wycliffe Associates to Expand School in Southeast Asia
• Duke Divinity School Aims to Study, Improve Health of United Methodist Pastors
• The Congregational Resource Guide: A Unique Resource for and about Congregations
• United Methodists release State of the Church Report
• Ohio mom delivers heathly sextuplets after doctors request selective reduction
• What Next? Emory Conference to predict next 25 years of law and religion issues
• Christian theologian solves "Great Pyramid Mystery"
• ARDA Web site offers new features for journalists on American, international religion
• United Nations Foundation launches campaign to combat malaria
• The role of religion in fostering civic responsibility: Major findings

1/8/08
Coming Jan. 11: The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything, a VeggieTales movie

This Jan. 11, 2008, VeggieTales and Universal Pictures present The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything — A VeggieTales Movie, starring Larry the Cucumber, Mr. Lunt, and Pa Grape (Elliot, Sedgewick and George) as three moping misfits wanting to prove to the world they are heroes.

Fans of VeggieTales’ first movie, 2002’s Jonah, will recognize the three hapless seafarers who did very, very little.  This time they’re back at sea, reluctantly sailing for exploits aplenty but discovering along the way that real heroes don’t have to be tall, strong, handsome . . . or even human.

For kids and the parents who love them, this is the kind of faith-based lesson that underscores home values—and the decisions kids face throughout their young worlds.

The story starts at The Pieces of Ate Dinner Theater where Elliot, Sedgewick and George dream of the day when they can ditch their dishrags and star in the big pirate show.

Then a mysterious ball—a Helpseeker—literally drops from the sky and drags the friends back to the 17th century and into the belly of true danger. Now The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything do something big:  they face their fears—and they become unlikely heroes in a battle to rescue a royal family from an evil tyrant.  They also rescue themselves from lives as common couch potatoes.

Since 1993 when Phil Vischer first created VeggieTales on the computer in his spare bedroom, the VeggieTales franchise has sold more than 50 million DVDs/videos.

Executive producers of The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything—A VeggieTales Movie are Terry Pefanis, Mike Heap, and Jane Smith. The editor is John Wahba; the composer is Kurt Heinecke. The film’s production designer is Charles Vollmer and is produced by Paula Marcus. The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything—A VeggieTales Movie was written by Phil Vischer and directed by Mike Nawrocki.

Contact: Nancy Lovell, nancy@lovell-fairchild.com, 214-536-2329, or Julie Fairchild, julie@lovell-fairchild.com, 214-363-7799.

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9/14/07
The Humane Society of the United States Announces its Animals and Religion Program

(August 30, 2007) The Humane Society of the United States is proud to introduce its new Animals and Religion program. This program will engage religious institutions and individuals on an array of critical animal protection issues based on the universally held principles of mercy, compassion and justice.

Animals and Religion’s major initiative, Food, Farming and Faith, recognizes the central role of food in religious traditions and promotes faithful stewardship of animals in agriculture. Through this initiative, we will explore the sacred dimensions of food in various religious traditions and highlight its vital place in community and faith (e.g., Kosher, Halal and the Eucharist).

Food, Farming and Faith also brings into focus the link between industrial animal agriculture and central issues of faith communities such as global hunger and the growing concern of climate change.

“Relying on bedrock religious principles of compassion and care for all creation, we hope to persuade religious institutions and individuals to make more humane and sustainable food choices,” said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States. “I encourage all people of faith to learn about the treatment of animals raised for food, to square their own consumption habits with religious principles, and to advocate for improved farm animal welfare policies at the local, state and national levels.”

The United Methodist Church and The Episcopal Church are two denominations with official statements addressing farm animal welfare and other current animal protection issues. The HSUS will be calling on these denominations and other religions and faiths to support its animal protection efforts.

The HSUS’ Animals and Religion program builds on 15 years of The HSUS’ work to foster scholarship and advocacy focused on caring for creation. For more information on the Animals and Religion program, visit humanesociety.org/religion.

Media Contact:  Karen L. Allanach (202) 778-6114, (301) 442-6658 (cell), kallanach@humanesociety.org

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8/8/07
Wycliffe Associates to Expand School in Southeast Asia
Bible translation families need schools

(Orlando, Florida) –Responding to an overwhelming demand for Christian schools by missionaries in Southeast Asia, Wycliffe Associates is planning to raise a significant amount of money to expand Grace International School in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  A record 480 more students need to be enrolled due to the increasing number of Bible translation and missionary families moving into the area.

“Part of this demand is due to the number of Bible translation projects being implemented in Southeast Asia,” said Bruce Smith, President and CEO of Wycliffe Associates.  “Hundreds of language groups without the Scriptures exist in this region of the world. Translating those languages is a critical step towards evangelism.  Additionally, another 74 mission agencies are pouring personnel into the area, putting pressure on Grace International School to meet their needs.

One particular example is the B* family, who are Bible translators.  They serve in an area of Southeast Asia where their efforts at translating the Scriptures will impact a half a million people. Mr. B states, “We were literally looking at the need to leave the mission field, like so many translators before us, to give our children a good education ” 

“On one hand, we have missionaries ready to move their families from the safety and security of America to a foreign land, but yet struggle to find a proper way to educate their children.  This issue is always among the primary considerations for missionary families overseas” he stated.
The cost to expand Grace will be $750,000.  Wycliffe Associates is committed to raising another $171,000 immediately to complete the funding and expand the facility to accommodate the growing student body.

* Named the “B” family for security reasons.

Contact: Donn Hallman
Wycliffe Associates
202 S. Prospect Street
Orange, CA 92859
714-221-0233
Donn_hallman@wycliffe.org

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8/6/07
Duke Divinity School Aims to Study, Improve Health of United Methodist Pastors

DURHAM, N.C.—July 10, 2007—The Duke Endowment has awarded Duke Divinity School $12 million to lead a wide-ranging effort to assess, track and improve the health of United Methodist pastors across North Carolina, Duke University President Richard H. Brodhead announced.

The Divinity School is collaborating with the Western North Carolina Conference and the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church on the project. Planned to last seven years, the effort is expected to affect nearly all of the state’s 1,600 United Methodist ministers.

“Through this effort, we are addressing both the health of ministers, as well as their congregations and communities, by sharing strategies for maintaining a healthy, balanced life,” Brodhead said. “I expect this work to influence how churches around the country care for their leaders.”

Studies by the United Methodist Church and several other churches have shown that clergy struggle with problems such as obesity and depression. In addition, with rising costs and growing demands on their time, many ministers forgo annual physicals and other activities that could help improve their health.

The initiative will include an initial health assessment of ministers followed by a longitudinal study of their physical, spiritual and mental health. At the same time, the initiative will employ practical steps toward improving the health of clergy, who have been shown to have one of the highest death rates from heart disease of any occupation.

“This project is about health as wholeness,” said Duke Divinity School Dean L. Gregory Jones. “Our hope is that by learning more about these ministers and in helping them be healthier, we will cultivate more effective leaders for the church and for the communities in North Carolina that they serve.”

CONTACT: Jon Goldstein: (919) 660-3416, jgoldstein@div.duke.edu

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8/1/07
The Congregational Resource Guide: A Unique Resource for and about Congregations

Congregations are at the heart of the religious experience. The Congregational Resource Guide—a free, online, non-commercial guide to topics of most concern to congregations—offers a wealth of information. Users will find overview articles, special reports, annotated resource recommendations, interviews, and more designed to provide context and helpful information on more than 120 different topics. The guide includes links to resource providers along with downloadable materials.

The CRG has evolved over time and reflects the development of the web from a convenient source of static information (online brochures, online bibliographies) to increasingly active information (hyperlinked and interactive materials, etc.) Future plans include adding blogs, an RSS feed, and expanding the number of downloadable resources.

Since the CRG is non-commercial, all are invited to link to the CRG and/or add it to resource links, blogs and websites. The CRG draws on the expertise of Alban, the Indianapolis Center for Congregations, and other congregational specialists. It is fully funded by Lilly Endowment, Inc.

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6/20/07
United Methodists release State of the Church Report

A new report from The United Methodist Church on the state of the church reveals clear core beliefs, but a variety of attitudes and opinions about other issues.  The first-of-a-kind effort gathers survey data, research, and essays from a cross-section of leaders to present a comprehensive overview of the denomination.

More than 2,600 United Methodists from the U.S., Africa, Europe and the Philippines participated in online and telephone surveys conducted by an outside research group. 

Those surveyed strongly affirmed their belief in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, as well as their reliance on God’s grace and salvation.

Respondents reported a high level of desire to attract more young people to the aging church, but only a minority of respondents felt that churches are willing to change to attract young people.

Other research indicated nearly half of the new churches started in the U.S. over the past six years have emerged in non-Anglo contexts. More than half of those are in Spanish-speaking communities. The fastest growth continues to be in Africa.

Views about the church's position that it does not condone the practice of homosexuality vary depending on where respondents live. The percentage of respondents who "strongly disagree" with the church's position varied widely among different regions of the U.S., those in the Southeast being least likely to disagree and those in the West most likely to disagree.  Less than half saw the issue as “extremely important.”

More findings:

• 35 percent of congregations consistently report growth

• Global membership increased more than 34 percent between 1995 and 2005

• Giving per member increased 58 percent over the past 20 years

A summary report is available at www.umc.org/stateofthechurch.
United Methodist Communications www.umcpresscenter.org

Contact: Diane Denton (615) 742-5406

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6/6/07
Ohio mom delivers healthy sextuplets after doctors request selective reduction

Cuyahoga Falls, OH–Jennifer Hanselman, mother of Ohio’s first set of sextuplets, has written a new book on life with her famous six-pack. Her story begins in 2003 when she found out she was pregnant with sextuplets. Against her doctor’s request for selective reduction, she continued with her high-risk pregnancy and delivered six healthy babies in February 2004. Her story is full of love, faith, the power of prayer and the help of her church and hundreds of volunteers who welcomed these six tiny miracles into the world. The Hanselman story was recently featured on FACING LIFE HEAD ON Television and numerous local and national media. Jennifer is currently on a tour promoting her new book, Party of Nine The Triumphs and Traumas of Raising Sextuplets + One, by Saddle Point Publishing. A former advertising copywriter with a bachelor’s degree in English she continues to write a column for the Akron Beacon Journal newspaper and various magazines. She is available for interviews and writing assignments. For more information on the Hanselman family, please visit her website www.partyofninebook.com. You may contact Jennifer direct for interviews at partyofnine@sbcglobal.net. A media kit and news release is available to download at saddlepointpublishing.com. 

Contact: Jennifer Hanselman: partyofnine@sbcglobal.net, partyofninebook.com
Contact: FACING LIFE HEAD ON Television: www.facinglife.tv
Episode 10: AND THEN THERE WERE SEVEN (DVD available)

Book Review requests can be directed to:

Saddle Point Publishing
7947 Valley View Rd.
Hudson, OH 44236
(330) 573-2134
saddlepointpublishing.com

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5/31/07
What Next? Emory Conference to Predict Next 25 Years of Law and Religion Issues

May 31, 2007—Emory University’s Center for the Study of Law and Religion (CSLR) will anticipate and articulate the hardest questions facing the world in the next 25 years during a major conference, “From Silver to Gold: The Next 25 Years of Law and Religion,” Oct. 24-26, at Emory Law School.

In celebration of the CSLR’s silver anniversary, the conference features presentations by two dozen of the world’s leading scholars and will culminate in a new book. Former Emory President James T. Laney, who established the Law and Religion Program at Emory in 1982, will deliver the opening keynote address. Robert Bellah, University of California at Berkeley; Stephen Carter, Yale University; Jean Bethke Elshtain, University of Chicago; Georgia Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears; and Martin E. Marty, University of Chicago, are among the distinguished speakers. See agenda.“We’ve asked our speakers to be principally prospective, even prophetic, in their presentations, with an eye to giving legal and religious professionals and activists something of a map and manifesto for this field,” said John Witte, Jr., Jonas Robitscher Professor of Law and CSLR director. The event will focus on three themes that have been central to CSLR’s work the past twenty-five years: 1) religious liberty, human rights, and church-state relations; 2) sex, marriage, and family life; and 3) Christian, Jewish and Islamic legal studies. Conference registration is required and seats are limited. To register, go to www.law.emory.edu/cslr/silveranniversary.  For more information, click here or call 404-712-8710. The Center for the Study of Law and Religion is home to world class scholars and forums on the religious foundations of law, politics, and society. It offers expertise on how the teachings and practices of Christianity, Judaism and Islam have shaped and continue to transform the fundamental ideas and institutions of our public and private lives.

Contact: April L. Bogle: 404-712-8713, abogle@law.emory.edu
Contact: Elaine Justice: 404-727-0643, elaine.justice@emory.edu

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3/5/07
Writer's opportunity to review:
Christian theologian solves "Great Pyramid Mystery"

Tulsa, Okla.—March 2007—Armed with special guidance through ancient texts from The Great Architect, a theology student discovers how and why the Great Pyramid of Giza was built and further explains the spiritual significance (or lack thereof) in an accurate manner never seen before.

The build-up, development and decline of the mysterious structure will be released in part in a FREE electronic book titled, The Solomon Series: Great Pyramid Mystery Resolved. Distributed by www.SolomonSeries.com, the series will offer revelations on the Biblical significance of the pyramids, sphinx and other points about the site of significance to all Abrahamic faith. The series is launched with assistance from HeritageInk Inc., a non-profit Christian book publishing company. Information will also be available at www.BiblePlumbLine.com.

This research leads to discoveries demonstrating the Bible is more literally accurate (when read correctly) than ever before thought. Support of physical evidence never before used in this type of research will amaze seekers of ancient truths, thus opening the doors for more mystical breakthroughs and explanations.

Key to this discovery is learning to prove the presence of things we could not “see” before. The unseen resources and design of the structure provides answers to the mystery of HOW and WHY the Great Pyramid was erected, directed and abandoned. Spooky? Spiritual? Not hardly. This is a level-headed approach to technology long since abandoned, but well understood.

(Note: this press release on RNA.org is set up so writers and journalists can get a jump on the rest of the public. Contact the author via e-mail and we will send out pdf files/code to share with you first).

The team of researchers anticipates returning to the Oklahoma/Texas area in March 2007 to share the good news.

About the Author:
This research team conducts studies by checking scientific studies and lining them up scripturally.  Author/teacher Theodore L. (Ted) Whidden, equipped with a transportation degree, a risk management (loss investigation) background and an MBA to cover the economic issues, is on short-term assignment in the deserts of Egypt working on a Doctorate in Biblical Studies and conducting Biblical Archaeology research.

Contact:
Theodore L. (Ted) Whidden
850-685-2353
P.O. Box 158
Chipley, FL 32428
TedWhidden@phdservice.com (E-mail contact preferred)

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12/27/06
ARDA Web site offers new features for journalists on American, international religion

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. (Dec. 27, 2006)—The Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) has recently created a tool helping journalists find the best statistical data on a wide range of topics on religion. The ARDA is also introducing new features that will provide a wealth of information on American denominations and international religion.

The new tool, known as QuickStats, presents a large number of surveys on religious attitudes and behavior, including the recent Baylor Survey and the General Social Survey, allowing journalists to track trends over time. QuickStats also provides demographic breakdowns for every survey question.

“QuickStats makes it easy to find relations between religion and social and moral issues, saving the press a lot of time in finding surveys. We automatically pick out surveys that are among the best, serving as a short-cut for journalists,” said Christopher Bader, a Baylor University professor of sociology who developed this program for The ARDA.

Also on the ARDA Web site is National Profiles, which provides statistics on religious freedom and religious adherents for virtually all nations. The profiles make use of indexes created by The ARDA that measure religious freedom and regulation worldwide.

On Jan. 31, 2007, National Profiles will introduce new opinion profiles for each nation, drawing on statistics from such comprehensive sources as the World Values Survey. The opinion profiles cover religious attitudes, experience, behavior, and politics in each country, including such topics as church attendance, personal prayer, and attitudes on abortion and school prayer.

A revised feature on American denominations will also be introduced on Jan. 31. The feature includes family trees that allow users to trace the history of American denominations. An interactive tool allows users to click on areas of the family trees to find thumbnail historical sketches and membership figures of denominations.

The ARDA, housed at Penn State University, is supported by the Lilly Endowment, Inc., and the John Templeton Foundation. Visit The ARDA Web site at: www.TheARDA.com

For further information contact: E-mail: arda@pop.psu.edu / Phone: 814-865-6258

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11/15/06
United Nations Foundation launches campaign to combat malaria—a leading killer of children in Africa

Nothing But Nets Campaign calls for $10 donations to provide lifesaving bed nets

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The United Nations Foundation (UN Foundation) announced today the launch of Nothing But Nets—a grassroots campaign asking individuals to donate $10 to “send a net, save a life.”  Each $10 donation pays for an insecticide-treated bed net, distributes it to a family in need in Africa, and provides education on its proper use to prevent malaria. Founding partners of the campaign are NBA Cares, The People of the United Methodist Church, and Sports Illustrated.

This campaign was created after Sports Illustrated (SI) columnist Rick Reilly's May 5, 2006, column, "Nothing But Nets," raised $1.2 million. More than 120,000 bed nets have already been delivered in Nigeria as a result of Reilly's call to readers.

Malaria is a disease that infects nearly 500 million people each year and kills more than one million of those who become infected. Malaria can be prevented through a simple, inexpensive measure: sleeping each night under a net treated with insecticides that kill mosquitoes or stop them from biting.

Several global agencies of The United Methodist Church will launch supporting campaigns to educate and raise money for bed nets. The church is creating a special Web page through www.UMC.org in conjunction with www.NothingButNets.net. The People of the United Methodist Church are making Nothing But Nets a focal point of their youth outreach program.

Additional partners for the campaign include AOL Black Voices, Malaria No More, and VH-1. To learn more about Nothing But Nets, visit www.NothingButNets.net.

Press Contacts:

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11/8/06
The Role of Religion in Fostering Civic Responsibility: Major Findings

Based on a major grant from the Bradley Foundation, The Henry Institute at Calvin College has recently concluded its first-stage in a study on “The Role of Religion in Fostering Civic Responsibility.” 

Previous studies have established important links between religion and civic engagement, but most such studies have been based on a single survey.  Thus, it is unclear whether such patterns are simply unique to one particular study.  Consequently, this research study had two major tasks: (1) examine currently available national survey data to confirm what patterns hold true across existing studies, and (2) ascertain those specific facet(s) of religion most strongly related to civic responsibility.

These following findings were confirmed across various survey studies conducted over the past decade:

1) Those who report no religious affiliation tend to volunteer less and give less to charity than those who are affiliated with some religious tradition;

2) Those who report a religious affiliation are more likely to give even to secular charitable organizations than those who report no religious affiliation;

3) Church attendance, with its associated integration into a social network of fellow church members, has a stronger influence on volunteering and giving than religious affiliation;

4) Church attendance rivals education as the most important variable shaping the likelihood of a respondent reporting membership in some kind of voluntary association;

5) Those who practice a “privatized religion,” saying that religion is important in their life but who do not attend worship services with any regularity, are least likely of all respondents to report membership in some voluntary association, to volunteer, or to give to charities.

The five-member research team involved: Corwin Smidt, Stephen Monsma, James Penning, Douglas Koopman, and Kevin denDulk.

More information about The Henry Institute as well as the Civic Responsibility research study, see www.calvin.edu/henry.

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