(Chicago, IL) – Verve Marketing Group announces that it has received the Outstanding Achievement WebAward™ from the Web Marketing Association for its design and development of Thomas Nelson’s Bible website.

The WebAward is the premier website competition for web developers and advertising agencies. The competition judges all aspects of a website, with particular emphasis on the creativity, functionality, and overall interactive experience. Entries are judged and scored on design, innovation, content, technology, interactivity, copywriting, and ease of use. Sites scoring above 86% of the total possible are awarded the Outstanding Achievement WebAward.

Judges for Verve’s site design commented that the “design is very comforting and pleasing for the user… the content on the site is very strong and compelling as well.”

“A key goal for us was to elevate the Thomas Nelson Bibles brand and translation subbrands, as well as to create a user-friendly way for consumers to narrow down and find the right Bible from the 1,000 or so on the site,” noted Joan Begitschke, Chief Marketing Strategist at Verve Marketing Group. “Jerri Helms at HCCP had the vision of creating a site that would bring all Nelson Bible translations and individual Bible product sites under one umbrella website,” she continues.

“From a technical standpoint, we had somewhat competing needs,” noted Joe Edakkunnathu, Director of Web Delivery at Verve. “We needed the site to automatically pull weekly product updates from Nelson’s Onix feed – and it was also important to have an easy to use backend for the large and frequently updated blog section of the site,” says Joe. “Creating a custom site in the WordPress platform was the best solution in this case.”

Web design and development firms compete globally within 95 industry categories in the annual WebAward competition. The Thomas Nelson Bibles site won in the Publishing category.

Learn more about the website.

About Verve Marketing Group:   Verve Marketing Group is a full service branding and creative firm based in Chicago. Agency services include brand strategy and design, websites, SEO, and digital and print creative. Among the firm’s clients is a strong focus on publishing, education, professional services, and nonprofit accounts.

Contact:  Joan Begitschke
630-964-6056, x202   joan@vervemarketinggroup.com

Johann Christoph Arnold: A Legacy of Reconciliation

New​ ​York​ ​City,​ ​NY​– August 18, 2017– Reverend John M. Perkins, minister and veteran civil rights activist, will join First Things editor R.R. Reno, Professor Robert P. George of Princeton University and the Witherspoon Institute, and others to honor the life and legacy of Johann Christoph Arnold (November 14, 1940 – April 15, 2017.) The event will be held on September 11 at the at the Union League Club in New York City.

Arnold, the Elder of the Bruderhof Communities between 1983 and 2001, was a pastor, author, and tireless worker for peace, reconciliation, and justice. His words and work have had a profound impact; he is respected by those across the political spectrum. That breadth of his influence is reflected in the speakers who will gather to discuss his legacy.

Galvanized by his faith and by the injustice that he witnessed during the early days of the civil rights movement, he spent his life working to apply Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount to current social and political issues, while also pastoring a growing movement of Christian communities in the Anabaptist tradition.

“Christoph served as a beloved pastor in our church community for forty-three years,” said Paul Winter, the elder of the Bruderhof, “including the eighteen years in which he led the Bruderhof as elder. Since then, he carried on his ministry with his wife Verena, guiding and encouraging many within our church and around the world. His words and example inspire a way of selfless service and dedication to Jesus.”

Author of twelve books with a circulation of over two million copies, Arnold’s message was shaped by encounters with great peacemakers such as Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, Dorothy Day, César Chavez, and John Paul II. Together with paralyzed police officer Steven McDonald, Arnold started the Breaking the Cycle program, working with students at hundreds of public high schools to promote reconciliation through forgiveness. This work also brought him to conflict zones from Northern Ireland to Rwanda to the Middle East. Closer to home, he served as chaplain for the local sheriff’s department.

“Pastor Arnold was especially courageous,” said Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, “in his rock solid conviction that God’s Word as revealed in the Bible was true and reliable, and that the Word Incarnate, Jesus, was ‘the way, the truth, and the life.’ He was eloquent in sensing God’s presence in adversity and setback…We labored shoulder-to-shoulder… Pastor Arnold exuded a warmth and wisdom, and inspired a trust.”

Pastor Rick Warren also spoke of Pastor Arnold’s impact: “Although I had loved reading many of his books, meeting Christoph made me love him even more. His quiet humility, his contagious smile and laugh, his deep love for both Jesus and people, and his passion for peacemaking evidenced the true Spirit of Christ…I thank God for the life of Christoph Arnold.”

“Christoph Arnold was the leader of a comparatively small Christian community, the Bruderhof,” says George, “yet by precept and example he was a teacher and role model for countless Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Evangelical Protestants, and others. He lived his life as a dedicated servant of God. And those of us who had the privilege of knowing him personally are in no doubt about the intimacy of his friendship with Jesus.”

In today’s politically and culturally polarized world, Arnold was a uniquely irenic figure. An advocate for peace and racial justice, he also embraced a pro-life message, opposing both abortion and the death penalty. The speakers will reflect on his legacy and discuss the impact of such a life committed to carrying out the work of the Kingdom of God. It will be, says Reno, “the perfect occasion to consider the pastoral wisdom and Christian leadership of Christoph Arnold.”

This event, which will run from 5:45 to 7:15, is co-hosted by Plough Quarterly, First Things, and The Witherspoon Institute. A reception will follow the talks. The Union League Club is located at 38 East 37th Street in midtown Manhattan. Admission to both events is free to ticket-holders. To learn more or to register, go to http://www.plough.com/arnold.

Plough Quarterly is a magazine of stories, ideas, and culture to inspire faith and action. It is published by the Bruderhof, a Christian communal movement based on the teachings of the early Church. Press

Contact: Susannah Black 646-678-1955 suzania@gmail.com 

(Colorado Springs, CO) – Seventeen speakers from six countries will cover topics ranging from terrorism to natural disaster to religious persecution and ethnic cleansing at the Crisis Publishing Initiative in Hungary, Oct. 15-18, 2017. The speakers include publishers, analysts, researchers, editors, and authors with decades of experience covering all types of crises.

Nearly 100 Christian publishing professionals are expected to gather in Sopron, Hungary, for the one-of-a-kind conference, eager to learn best practices for covering the refugee and migrant crises, natural disasters, and war. And they will gain tools for reporters and editors, tips on how to stay safe in dangerous situations, how to photograph crises, and deal with secondary trauma.

“We are pleased to offer this conference,” says Sharon Mumper, president of Magazine Training International, “and excited by the high caliber of speakers who will share from wide-ranging experience in covering crisis situations.”

Plenary speakers include Patrick Johnstone, author, futurologist, and strategist, who will address “Migration–Crisis or opportunity;” Dr. Miriam Adeney, professor at Seattle Pacific University and author of Kingdom without Borders: The Untold Story of Global Christianity and God’s Foreign Policy: Practical Ways to Help the World’s Poor, who will speak on “Where is God in the crisis?”; and Elizabeth Kendal, international religious liberty analyst and advocate, who will cover “A voice for the suffering church.”

Workshop speakers include Julia Bicknell, executive editor and director of World Watch Monitor; Mindy Belz, senior editor of World Magazine; Andrew Steele, senior associate of ICMC Partners in Communication; Gary Gnidovic, designer and photographer; Tom Albinson, president of International Association for Refugees; Jeremy Weber, senior editor of Christianity Today; Josué Guebo, professor at Félix Houphouët-Boigny University; Laura Leonard, communications specialist at Humanitarian Disaster Institute; Jenny Hwang, program manager at Humanitarian Disaster Institute; Asif Aqeel, newspaper journalist and World Watch Monitorcorrespondent; Dr. Randall Everett, president of 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative;  Dr. Sandra Morgan, director of Vanguard University’s Global Center for Women and Justice; and Joseph Benjamin, editor and publisher of Gujarati Christians magazine.

Workshop topics include the future of migration, ethical reporting on conflicts, photographing crises, safety measures for reporters, covering the refugee crisis, understanding the Middle East, global trends in religious liberty, discussing human trafficking, harnessing social media and video, and much more.
Case studies will be presented by Gökhan Talas, co-founder and publisher of Miras Publishing Ministries in Turkey, and Joseph Benjamin, editor and publisher of Gujarati Christians magazine in India.

Conference sponsors include coalition members Lydia Stiftung, Tyndale House Foundation, Christianity Today, and Stiftung Christliche Medien.

Other coalition members include Evangelical Press Association, Humanitarian Disaster Institute, Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, World Watch Monitor, International Christian Media Commission, The Media Project, and Comix35.

One-day workshops “Write for Publication” and “The Art of Editorial Photography” will be held following the conference on Oct. 19.