“A Light So Lovely” to be Available August 2018, Following Release of Disney Movie, “A Wrinkle in Time”

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH., February 2018 — Bestselling and beloved author of the classic, A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle is known for her fascinating perspectives on science, art, story and faith. This year, over half a century since the timeless novel was originally published (1962) and what would’ve been L’Engle’s 100th birthday, readers are given a peek into her rich life of faith in A Light So Lovely: The Spiritual Legacy of Madeleine L’Engle, Author of A Wrinkle in Time by Sarah Arthur. Acquisitions Editor Stephanie Smith commissioned author and L’Engle enthusiast Sarah Arthur to be the biographer for this project.

The upcoming book is set to release shortly after Walt Disney Picture’s wildly anticipated “A Wrinkle in Time” film adaptation, which hits theaters March 9, 2018. The theatrical film adaptation starring Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling and more takes viewers on an enchanting journey to worlds beyond their imagination as light collides with darkness.

“We are thrilled to be working with Sarah Arthur, whose vivid portrait of L’Engle’s imagination and faith has much to say to readers today,” said Stephanie Smith, acquisitions editor for Zondervan Books. “Madeleine was a master of story, and to her, every story was an act of faith. She said it best herself: ‘We do not draw people to Christ by…showing them how wrong they are and how right we are, but by showing them a light that is so lovely that they want with all their hearts to know the source of it.’”

In A Light So Lovely Arthur digs deeply into the life of a woman who continues to be a beacon for generations of readers struggling to reconcile faith and science, art and religion, sacred and secular. Drawing from interviews with L’Engle’s literary contemporaries such as Philip Yancey and Luci Shaw, L’Engle’s granddaughter Charlotte Jones Voiklis, and influential fans such as Makoto Fujimura, Nikki Grimes, Sarah Bessey, they reveal new layers to the woman behind the stories we all know and love.

Sarah Arthur is a fun-loving speaker and the author of over 12 books ranging from popular devotionals to serious engagement with literature and story. She’s the preliminary fiction judge for the Christianity Today Book Awards and has been writer-in-residence for the Frederick Buechner Writers Workshop at Princeton Theological Seminary. A graduate of Wheaton College and Duke University Divinity School, she has served in youth ministry for over 20 years.

Zondervan is a world leading Bible publisher and provider of Christian communications. Zondervan, part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., delivers transformational Christian experiences through its bestselling Bibles, books, curriculum, academic resources and digital products. The Company’s products are sold worldwide and translated into nearly 200 languages. Zondervan offices are located in Grand Rapids, Mich. For additional information, please visit www.zondervan.com.

Contact: Jennifer VerHage, jennifer.verhage@harpercollins.com, 616-698-3331

 

 

Carol Stream, IL February 21, 2018 – Famed evangelist and founder of Christianity Today magazine, Billy Graham, died peacefully on Wednesday, February 21 at his mountaintop home in Montreat, North Carolina at the age of 99.

During his life, Graham preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to over 200 million people across the world—over 100 million in person at his popular rallies. With his authenticity and passion for proclaiming God’s truth and love for every person, it’s estimated that over three million people accepted his invitation to “ask Jesus into their hearts.”

Graham is known for coalescing evangelicalism into an important movement in the mid-twentieth century—a movement that centers on Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins. He founded various evangelical organizations, including the leading evangelical publication, Christianity Today, in 1956.

CT’s editor in chief, Mark Galli, shares, “In the early 1950s, Billy Graham felt the urgent need for balanced reporting and biblical commentary on the social, cultural, and theological trends and issues facing Christians. He woke up one night with a vision to start a magazine that would shape the hearts and minds of pastors and church leaders—a magazine that expressed biblical truth through Christ-centered love. His vision that night led to the first issue of Christianity Today being published October 15, 1956.”

Harold Smith, president and CEO of Christianity Today, honors Graham’s legacy, “Not only did Billy Graham start this ministry that now reaches over five million Christian leaders each month, but the Lord used Billy to bring countless people into a saving personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I’m but one person who thanks Billy for his commitment to the incredible call of God on his life because he helped lead my mother to find and follow Christ as a young women, who then led me to grow up knowing Christ.”

Christianity Today is honoring Billy Graham’s life and ministry with a full commemorative issue at https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2018/billy-graham/

Billy Graham’s vision was for Christianity Today to lead the evangelical movement in biblical truth and love. This vision is represented through the nonprofit ministry’s cause of Beautiful Orthodoxy. To honor and expand Billy Graham’s legacy of Beautiful Orthodoxy, gifts to Christianity Today’s Beautiful Orthodoxy Fund can be given at https://www.christianitytoday.org/give/.

Christianity Today is a nonprofit, global media ministry centered on Beautiful Orthodoxy—strengthening the church by richly communicating the breadth of the true, good, and beautiful gospel. Reaching over five million people monthly with various digital and print resources, the ministry equips Christians to renew their minds, serve the church, and create culture to the glory of God.

Contact: Cory Whitehead 
Phone: 630-260-6200 x4220  E-mail: cwhitehead@christianitytoday.com

Billy Graham was a quiet man of God, but he was also a visionary. He led hundreds of thousands to a personal faith in God. His books influenced millions. Many ministries can point to ways in which their work was deeply influenced by Mr. Graham. That is certainly true for us at Tyndale House Publishers. When Tyndale House was still a kitchen-table operation, Mr. Graham began to promote Living Letters, the first part of what eventually became The Living Bible. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association gave away millions of copies of Living Letters and the subsequent books in that series. And when Mr. Graham insisted on paying Tyndale House a royalty for the copies that were given away, Ken Taylor, the founder of Tyndale House, used that royalty check to start Tyndale House Foundation. Mr. Graham was criticized for encouraging people to read a paraphrase of the New Testament, but he recognized the value of a translation that reads “like today’s newspaper.” We thank God for the life and ministry of Billy Graham.

Mark D. Taylor
Chairman/CEO
Tyndale House Publishers

Industry’s premiere Christian Fiction Award program to accept submissions March 1-31

(TEMPE, ARIZ., February 26, 2018)  ECPA and The Christy Award™ advisory board will open the submission period for The Christy Award™ for Christian Fiction on Thursday, March 1.  Nominations will be accepted March 1-31 in these fiction categories:

• GENERAL (includes women’s fiction and non-genre)
• CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
• HISTORICAL ROMANCE
• HISTORICAL
• MYSTERY/SUSPENSE/THRILLER
• VISIONARY (includes fantasy and apocalyptic)
• FIRST NOVEL
• YOUNG ADULT
• SHORT FORMAT (novellas, series)

Submissions are open to works of fiction written from a Christian worldview, published traditionally or independently from March 2017 to March 2018. (Submitting publishers do not need to be members of ECPA.)

“The Christy Award™ exists to recognize and celebrate the talented novelists of faith who tell authentic stories that explore our relationships with each other and with God,” says Stan Jantz, ECPA executive director. “We are grateful for the work of the authors who create these beautiful stories, and for the publishers who curate and support the books they write.”

Finalists will be named on September 19.  Winners will be announced on November 7 in Nashville at The Christy Award Gala, to be held at the Shamblin Theatre/Lipscomb University following the ECPA Publishing University (PubU) and the Art of Writing conference.  The Gala will feature Charles Martin, author of the 2017 Christy Book of the Year, Long Way Gone (Thomas Nelson), along with other notable authors and speakers.  For more information, visit www.christyawards.com.

• To receive program updates and information: http://publications.ecpanews.org/h/r/12ECACE2ABD53E3B
• Program rules and submission information: http://www.ecpa.org/?page=christy_submissions
• Program questions can be directed to TheChristyAward@ecpa.org
• Last year’s finalists and winners: http://www.christyawards.com/finalists-winners.html

The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) is an international non-profit trade organization comprised of member companies that are involved in the publishing and distribution of Christian content worldwide. Since 1974, ECPA has strengthened Christian publishing by building networking, information, and advocacy opportunities within the industry and throughout multiple channels so that our members can more effectively produce and deliver transformational Christian content. ECPA.org

The Christy Award™ is the foremost award honoring and promoting excellence in Christian fiction since 1999 and is named for Catherine Marshall’s novel, Christy, which has sold millions since its publication in 1967.  ChristyAwards.com  facebook.com/ChristyAward  twitter.com/ChristyAward

Media contacts:
Stan Jantz, ECPA Executive Director, sjantz@ecpa.org 480-966-3998
Cindy Carter, ECPA Awards & Recognition Manager, ccarter@ecpa.org 480-966-3998

Minneapolis, Minn. —BroadStreet Publishing author Brian Bird is speaking at the NRB Convention Super Session on Tuesday, February 27th in Nashville. Bird is sharing the stage with Vice President Mike Pence, actor Dennis Quaid, Director/ Author/ Writer Alex Kendrick, Evangelist Luis Palau, and Emcees, The Benham Brothers.

BroadStreet Publishing has partnered on a three-book series from Brian Bird, the Executive Producer of The Hallmark Channel’s original show, When Calls the Heart, and his co-author Michelle Cox. The first book is a devotional title When God Calls the Heart which released on February 1st, 2018 and was the #1 New Release on Amazon in the areas of Christian Inspirational and Christian Devotionals. The next book in the series is a Christmas offering complete with special traditions and recipes for the season set to release early fall 2018. The third will be centered on romance and will release around Valentines Day, 2019. Each book takes God moments from the series episodes and highlights the inspirational meaning.

When Calls the Heart has a fan base that has been described by Hallmark as a phenomenon. The worldwide “Hearties” group resembles one big family, even having a yearly reunion where the cast shows up to greet the fans. The show is going into its fifth season and expects to expand its weekly viewership of 3.6 million due to the numbers from this year’s Christmas movie positioned as the first episode of season 5. That premiere had 5.7 million viewers tune in for the 2-hour special.

Brian and Michelle were invited to be guests on the Hallmark Channel’s Home & Family show to share about When God Calls the Heart.  http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/home-and-family/videos/when-god-calls-the-heart-home-family

BroadStreet Publishing President, Carlton Garborg, said he is thrilled by the partnership with Brian Bird and Michelle Cox and views this as the beginning of a long and exciting relationship.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

BRIAN BIRD is executive producer and co-creator of the Hallmark Channel original series When Calls the Heart. In his three decades in Hollywood, he has written or produced two dozen films, including most recently, The Case for Christ, Captive, and Not Easily Broken, and more than 250 episodes of such shows as Touched By An Angel, Step By Step, and Evening Shade.

His films have garnered awards from the New York Independent Film Festival, New York Festivals, Heartland Film Festival, the Movie Guide Awards, the Telly Awards, and the Christopher Awards.

He has spoken widely on the intersection of the arts and the church, and his professional blog, BrianBird.net, serves as a lively exchange in the best practices of storytelling. Beyond Bird’s professional achievements, he considers his top productions to date his thirty-six-year marriage to wife, Patty, and his five children.

MICHELLE COX is a speaker and an award-winning, best-selling author. She is a member of the blog team for Guideposts, and her “Life with a Southern Grandmother” column runs twice each week at Guideposts.org.

She has written for Focus on the Family, FoxNews.com, Christian Cinema, WHOA Magazine for Women, Leading Hearts Magazine, and the website of Fox News’ radio host Todd Starnes. Michelle is the creator of the Just 18 Summers® brand of parenting products and resources, and has been a guest on numerous television and radio programs, including Hannity and Focus on the Family. She and her husband, Paul, have been married for forty-three years and have three sons and six perfect grandchildren.

Connect with Michelle at just18summers.com and GodGlimpses.com, on Twitter @MichelleInspire, and on Facebook at Facebook.com/MichelleCoxInspirations.

For Interviews Contact: Suzanne Niles
213-434-3331  suzanne.niles@broadstreetpublishing.com

On April 4, 2018 Paraclete Press will release Billy Graham: An Ordinary Man and His Extraordinary God (ISBN 978-1640600874 / Hardcover / $21.99) by Lon Allison, with a foreword by Dr. Leighton Ford and Jean Graham Ford (Billy’s youngest sister).

“You have no idea how sick I get of the name Billy Graham, and how wonderful and thrilling the name Christ sounds to my ears,” Billy once said. So, why another book about him? Lon Allison, evangelist, pastor, and former director of The Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College, has learned much from Billy. Allison retells the highlights of a fascinating life, and in a way that resonates with Graham’s desire to always be sharing the Good News. Every stage of Graham’s life is included, even the rough spots, with appreciation and a desire to answer the question: What can we learn from the life and ministry of Billy Graham? What is his legacy? What was his message and how might it still be relevant for today?

Lon Allison has a gift for explaining how everyday people can connect personally with the God who loves them—Lon worked for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association for years, and served as Executive Director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College before becoming pastor at Wheaton Bible Church in Illinois in 2013. Lon has taught masters and doctoral evangelism courses at North Park Theological Seminary, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and Northern Seminary, and is a visiting professor at Wheaton College Graduate School. He maintains an active speaking schedule at churches and conferences around the world, and is the author of Going Public with the Gospel and That the World May Believe. He and his wife, Marie, have three grown children and live in West Chicago, Illinois.

Originally planned for release in September, in anticipation of Graham’s 100^th birthday, Paraclete is responding to Graham’s recent passing and the urgent need for Graham’s message of salvation for the nation and the world by moving publication up six months—to the first week of Easter. We believe Billy would be pleased with the timing!

Contact:  To interview Lon Allison or to receive an Advance Review Copy, please contact Director of Marketing Laura McKendree at 800-451-5006 ext 316 or lauram@paracletepress.com

(Nashville, TN) February 21, 2018— It is with great sadness that HarperCollins Christian Publishing has learned of the death of Billy Graham.

“It has been a privilege to have Billy Graham as part of our publishing family,” says Mark Schoenwald, president and CEO of HarperCollins Christian Publishing.  “His work here on earth has been unsurpassed and we are comforted that he is at the side of his heavenly Father.  Our world is forever impacted by the example he set as a follower of Jesus Christ, and for that we are grateful.”

“Despite the great publishing success that Billy Graham enjoyed for over fifty years, it was never about bestsellers,” says David Moberg, senior v-p and group publisher for HarperCollins Christian Publishing Trade Books Group. “It was always only about one thing…the Gospel.  We have been blessed and inspired to have served as his publisher for many years and will always treasure this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Since 1975, Thomas Nelson had been Dr. Graham’s majority trade book publisher. In that time the publishing group has partnered with Dr. Graham on numerous million-copy bestsellers including “Angels: God’s Secret Agents” and “How to Be Born Again.” In September 2015, at the age of 96, Graham released his last  book “Where I Am: Heaven, Eternity, and Our Life Beyond.” His two previous releases“Nearing Home: Life, Faith, and Finishing Well” (October 2011) and “The Reason for My Hope: Salvation” (October 2013), were both New York Times best sellers. Zondervan and HarperOne, sister company to HarperCollins Christian Publishing, co-published Dr. Graham’s autobiography, “Just As I Am,” in May, 1997.

“To have published Billy Graham is one of the most treasured experiences of my life,” said Matt Baugher, who worked as with Billy Graham’s publisher for ten years. “Billy Graham had one reason, and one reason only, to preach, teach, and write. That reason was the foundational gospel of Jesus Christ. He never watered down that message, yet was somehow accepted around the world by a wide variety of individuals, groups and belief systems.”

Billy Graham, the world-renowned author, preacher, and evangelist, delivered the gospel message to more people face-to-face than anyone in history and ministered on every continent of the world. Millions have read his inspirational classics, including “Angels,” “The Secret of Happiness,” “Peace with God,” “The Holy Spirit,” “Hope for the Troubled Heart,” and “How to be Born Again.”

FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES, CONTACT CASEY HARRELL casey.harrell@harpercollins.com

About HarperCollins Christian Publishing: The world’s leading Christian publisher, HarperCollins Christian Publishing Inc., comprising both Thomas Nelson and Zondervan publishing groups and Olive Tree Bible Software. The Company produces bestselling Bibles, inspirational books, academic resources, curriculum, audio and digital content for the Christian market space. Also home to BibleGateway.com, the world’s largest Christian website, and FaithGateway.com, an online community dedicated to helping people grow in their faith. HarperCollins Christian Publishing is headquartered in Nashville, TN with additional offices in Grand Rapids, MI, Miami, FL and Spokane, WA. For more information visit www.HarperCollinsChristian.com

Nashville, Tennessee (February 23, 2018)— After consulting with thousands of churches and pastors, LifeWay Christian Resources President and church leadership expert Thom S. Rainer found that most church members perceive their church to be friendly. But as he researched, he found that the guests typically saw church members as unfriendly. The perception chasm existed because the members were indeed friendly to one another, but many of the guests often felt like they crashed a private party.

In his new book, Becoming a Welcoming Church (March 1, 2018, B&H Publishing), Rainer helps churches and their members explore what it takes for their church to become a welcoming church. The bestselling author of I Am A Church Member and Autopsy of a Deceased Church, Rainer presents a practical framework for churches to become more hospitable.

“More than one million people and counting have read I Am a Church Member,” said Devin Maddox, B&H Book Publisher. “Our expectation is that Becoming a Welcoming Church and the supporting resources will be a wake-up call for churches to be aware of how they can serve guests and be a part of growing the kingdom.”

Designed for church members and leaders to read individually or study together, Becoming a Welcoming Church can be used to assess and audit where churches are on a spectrum between welcoming and not. The companion book We Want You Here is designed as a gift for guests, sending them home with a compelling vision for what pastors want every guest to know after they visit.

B&H is supporting Becoming a Welcoming Church with national advertising and media, bulk purchase options to help churches, and free teaching and study guides for churches to use. For more information, visit http://welcoming.church.

“An outward focus is critical to the overall health of the church,” stated Rainer. “It is my prayer that these books move churches to look beyond themselves and into their community to reach and welcome guests as they carry out the Great Commission.”

Thom S. Rainer is the President and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, one of the largest Christian resource companies in the world. Also a respected pastor and researcher, he has written more than twenty books and coauthored the No. 1 bestsellers Simple Church and I Am a Church Member. Rainer and his wife, Nellie Jo, have three grown sons, several grandchildren, and live in Nashville, Tennessee. Visit ThomRainer.com to learn more.

B&H Publishing Group, an imprint of LifeWay Christian Resources, is a team of mission minded people with a passion for taking God’s Word to the world. Because we believe Every Word Matters® we seek to provide intentional, Bible-centered content that positively impacts the hearts and minds of people, inspiring them to build a lifelong relationship with Jesus Christ. Among our print and digital releases for the trade, church, and academic markets, titles include The New York Times No. 1 bestsellers The Love Dare and The Vow, No. 1 CBA bestseller I Am a Church Member as well as the newly-revised Christian Standard Bible (CSB) version.

Media Contact: Jenaye White
Jenaye.White@BHPublishingGroup.com  615-251-2964  www.bhpublishinggroup.com