ELCA NEWS SERVICE
November 5, 2009
ELCA's 'Grace Matters' Programs Now Available Through Odyssey Networks
09-248-JB
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Selected programs of "Grace Matters," the radio
ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), are being
made available in downloadable and podcast forms at the Web site for
Odyssey Networks.
Earlier this year ELCA Communication Services stopped production of
Grace Matters because of budget reductions. The ministry, formerly known
as "Lutheran Vespers," had been on the air since 1947.
Each week Grace Matters' 30-minute programs, hosted by the Rev.
Peter W. Marty, Davenport, Iowa, aired on nearly 180 radio stations in
the United States, several European countries, plus Australia, New
Zealand and Puerto Rico. Programs could also be heard online and continue
to be available at http://www.gracematters.org on the Web.
"When broadcasting Grace Matters through traditional radio outlets
became financially prohibitive, we searched for cost effective ways to
reach a broad audience," said Kristi S. Bangert, executive director, ELCA
Communication Services. "We wanted to find an outlet that would allow us
to share this ministry with a worldwide interfaith audience."
"In that search we turned to our longtime partner, Odyssey Networks.
We are delighted that Odyssey was as excited as we were to develop this
new aspect of our partnership. Podcasts and downloads of Grace Matters on
Odyssey Networks combined with Odyssey's global promotion of these
resources will allow us to expand our reach and continue to share the
good news of God's amazing grace," she said.
Odyssey Networks, New York, is a coalition of Christian, Jewish and
Muslim faith groups that uses television, the Internet and theatrical
releases to distribute faith-based media content. It is a service of the
National Interfaith Cable Coalition, Inc. Initially, Odyssey plans to
post selected Grace Matters programs with the hope of carrying more
programs in the future, said Ava Odom Martin, ELCA Communication Services.
Currently, the network's Web site contains two Grace Matters
programs featuring Immaculee Ilibagiza, who describes how she survived
the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. The program is available at
http://tinyurl.com/yjm7ujz on the Web. Both programs originally aired in
January 2008.
Odyssey Networks plans to post a different Grace Matters program
every two weeks, Martin said.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
November 5, 2009
ELCA's 'Grace Matters' Programs Now Available Through Odyssey Networks
09-248-JB
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Selected programs of "Grace Matters," the radio
ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), are being
made available in downloadable and podcast forms at the Web site for
Odyssey Networks.
Earlier this year ELCA Communication Services stopped production of
Grace Matters because of budget reductions. The ministry, formerly known
as "Lutheran Vespers," had been on the air since 1947.
Each week Grace Matters' 30-minute programs, hosted by the Rev.
Peter W. Marty, Davenport, Iowa, aired on nearly 180 radio stations in
the United States, several European countries, plus Australia, New
Zealand and Puerto Rico. Programs could also be heard online and continue
to be available at http://www.gracematters.org on the Web.
"When broadcasting Grace Matters through traditional radio outlets
became financially prohibitive, we searched for cost effective ways to
reach a broad audience," said Kristi S. Bangert, executive director, ELCA
Communication Services. "We wanted to find an outlet that would allow us
to share this ministry with a worldwide interfaith audience."
"In that search we turned to our longtime partner, Odyssey Networks.
We are delighted that Odyssey was as excited as we were to develop this
new aspect of our partnership. Podcasts and downloads of Grace Matters on
Odyssey Networks combined with Odyssey's global promotion of these
resources will allow us to expand our reach and continue to share the
good news of God's amazing grace," she said.
Odyssey Networks, New York, is a coalition of Christian, Jewish and
Muslim faith groups that uses television, the Internet and theatrical
releases to distribute faith-based media content. It is a service of the
National Interfaith Cable Coalition, Inc. Initially, Odyssey plans to
post selected Grace Matters programs with the hope of carrying more
programs in the future, said Ava Odom Martin, ELCA Communication Services.
Currently, the network's Web site contains two Grace Matters
programs featuring Immaculee Ilibagiza, who describes how she survived
the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. The program is available at
http://tinyurl.com/yjm7ujz on the Web. Both programs originally aired in
January 2008.
Odyssey Networks plans to post a different Grace Matters program
every two weeks, Martin said.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
--
Rev. Linda Anderson-Little
St. Mark's Lutheran Church
6325 Clayton Road
St. Louis, MO 63117
314.721.6974 (w)
314.581.6365 (cell)
www.stmarkselca.com
