wfn.org | Publishing Officials Announce New Curriculum Partnership And

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Resources 1-November-1996 
 
 
96441           Publishing Officials Announce New 
               Curriculum Partnership And Resources 
 
                         by Julian Shipp 
 
LOUISVILLE, Ky.--Following the move of approximately 150 staff here at the 
Presbyterian Center as part of the relocation and reorganization of the 
Congregational Ministries Division (CMD) and the Presbyterian Publishing 
Corporation (PPC), publishing officials have announced the establishment of 
a  new curriculum partnership and the availability of new curriculum 
resources. 
 
     PPC announced Oct. 21 its new partnership with Logos Productions, 
Inc., of Grover Heights, Minn., and Wood Lake Books, Inc., of  Winfield, 
British Columbia. PPC produces educational resources for Presbyterian 
congregations and members, and theological and religious books and other 
materials for a wider audience. 
 
     Under this agreement, PPC will provide distribution and customer 
service for the popular lectionary-based curriculum "The Whole People of 
God" to congregations within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). PPC will 
also revise and update the denominational handbook for Presbyterian 
congregations and represent the PC(USA) in editorial consultations of the 
partnership. 
 
     "The Whole People of God" is an independently produced, ecumenical 
curriculum that is worship centered. Over the years, it has attracted 
significant groups of dedicated users across a wide variety of 
congregations in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, 
according to PPC officials. 
 
     PPC will begin to promote, distribute, and provide customer service 
for "The Whole People of God" in early 1997 for the 1997-98 church school 
year. PC(USA) congregations that currently use "The Whole People of God" 
can expect to hear directly from PPC and Logos later this fall. 
 
     "PPC is honored to bring Presbyterians into the same special 
partnership with  The Whole People of God' that is currently being enjoyed 
in the U.S.A. by the United Methodists, the American Baptists and the 
Disciples of Christ," said Doug Deatz, PPC's vice president of 
congregational resources.  
 
     "The people at Logos and Wood Lake are world class and so is their 
curriculum.  We are delighted to join with them in bringing this 
grassroots-developed curriculum to more of our PC(USA) churches," Deatz 
said. "It is hard to imagine anything better than this partnership as the 
first step in PPC's new journey of service to the educational needs of 
PC(USA) congregations." 
 
     Pete Valender, president and publisher of Logos Publications, 
expressed gratitude over PPC's decision to distribute "The Whole People of 
God" and enthusiasm for the new partnership. 
 
     "We believe that collaborative publishing efforts which present a 
number of unique choices to congregations represent the very best way to 
serve the hopes and dreams of the church today," Valender said. "The 
Presbyterian Publishing Company clearly shares these commitments, and we're 
delighted to be working with them." 
 
     Meanwhile, EBSCO Media, which prints nearly 80 percent of all 
denominational curriculum resources for the PC(USA), hosted six senior 
staff members from the newly formed PC(USA) Curriculum Publishing program 
area Oct. 28 at its Birmingham, Ala., printing plant and corporate 
headquarters. 
 
     Vice president and general manager Lanny Sevier thanked the PC(USA) 
staff members for making the daylong, on-site visit, the first by 
Presbyterian publishing personnel in EBSCO's 16-year relationship with the 
denomination and its related entities. EBSCO Media handles some $25 million 
annually in sales. At $2 million in sales yearly, the PC(USA) is EBSCO 
Media's second largest client. 
 
     Besides meeting with EBSCO corporate and production personnel, the 
denomination's publishing staff saw the final press runs of two books that 
will be published under the PC(USA)'s new "Bridge Resources" imprint for 
educational and general market materials. "A Year with the Bible" and "A 
Bird's Eye View of the Bible" will be available in early November, as will 
"The Angel, the Spider and the Christmas Tree," an illustrated folktale in 
storybook form for children. 
 
     Curriculum Publishing staff members participating in the tour were 
managing editor Lynn Penny, marketing and customer relations director 
Brenda Hooks, production manager Nancy Roseberry, print coordinator Jane 
James, copyediting director Virginia Watkins, and art director Pip Pullen. 
 
     "Bridge Resources" and the PC(USA)'s Curriculum Publishing program 
area both are the result of action by the 208th General Assembly (1996), 
which restored to the church the curriculum production and publishing 
functions that for the previous two years had been part of PPC. 
 
     As a result of General Assembly action, some 30 PPC staff members with 
expertise in graphic design, copy editing, and marketing accepted the 
PC(USA)'s invitation to join the church's new Curriculum Publishing program 
area of the Congregational Ministries Division. With the longtime PC(USA) 
curriculum editorial staff, this group continues to produce "Bible 
Discovery" and "Celebrate" curriculum resources, most of which are printed 
at EBSCO. 
 
     EBSCO Media has earned a reputation among customers and competitors 
alike as a major factor in the Southeastern printing market, particularly 
for its "partnering" concept in establishing relationships with clients 
such as PC(USA) Curriculum Publishing. As part of that concept, EBSCO over 
the past three years has given more than $100,000 in equipment for use in 
publishing the denomination's curriculum. 
 
     EBSCO also has pledged $7,500 annually to help keep PC(USA) Curriculum 
Publishing equipment state-of-the-art. Curriculum Publishing staff members 
on the tour hoped to gain a better understanding of EBSCO's "partnering" 
philosophy and the company's prepress procedures in order to improve 
production efficiency, reduce production costs and enhance the quality of 
PC(USA) curriculum materials. 

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