wfn.org | RPRC Gives Wilbur Awards

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"UNITED METHODIST DAILY NEWS" by SUSAN PEEK on Aug. 11, 1991 at 13:58 Eastern,
about FULL TEXT RELEASES FROM UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE (3547 notes).

Note 3543 by UMNS on April 8, 1997 at 16:42 Eastern (4407 characters).

Produced by United Methodist News Service, official news agency of
the United Methodist Church, with offices in Nashville, Tenn., New
York, and Washington.

CONTACT:  Ralph E. Baker                         189(10-71B){3543}
          Nashville, Tenn. (615) 742-5400            April 8, 1997

Council recognizes religion
in media during convention

     BOSTON (UMNS) -- "Dateline NBC," "NYPD Blue" and "New York
Undercover" on television; the "Diane Rehm Show" on radio; the
Chicago Sun-Times newspaper; the "B.C." comic strip; and Life
magazine were among public media receiving Wilbur Awards during
the Religious Public Relations Council's 1997 convention here
April 3-5.
     The council is an organization of professional communicators
working within the field of religion.
     The awards honor Marvin Wilbur, who was for many years the
organization's executive, and they are given annually by the
council to recognize outstanding stories of religion and values in
the public press and other media.  Twenty-nine trophies were given
to national and local outlets in 22 categories. 
     For theatrical films, honors went to "Marvin's Room" and
"Spitfire Grill." Rachel Naomi Remen won a Wilbur for her book
Kitchen Table Wisdom, as did Hallmark Entertainment for "Captive
Heart: The James Mink Story" on television. The Dallas Morning
News religion staff was honored for their weekly religion section
and Ed Gamble, an editorial cartoonist with the Florida Times-
Union also won an award.
     Local television stations winning Wilburs were KTTV, Los
Angeles for a program, the "Tyndale Bible" and KOTV, Tulsa, Okla.,
for "The Long Journey Home."  The Public Broadcasting System won a
Wilbur for "The Wisdom of Faith with Huston Smith" and Anne Ryder
of WTHR television in Indianapolis, Ind., won for "In the Arms of
Mother Teressa."
     Other winners included WAMU-FM radio, Washington; the
Washington Times; the Los Angeles Times; the Detroit Free Press;
and the National Film Board of Canada.
     Television series won for specific programs or segments -- 
"Dateline NBC" for "Hidden Past;" "NYPD Blue" for "He's Not
Guilty, He's My Brother;" and "New York Undercover" for "A Time to
Heal, I & II." Diane Rehm won for her interview with Jimmy Carter,
"B.C." for "Ask Me No Questions," and Life for "The Mystery of
Mary" and "A Light in the Desert" (photography).
     Saturday morning Gustav Niebuhr, religion writer for the New
York Times, told the group, "This is an excellent time to be
writing about religion. Interest is running high."  The end of the
cold war, approach of the new millennium and the aging population
all tend to make people more reflective, he said. 
     Flo McAfee, special assistant to President Bill Clinton for
religious issues, said it is important for people of faith to tear
down the walls and build up the ties that bind them together.  "In
discovering each other we understand our differences and discover
our similarities."
     The Rev. Philip Wogaman, pastor of Foundry United Methodist
Church, Washington, and one of the keynote speakers, said RPRC's
members are "poised at the intersection of what is going on in
your faith and what is going on outside your faith. As we go deep
into our own faith traditions, we are led into humility and
openness," he said.  "There is no faith on earth that doesn't have
to be interpreted. You [the RPRC membership] are going to have to
be the interpreters." 
     Sharing the platform with Wogaman, Denise Davidoff, moderator
of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, said,
"People find each other out of the need of the time."
     Shirley Struchen, a United Methodist from New York, presided
over the meeting, which focused on the theme: "Faith: a Mirror of
Our Time."
     In the business session, Struchen was elected to a second 
term as national president. Other officers elected were Richard
Duerksen, Columbia, Md., vice president; Linda C. Lawson,
Nashville, Tenn., secretary; and Thomas R. May, New York City,
treasurer. Stephanie Graham of Claremont, Calif., was named editor
of The Councilor newsletter.  
     Members approved a $70,300 budget for 1997. It was reported
that an RPRC homepage is available on the Internet at
http://www.elca.org.rprc.
     The next convention will be April 16-19, 1998, in Louisville,
Ky.
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