wfn.org | ELCA, Tommy Nelson, Inc., Initiate Agreement

[<NEWS@ELCA.ORG>]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

August 5, 2005

ELCA, Tommy Nelson, Inc., Initiate Agreement
05-145-MRC

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Through a new agreement between the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and Tommy Nelson, Inc., Nashville,
Tenn., select original episodes of "Davey and Goliath" are now available
on DVD for the public in the Christian retail market.
     Davey and Goliath is a classic stop-motion animated television series
starring Davey Hansen and his talking dog, Goliath.  Aired on commercial
television in the 1960s and 1970s, Davey and Goliath is a property of the
ELCA.  The church's mission with Davey and Goliath is to bring "moral and
faith-based values to a new generation of children in lively and engaging
ways."
     Tommy Nelson, Inc., released two DVD packages, each containing four
classic, 15-minute episodes.  "Davey and Goliath: Lost in a Cave"
contains -- "Lost in a Cave," "The Wild Goat," "Stranded on an Island" and
"The Winner" -- episodes in restored format.
     "Davey and Goliath: The New Skates " contains the episodes "The New
Skates," "The Time Machine," "Cousin Barney" and "The Mechanical Man."
     More DVDs containing other Davey and Goliath episodes in restored
format will be available later this year.  The restoration -- completed by
Screen Time Images, Schaumburg, Ill. -- brightens the film without losing
the charm of the original look, said Kristi S. Bangert, director for
marketing and interpretation, ELCA Department for Communication.
     "The ELCA is fortunate to partner with Tommy Nelson for Davey and
Goliath DVD distribution in the Christian bookstore market," said the Rev.
Eric C. Shafer, director, ELCA Department for Communication.  "Tommy
Nelson and its parent company, Thomas Nelson, are among the premiere book
and video publishers and distributors for Christian bookstores.  We are
excited that they have caught the Davey vision, sharing God's
unconditional love for children, and are partnering with us in the DVD
distribution," Shafer said.
      "Tommy Nelson is very excited about having Davey and Goliath as part
of its catalog, as we believe our Christian retail consumer is a big fan
of the classic series," said Bill Reeves, entertainment director, Tommy
Nelson, Inc.  "Tommy Nelson's core market for Davey and Goliath is the
Christian retail market, and we service such large retail accounts as
Family Christian Stores and Lifeway Christian Stores.  We also sell
through Christian-based Web sites and conferences," he said.
_ _ _

     News and information about Davey and Goliath are available on the
Internet at http://www.daveyandgoliath.org -- the official Davey and
Goliath Web site maintained by the ELCA.  Davey and Goliath images are
available on the Internet at http://www.daveyandgoliath.org/media on the
Internet.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news