wfn.org | Compelling network TV from the National Council of Churches

["Philip Jenks" <pjenks@ncccusa.org>]

>Compelling television viewing from
>the National Council of Churches

See: http://www.ncccusa.org/news/100524ibc.html

New York, May 26, 2010 -- War, natural disasters and humanity's  four-footed 
friends. These topics are no strangers to television  viewers, but programming 
presented by the National Council of Churches  adds many new dimensions to 
familiar themes.

>-----

"The Conscientious Objector," presented by the NCC and produced by the  
Seventh-day Adventist Church, on many NBC stations beginning June 13.  (If your 
local station isn't carrying this important show, call the  station management 
and tell them how much you'd like to see it.)

Though not a member communion of the National Council of Churches, the  
Seventh-day Adventist Church sends representatives to the NCC  Communication 
Commission and is active in the Interfaith Broadcasting  Commission.

"The Conscientious Objector" is the true story of Army Medic Desmond T.  Doss, 
who overcame ridicule for his refusal to carry a weapon, then  distinguished 
himself as a fearless saver of lives on the battle fields  of the Pacific 
during the Second World War.

In one of the battles for Okinawa, the unarmed and unprotected Doss  saved the 
lives of 75 wounded men as well as that of his commanding  officer, dragging 
them one at a time in the face of certain death to a  cliff side where he 
lowered each of them by rope to the camp below.

Some of the GI's he saved, including his Captain, were those who has  
mistreated him. His unselfishness and concern for their lives won him  the 
respect of the Army and the nation, which awarded him The  Congressional Medal 
of Honor. More information is available at  www.desmonddoss.com. 

>-----

"The Ministry of Animals," produced in cooperation with the National  Council 
of Churches, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops,  the Islamic 
Society of North America, the Union of Reform Judaism and  the New York Board 
of Rabbis, on CBS beginning June 13. John P.  Blessington is the executive 
producer of the special and Liz Kineke is  the producer.

Among the topics explored in the program are dogs that the clergy uses  as a 
means of pastoral care.  Also known as "ministry dogs," these  assistance dogs 
are formally trained at the National Education for  Assistance Dog Services' 
(NEADS) Dogs for Deaf and Disabled Americans in  Princeton, Massachusetts.  
Founded in 1976, this non-profit organization trains service dogs for  the deaf 
and disabled as well as animal-assisted therapy, such as those  used in 
ministry.

The program talks with Rev. Debbie Blanchard, Pastor of First Baptist  Church 
in Littleton, Massachusetts, who agreed to have "Mosby," a  NEADS-trained dog, 
as part of her church community.  She encourages  churches to explore ways to 
use animals in ministry because she's found  that dogs are helpful to people 
during times of tragedy, counseling or  sorrow.

The program visits Lynda and Larry Fisher, who are Mosby's caretakers.  Lynda 
is a Deaconess and Larry volunteers for the church's food pantry.   Ministry 
dogs are usually designated for members of the clergy, but  NEADS made an 
exception after seeing the Fisher's love for dogs and  their tireless service 
to church and community.

Also featured in "The Ministry of Animals" are the monks of New Skete,  
formerly part of an Byzantine-Rite Franciscans who are now a separate  Eastern 
Orthodox monastic community in Cambridge, New York.  Viewers  will meet Brother 
Stavros and Brother John, two monks who breed and  train German Shepherds in 
order to support their order.  
"Because we're living a life here at the monastery that is essentially  
dedicated to seeking God and exploring the deepest mysteries in life,  one of 
the things that's been most surprising and wonderful has been  that the dogs 
have played an important impact on our spiritual lives in  ways that we never 
could have imagined," says Brother Christopher, the  order's chief dog trainer. 
  

The program also visits Harvard Divinity School professor, Kimberley  Patton, 
who explains the roles animals have played within the various  world religions. 
Animals, birds and reptiles have long been seen as part  of the human-divine 
mystery by many religions, who regard the animal  kingdom as reflecting a 
oneness within the divine. 

Finally viewers will witness part of "The Annual Blessing of the  Animals" at 
the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York.  People  bring pets of all 
sizes and types to the church, including birds and  even circus animals, to 
reflect a union of the human and the  other-than-human lives within our natural 
universe.

>-----

"Coming Home: Hurricane Katrina 5 Years Later," presented by the  National 
Council of Churches and produced by the Presbyterian Church  (USA), on many NBC 
stations beginning September 12. (If your local  station isn't carrying this 
important show, call the station management  and tell them how much you'd like 
to see it.)

"You have to remember one thing when you drive through my city: behind  every 
broken window...behind every boarded up empty house...There is a  family trying 
to come home."

Wanda was one of the thousands of families left homeless or displaced  
following Hurricane Katrina. Five years later, some of these families  are 
still trying to return home. The most destructive hurricane in U.S.  history 
inspired a movement that brought thousands of volunteers from  all over the 
world -taking leave from their jobs, their families- to  work alongside 
families and communities desperately trying to return  home.

The new documentary, "Coming Home: Hurricane Katrina 5 Years Later,"  gives 
insight into the relationships between volunteers and hurricane  survivors and 
includes stories of how they have touched each other's  lives. DVDs are 
available from 800-524-2612.

Wesley M. "Pat" Pattillo, NCC Associate General Secretary, Justice,  Advocacy 
and Communication, represents the NCC on the Interfaith  Broadcasting 
Commission. Shirley Whipple Struchen is the NCC's  Coordinator of Electronic 
Media Programming.

>-----

Since its founding in 1950, the National Council of the Churches of  Christ in 
the USA has been the leading force for ecumenical cooperation  among Christians 
in the United States. The NCC's member faith groups -  from a wide spectrum of 
Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical,  historic African American and 
Living Peace churches - include 45 million  persons in more than 100,000 local 
congregations in communities across  the nation.

NCC News contact:  Philip E. Jenks, 212-870-2228 (office),  646-853-4212 
(cell), pjenks@ncccusa.org, www.ncccusa.org