ELCA NEWS SERVICE October 8, 2004 Lutherans To Be Honored With The Wittenberg Award 04-190-MR CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Herbert F. Brokering, Minneapolis, the Rev. J. David Simonson and Eunice Nordby Simonson, missionaries in Tanzania, and the founders of "Davey and Goliath" will receive the Wittenberg Award on Nov. 6. The Luther Institute, Washington, D.C., presents its annual Wittenberg Award for outstanding service to church and society. "The annual Wittenberg Awards celebration is an important opportunity for Lutherans to focus on servant leadership and honor Lutherans from around the world, who have made outstanding contributions to church and society," said Dr. Laura L. Mitchell, president, The Luther Institute. "The pace of modern life is fast, and we can sometimes forget to say 'thank you' and 'well done' to those who serve and lead by their example. The Wittenberg Awards is a time to recognize those Lutheran individuals and organizations and show our appreciation. In so doing, we affirm our faith, celebrate our diversity, and strengthen our ties with the global Lutheran community," Mitchell said. A member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Brokering is an author, lyricist, peace partner and hymn writer. Also receiving the Wittenberg Award are David Simonson and Eunice Nordby Simonson, ELCA missionaries and founders of Secondary School for Maasai Girls, Monduli, Tanzania; Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, Mexico City, Mexico, 1970 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and father of the "green revolution"; and, the Rev. Julius Jenkins, president, Concordia College, Selma, Ala. Concordia is a college of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Art Clokey, Los Osos, Calif., Ruth Clokey Goodell, Covena, Calif., the Rev. Frank Klos (deceased), R. Marshall Stross, Manhasset, N.Y., and Richard Sutcliffe, Dallas, created Davey and Goliath -- 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. "Davey and Goliath has become a pop-culture icon, the only one owned by a church," said the Rev. Eric C. Shafer, director, ELCA Department for Communication. Davey and Goliath have "recognition far beyond the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's membership and far beyond the United States of America and the Caribbean territories of our church. I've had African Americans tell me that they saw their first people of color on television through Davey and Goliath. I've heard story after story from folks whose family situation was sad, even abusive, who got through those tough days because of Davey and Goliath," Shafer said. The founders and creative team of Davey and Goliath will be honored with the Wittenberg Award because they are "true visionaries," said Shafer. "In the early days of television they realized the power television, then a new medium. They found that they could teach racial and ethnic and religious tolerance and understanding through animation. Through Davey and Goliath they could witness to the world and around the world of God's love for children. God truly worked through them to begin such a wonderful work," he said. The reception and awards banquet will be held at The Washington Club, Washington, D.C., on Nov. 6 by invitation only. The Luther Institute, Scholastic and ELCA will host a "Davey and Goliath Family Film Festival" on Nov. 5 at the Jurys Washington Hotel, Washington, D.C. Scholastic, the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books, is working to publish two storybooks and two coloring/activity books about Davey and Goliath. At the festival "we plan to show two classic episodes of Davey and Goliath and a brief biography piece about some of the founders. The festival will also include a question-and-answer session with the founders," said Shafer. The Luther Institute inaugurated the Wittenberg Awards in 1990. The Institute is an independent center for laity and clergy fostering education and research on social, educational and ethical issues in the public sphere. Based in Washington, D.C., the Institute conducts programs to promote its mission and to advance the role of faith and ethics in public life. The Wittenberg Awards are made possible in part by a grant from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, a fraternal benefits organization based in Minneapolis. - - - Information about Davey and Goliath is available on the Internet at http://www.daveyandgoliath.org -- the official Davey and Goliath Web site maintained by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Information about The Luther Institute is available at http://www.lutherinst.org on the Web. For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask] http://www.elca.org/news