ELCA NEWS SERVICE May 16, 2005 'Faithful Travel With Rick Steves' DVD Available From ELCA 05-092-JB CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Noted author, producer and television host Rick Steves is featured in a new DVD from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). "Faithful Travel with Rick Steves" features a 12-minute interview with Steves in which he discusses "faithful travel" plus four 30-minute programs with him as host. Steves is host of the popular public television series "Rick Steves' Europe" and has written at least 30 European travel books. He and his family are members of Trinity Lutheran Church, Lynnwood, Wash. "In this engaging soliloquy, noted author and travel counselor Rick Steves lays out his personal philosophy -- and theology -- about the nature of faithful travel," according to a user's guide for the program. "Travel brings people together," Steves said in the interview. "My whole thing is [about] independent travelers. . If you're an independent traveler, it's a very spiritual experience." Steves, who also leads groups in international travel experiences, said he normally schedules inclusive "fellowships" on Sunday mornings to allow participants to share how their travels are affecting their faith. "It's a beautiful and powerful part of your travels to acknowledge that you're a person of faith," he said. "As you go to great churches, as you meet children in the markets and as you walk on the ridges in the Alps, you become very in touch with the wonders of this planet and how blessed we are and how connected we are with our Creator." In addition to Steves' interview, the DVD includes programs hosted by Steves and produced by the ELCA Department for Communication and Mosaic Television, the video magazine of the ELCA. The programs are "Opening the Door to Luther, " shot on location in Germany; "The Life of Apostle Paul," taped in the eastern Mediterranean; "Weaving a Global Neighborhood," taped in Papua New Guinea; and "In the City for Good," taped in South Central Los Angeles. Mosaic Television is a quarterly video program produced by the ELCA Department for Communication. It is intended for educational use in a variety of congregational settings including Sunday school classes, adult forums, youth groups, women's and men's groups, new member classes, congregational council, committee and other organizational meetings. Each issue includes a user's guide with a synopsis of each segment and discussion questions. Annual Mosaic Television subscriptions are available through the ELCA Department for Communication. --- Specific information about Mosaic Television subscriptions and the content of each issue is available on the Web at http://www.ELCA.org/mosaic or by contacting the ELCA Department for Communication by phone at 1-800-638-3522, ext. 6009. For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask] http://www.elca.org/news