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 [log in to unmask] http://www.elca.org/news