ELCA NEWS SERVICE

October 28, 2005

Lutheran Pastor from New Orleans to Help Debut Television Program
05-206-FI

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Patrick Keen, Bethlehem Lutheran
Church, New Orleans, will be part of the first one-hour "New
Morning" television program on the Hallmark Channel on Oct. 31.
Keen, a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
(ELCA), was interviewed days after Hurricane Katrina scattered
his congregation and damaged his church.  The program's theme is
"Perseverance."
     "New Morning" is produced for Faith & Values Media, the
United States' largest coalition of Christian and Jewish faith
groups dedicated to media production, distribution and promotion.
The ELCA is a member of Faith & Values Media, a service of the
National Interfaith Cable Coalition, Inc., formed in 1987.
     The program aired in a 30-minute format weekdays on the
Hallmark Channel since June 3, 2002.   Timberly Whitfield
continues to host the new one-hour format at 7:00 a.m. Eastern.
"New Morning" is a magazine-style television series that is also
available at http://FaithStreams.com/ on the Web.
     "'New Morning' is a program about how to get in touch with
our spiritual environment and how to explore it further in order
to enrich our own journey and to experience a deeper purpose in
our life," said Whitfield.
     "The show is unique among early morning programs.  'New
Morning' is not about what's going on around us -- the weather,
the traffic report, shocking news stories -- but rather, about
what is going on inside ourselves," said Edward J. Murray,
president and CEO, Faith & Values Media.  "'New Morning' will
continue to affirm the best that's in you, so you can start your
day feeling spiritually centered, uplifted, assured and
positively challenged," he said.
     Keen and his wife, Catherine Keen, are featured in stories
by Monica W. Perin in the October 2005 and November 2005 issues
of The Lutheran, the magazine of the ELCA.  The stories recount
the struggles of their congregation, Bethlehem Lutheran Church,
immediately after Hurricane Katrina struck and Pastor Keen's work
among evacuees in Houston.
     The "prayer walkers" of Bethlehem Lutheran Church are
featured in the Fall 2005 Mosaic Television program on "Prayer."
Tim Frakes, Mosaic Television producer, ELCA Communication
Services, interviewed the Keens in June 2005, before Hurricane
Katrina flooded New Orleans.
-- -- --
     Details about "New Morning" and other Faith & Values Media
programs are available at http://www.newmorningtv.tv/ on the Web.
The home page of The Lutheran is at http://www.thelutheran.org/
on the Internet.  Information about Mosaic Television is at
http://www.ELCA.org/mosaic/ on the ELCA site.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news