Episcopal Publications Receive Awards at Press Meeting, Solheim Elected President
Episcopal News Service. April 30, 1993 [93077]
Capturing the attention of people who spend little time reading and a great deal of time watching television and videos is extremely difficult, according to editors who produce major religious publications in North America. Members of the Associated Church Press (ACP) sought to address that task at their 77th annual convention in Milwaukee, April 18-21.
The association, comprised of nearly 190 member publications from across the ecumenical spectrum, grappled with the impact of the financial recession on their publications, in many cases declining circulation, and the looming possibility of a significant increase in postage costs that could threaten the existence of more vulnerable members.
In the face of these challenges, many members of the ACP agreed with Marlene Lefever of David C. Cook Publishing in her opening address that the future belonged to publications that "jump out of ruts" of the present and find new ways to grab the interest of their readership.
In a keynote address on the closing evening of the convention, noted church historian Martin Marty urged ACP members to regard the trend toward decentralization in American denominations as an opportunity. "Power in religion has shifted to the local level," Marty said.
"Denominations helped to define our boundaries and our freedom -- helped us know who to fight against, but they don't serve that function anymore," Marty asserted. He suggested that the role of denominations is to gather a common identity for a group without demanding lockstep uniformity. The task for communicators in denominations, he said, is knitting those communities together, "informing, equipping and telling the story. The church press is what keeps the stories going," Marty said.
Three Episcopal Church diocesan newspapers won top awards in categories during the annual ACP awards. Interchange (Diocese of Southern Ohio) received an award of merit for its in-depth coverage of the financial recession and its affect on churches in Ohio. The Virginia Episcopalian received an award of merit for newspaper graphics and the Episcopal Times (Massachusetts) received an award of merit for newspaper photography.
The Anglican Journal/Journal Anglican, newspaper for the Anglican Church of Canada, received the highest overall award for general excellence of all newspapers entered in the contest.
In addition, several Episcopal Church-related publications received awards for honorable mention in various categories, including Episcopal Life, the Episcopal News Service, the Journal of Women's Ministries, the Record (Diocese of Michigan), the Virginia Episcopalian, Books and Religion (which ceased publication last year) and Trinity News (Trinity Church in New York City).
At the annual business meeting, James Solheim, news director of the Episcopal Church, was elected to a two-year term as president. Active in the ACP for 25 years, Solheim said that the organization had grown much more diverse and ecumenical during that time. "In the late 1960s ACP was dominated by large, mainline denominational publications. Today members are more likely to be small, special audience publications," he said. "And ACP is the only organization where some of these churches have contact with each other." Solheim also observed that Episcopal diocesan publications have been active participants -- and regular award winners -- for a long time.
Michael Barwell, director of communication in the Diocese of Southern Ohio, was elected for a three-year term on the ACP board.