Freedom to Pray

Aired 2000-01. This program explored what religion means to teenagers. Views presented include why prayer or other religious activity is important to some teenagers and why it is important for some of them to have it in their schools. This special also examined the thoughts of youth who, while religious, do not require prayer and religious activity to be associated with school life, and still others who are entirely against such an association. This topic has proven timely from both political and spiritual perspectives.

Mission to Hollywood

Aired 2000-01. The Hollywood community was responding to a general call for wholesome values to be portrayed in films and on television. Act One: Writing for Hollywood, a religiously motivated group, runs a summer workshop to educate writers who wish to present values but who need to become good writers for movies and television. In this special we heard from the faculty who were aware that TV and film are art forms and respecting them is a key to being taken seriously in the industry. Workshop students and industry professionals profiled the potential effect of this program on the future content of what we see on the screen.

Gifts From God

Aired 1999-00. A look at the contributions and influence of women in Christian and Jewish ministry, this program, taped in St. Louis, visited a variety of dynamic women in ministry, including Roman Catholic nuns who have assumed pastoral duties formerly performed by priests. Their stories, triumphs, and frustrations were told, and seminarians examined some of the problems that remain. Included in the program: Rev. Dr. Peggy Way, Eden Theological Seminary (UCC), Rev. Brenda Hayes, Olive Chapel (AME); Rabbi Susan Talve, Central Reformed Congregation; Sister Mary Lou Stubbs DC, Catholic Charities; Sister Janet Crane SSND, chaplain Barnes-Jewish Hospital; Laura Renault, UCC seminarian; Sarah Peters, Southern Baptist seminarian.

Hear Every Voice

Aired 1999-00. Years ago, a group of churches, synagogues, and civic groups in Nashville got together to form TNT: Tying Nashville Together. TNT is an experiment in grass roots democracy, Banding together to conduct thousands of home visits and create a city-wide platform of specific suggestions for political candidates to endorse has met with notable success -- including neighborhood clean-up, quality of the school system, improvements in public transportation.

Thoughts at the Millennium

Aired 1999-00. A panel looks at the Christian millennium and what this marking/celebration might mean for Jews, Muslims, and others. A Jubilee Year gives us a chance to look back and offer reconciliation. We see this as a Common Era in terms of the calendar; for Christians we look backwards and forwards through the eyes of faith. Panelists include: Ms. Peggy Shriver, former staff executive for Research, Planning and Development at the National Council of Churches; The Very Rev. James Parks Morton, Dean Emeritus of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine (Episcopal); Rabbi James Rudin, director of the Interreligious Affairs Dept. of the American Jewish Committee; The Rev. Thomas Reese, SJ, editor-in-chief of "America" (Roman Catholic); Dr. Diana Hayes, prof. of Systematic Theology at Georgetown University (Roman Catholic); Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, spiritual leader of Al-Farah Mosque in NYC. A panel looks at the Christian millennium and what this marking/celebration might mean for Jews, Muslims, and others. A Jubilee Year gives us a chance to look back and offer reconciliation. We see this as a Common Era in terms of the calendar; for Christians we look backwards and forwards through the eyes of faith. Panelists include: Ms. Peggy Shriver, former staff executive for Research, Planning and Development at the National Council of Churches; The Very Rev. James Parks Morton, Dean Emeritus of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine (Episcopal); Rabbi James Rudin, director of the Interreligious Affairs Dept. of the American Jewish Committee; The Rev. Thomas Reese, SJ, editor-in-chief of "America" (Roman Catholic); Dr. Diana Hayes, prof. of Systematic Theology at Georgetown University (Roman Catholic); Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, spiritual leader of Al-Farah Mosque in NYC. Contact Phone: 800-494-6007 Purchasing Notes: The cost is $19.98 plus $3.95 shipping and handling per half-hour video.

Cuba: Signs of Hope

Aired 1998-99. Building on the Pope's visit to Cuba in January and two NCC delegations there, this program looks at the significant presence of religious life among the Cuban people and the work of U.S. religious groups and their Cuban counterparts. It examines the diaconal role of the church in relation to hospitals, education, and food distribution, as well as the issue of the U.S. embargo and Cuban refugees in Florida. Contact Phone: 800-494-6007 Purchasing Notes: The cost is $19.98 plus $3.95 shipping and handling per half-hour video.

God and the Mass Media

Aired 1998-99. A panel of Father Bud Kaiser, Dr. Anne Lerner (Jewish Theological Seminary), Ken Woodward (Newsweek), and Richard Ostling (AP), moderated by Robert Abernathy, looks at religious television, print, and films past and present. The panel discusses questions about the popularity of programs such as "Touched By an Angel" and "Nothing Sacred". How does television treat religion? What makes a program a "religious" program? Has there been a dramatic increase in the coverage of religion by the media? In part, this program celebrates 50 years of religious programming on CBS -- "Lamp Unto My Feet" debuted in 1948. Contact Phone: 800-494-6007 Purchasing Notes: The cost is $19.98 plus $3.95 shipping and handling per half-hour video.

Israel at 50: An American Perspective

Aired 1998-99. 1998 was the 50th anniversary of the founding of Israel. What does Israel today mean to Jews and to Christians? This program looked at celebratory events in the U.S., footage from Israeli celebrations, and how different Christian groups view the nature of Israel. Contact Phone: 800-494-6007 Purchasing Notes: The cost is $19.98 plus $3.95 shipping and handling per half-hour video.

Transforming Men's Hearts

Aired 1998-99. In the Texas prison system (the program was shot in Sugarland, TX) a new approach to prison ministries is being offered. In the complex called Jester II a wing has been devoted specifically to Christians who support one another in developing their lives and futures post-prison. Wings for other faith communities are also in development. What this approach will mean for reducing recidivism is an open question. Also depicted: outreach to prisoners' families. Contact Phone: 800-494-6007 Purchasing Notes: The cost is $19.98 plus $3.95 shipping and handling per half-hour video.

Faith in the Future: Saving A Child

Aired 1997-98. A look at how mentoring through church and community groups helps children and young people who are "at risk" to strengthen their commitments and their life goals. Taped in Philadelphia with the "One To One" program and with the assistance of the Metropolitan Christian Council of Philadelphia. Contact Phone: 800-494-6007 Purchasing Notes: The cost is $19.98 plus $3.95 shipping and handling per half-hour video.

Out of the Ashes

Aired 1997-98. In the aftermath of rebuilding burned black churches -- a priority for many religious groups -- have come efforts to rebuild also relationships among racial/ethnic groups. Filmed in South Carolina, this program looks at such efforts as the Palmento Project, high school conferences, and "Shalom Zones" to effect greater racial harmony. Contact Phone: 800-494-6007 Purchasing Notes: The cost is $19.98 plus $3.95 shipping and handling per half-hour video.

A Time for Caring

Aired 1996-97. Refugees from a variety of countries, as focused in the Portland, OR, area, are helped by Church World Service and other faith group agencies to become integrated into American life. The program also looks at how churches help the community to see the value of immigrants (countering xenophobia). The primary agency and thus focus for the program is SOAR (Sponsors Organized to Assist Refugees), which is affiliated with Church World Service (director: Penny Strauss). Church segments include: Sunnyside United Methodist Church (Cambodian and Ukrainian families), First Christian Church (two brothers from the Ukraine), First Presbyterian Church (Somalian family), along with a Baptist church established by the hill people of Laos.

Single But Not Alone

Aired 1996-97. A program about single parents and people of faith who help them. Includes programs of the 4th Presbyterian Church and its pastor the Rev. John Buchanan in Chicago. Over 12 million families in America with children have only one full-time parent. Contact Phone: 800-494-6007 Purchasing Notes: The cost is $19.98 plus $3.95 shipping and handling per half-hour video.

Teens On Faith: A Spiritual Journey

Aired 1996-97. Teenagers articulate the faith issues that are important to them. How do they understand their own spirituality and that of others? What religious or spiritual forms are or will be important to them in their spiritual seeking? A variety of high school seniors are interviewed: Jews, Christians, Hindus, Unitarians. The program indicates how young people are interested in and devoted to their respective faiths. Contact Phone: 800-494-6007 Purchasing Notes: The cost is $19.98 plus $3.95 shipping and handling per half-hour video.

Three Miracles

Aired 1996-97. Three storytellers in three different segments tell key faith stories to children of the Easter story of death and resurrection, the Jewish festival of Passover, and an introduction to Islam. All three stories illustrate the central truth of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam: that God desires to teach people how to be good and kind. Taped in Cincinnati. Contact Phone: 800-494-6007 Purchasing Notes: The cost is $19.98 plus $3.95 shipping and handling per half-hour video.