NEWS RELEASE

Concordia Publishing House

3558 South Jefferson Ave.
St. Louis, Missouri 63118-3968

CONTACT: Gretchen M. Jameson, Corporate Communications

Phone: 636.795.6707 e-mail: gretchen.jameson@cph.org

For Immediate Release

Gospel resources for the hurting and the helping in Haiti

Christian publisher invites customers to help send 20,000 children’s books to

meet ongoing needs for body and soul

Summary: Concordia Publishing House announces plans to provide Gospel resources for people in

Haiti and its support for the ongoing efforts of Lutheran relief agencies.

Saint Louis, MO (March, 2010)—Christian companies want to be involved with the ongoing

response in Haiti. That value for care and contribution has led Christian publisher, Concordia Publishing

House (CPH) to announce a unique program to connect customers with new ways to help. Partnering

with The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) World Relief and Human Care, the non-profit

publisher announced today the launch of its Help for Haiti campaign, which will be coordinated out of

CPH’s evangelism ministry, Concordia Gospel Outreach (CGO).

“With school suspended indefinitely in Haiti, we’ve heard reports [from those serving in

congregations] of parents asking for printed materials for their children, in addition to continued needs for

food, water, and basic necessities,” says Gretchen M. Jameson, who directs corporate communications at

CPH. “The CGO Help for Haiti plan is going to meet a real need, and that matters to us.”

Concordia Gospel Outreach provides Christ-centered materials to meet specific evangelism

needs around the globe. Customers can donate to Help for Haiti now through Easter Week, (April 11,

2010). Every $10 donation received provides 6 copies of the children’s Arch Book, “Jesus Blesses the

Children”, translated into French for distribution along with material aid. $4 of every ten dollar donation will
be given directly to help fund relief efforts. The company is producing the book with a heavy duty, coated

paper that will be better suited to last through the rainy season. The goal is to send 20,000 books.

To donate, visit www.concordiaoutreach.org or call 800.325.3040. Contributions can also be

mailed to Concordia Gospel Outreach/Help for Haiti at 3558 S. Jefferson Ave., Saint Louis, MO 63118.

With its emphasis on Christian books and products, CPH’s signature ministry within The Lutheran

Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) is not immediately linked to disaster relief. “Our role is to provide a

publishing ministry,” shares Dr. Bruce G. Kintz, President and CEO for the company. “But we also know

that because of the nature of our business, we have daily connections with thousands of customers

online and on the phone, who are looking for ways to support disaster relief in Haiti, while also sharing the

Good News of Jesus Christ. We want to connect these people with a way to help.” When the company

learned from workers on the ground in Haiti that there was a need for books and printed materials, it

decided the time had come to launch this program.

“We waited to announce our efforts so that our involvement would be of the utmost help, and in

no way a hindrance to the work happening on the ground in Haiti,” explains Gretchen M. Jameson, who

manages public relations for CPH. “Physical needs had to be met immediately. Working with our partners,

we know it is now a more useful time to start distributing these resources along with the extremely

important material aid being provided.” The company sent 200 copies of the English-language version of

the book along with LCMS President Gerald B. Kieschnick on an early March visit to Haiti. According to

reports received by Kintz, the President was “mobbed” by eager parents and children who viewed the

book as a “priceless possession.”

The children’s book, from the best-selling Arch Books line will be given to local youngsters and

families and is to be distributed through congregations connected with The Evangelical Lutheran Church

of Haiti, a sister Synod of the LCMS. Jameson adds, “We want to help with body care and soul care, and

this is what we know how to do best.”

Media Links:

Social Media Release: http://pitch.pe/50214

Concordia Gospel Outreach: http://www.concordiaoutreach.org

Concordia Publishing House: http://www.cph.org

LCMS World Relief and Human Care, Disaster News: http://www.lcms.org/ca/worldrelief/dnews/

CPH Media Room: http://cph.mediaroom.com/

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod: http://www.lcms.org

Concordia Publishing House is a not-for-profit publishing company and the publisher of The Lutheran

Church—Missouri Synod. The company offers more than 8,000 products for use in Christian

congregations, schools, and homes. Visit CPH on the Web at http://www.cph.org.

See photos of President Kieschnick delivering books in Haiti

View a short video

View this or previous releases or download via Word or PDF on Scribd.

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