MAIN NEWS HEADLINES
December 21- December 28, 2006 Edition
Jimmy Carter
To Share Bible
Lessons in Audios
NEW YORK, NY/12/15/06—The first volume in a new series of original audio programs featuring former U.S. President Jimmy Carter teaching Sunday school will be published prior to the Easter holiday, it was announced today by Simon & Schuster Audio. The series, SUNDAY MORNINGS IN PLAINS: Bible Study with Jimmy Carter, draws on an extensive archive of live recordings of President Carter’s adult Sunday school classes at his hometown church in Plains, Georgia. Drawing visitors from around the nation and the world, these classes are attended by several hundred guests each week, representing a wide range of faiths and denominations.
President Carter said, “Teaching Sunday school has brought me great joy over the years. As a midshipman many years ago at the U.S. Naval Academy, I taught classes to the children of officers, and for the past twenty-five years, I have taught as a member of the congregation at Maranatha Baptist Church. With this audio collection, I am so pleased to share my teachings in Plains with a larger community of people who seek a greater understanding of the Bible and its messages for our time.”
The first volume, Leading a Worthy Life, will launch the original series on March 20, 2007. A second volume, Measuring Our Success, will publish in June 2007, and a third will follow in the fall. Each volume in this original series will present four or five classes on topics of spiritual interest, as explored through specific scripture readings and infused with stories from President Carter’s own experiences in his personal and political life. Listeners will hear all of the unscripted interaction and unexpected insights that keep the classes lively, as well as the warmth, humor, and authority that make President Carter such a beloved and effective teacher. Each volume of the new series will feature new material recorded exclusively by him, and will be available on CD and for download. All of President Carter’s proceeds from SUNDAY MORNINGS IN PLAINS will go to Maranatha Baptist Church.
He is currently a nominee for a 2007 Grammy Award for his recent #1 bestseller, Our Endangered Values. This marks his third Grammy nod in the “Best Spoken Word Album” category, following nominations in 2002 and 1998 for his inspired reading of An Hour Before Daylight and Living Faith, respectively.
“Over the years, we have had the honor to publish audio editions for many of President Carter’s literary works, and we are thrilled to produce his first audio-only collection,” said Chris Lynch, Executive Vice President and Publisher of Simon & Schuster Audio. “SUNDAY MORNINGS IN PLAINS offers a unique opportunity for the millions of people around the world who respect and admire President Carter to experience his inspirational message first-hand.”
The series begins with four classes, recorded in January 1998, focusing on the basic tenets of
Christian living as recounted in Paul’s New Testament letter to the Ephesians. Speaking to a theme of reconciliationwith God and with each otherthat runs through all four lessons of Leading a Worthy Life, President Carter guides listeners through a discussion of “the very essence of Christianity.” He offers his thoughts on such relevant issues as fundamentalism and the current disunity in the church, the importance of harmony among all religions and reconciliation among warring nations and peoples, and the practical application of faith in daily life.
The second volume, Measuring Our Success, explores Jesus’ early ministry as recounted in the Bible by Mark. Recorded in March, 2003, these five lessons highlight messages from Jesus’ teachings that resonate with modern worshippers, such as the then-revolutionary idea of a loving God who seeks a personal relationship with his followers and doesn’t measure success by adherence to creeds or dogma.
As he states in Our Endangered Values, “religion should provide the way to heal the differences that separate people.” A Nobel Peace Prize-winner and renowned humanitarian, President Carter has dedicated his life to peace and public service, and is considered by many to be the model of a successful post-presidency. America’s 39th President is in a unique position to offer insight into the widespread influence of the Bible and its positive impact around the world.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jimmy Carter served as our thirty-ninth president and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. He and his wife, Former First Lady Rosalyn Carter, are also the co-founders of the Carter Center, a nonprofit group that seeks to resolve conflict and improve health throughout the world. President Carter has authored numerous bestselling books, including the New York Times #1 bestseller, Our Endangered Values (2005), and his most recent title, Palestine Peace Not Apartheid (November 14, 2006).
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
Simon & Schuster Audio is a leading publisher of general interest audiobooks including bestselling fiction, nonfiction, business/finance, self-improvement, inspiration, language learning programs, original audiobook productions, and children’s titles. In addition to a list that includes such unparalleled authors as Ernest Hemingway, David McCullough, Stephen King, Phillip McGraw, and Mary Higgins Clark, Simon & Schuster Audio has produced audiobooks that have won five Grammy Awards and earned twenty-seven Grammy nominations since 1989. For more information about Simon & Schuster Audio, visit our website at http://www.simonsaysaudio.com .
Simon & Schuster, a part of the CBS Corporation, is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed, electronic, and audio formats. Its divisions include Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, Simon & Schuster Audio, Simon & Schuster Digital, and international companies in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit our website at www.simonsays.com.
