December 12, 2002

NASHVILLE – United Methodists will be featured prominently in a 30-minute TV special, "Reaching Out," which will begin airing on CBS affiliates Sunday, Dec. 15.

Two United Methodist-related ministries will be part of the program, one at a North Carolina auto racing speedway and the other at a Pennsylvania truck stop. The first broadcast of the show will be at 7 a.m. Sunday in New York City. CBS says 106 of its 180 affiliates are scheduled to place the show on their broadcast schedules.

The "Faster Pastor" segment, produced by UMTV, based at United Methodist Communications in Nashville, profiles Methodist Motor Sports, an outreach ministry of the denomination's Western North Carolina Annual (regional) Conference. Pastors participate in races and share the gospel message with auto racing fans, living out Paul's biblical admonition to run the race set before them.

The other United Methodist segment will profile the work of the Rev. Bruce B. Maxwell, a United Methodist chaplain based at a Breezewood, Pa., truck stop. The ecumenical Trucker-Traveler Ministry offers prayer, counsel, hospitality and emergency at three truck stops across the state. United Methodist News Service news director Linda Green profiled Maxwell in a June 17 story on www.umns.umc.org.

The nationwide airing will "call attention to this sector of working life – tens of thousands of people trying to earn a living in an industry that becomes more a way of life than it is a 9-to-5 paycheck," said Maxwell, who has been with the effort of the Pennsylvania Council of Churches for 10 years.

Other segments in the special include profiles of ministries and programs of Jewish, Catholic and non-denominational groups.

UMTV, an initiative launched in late April by UMCom, produces stories of faith for use by the secular news media. The Rev. Larry Hollon, top executive at the communications agency, said UMTV tells the stories of "people making a difference and stories about moral and ethical challenges we face as a culture." UMTV television reports are offered to TV stations and networks via news feeds, and streamed video is available at the www.umtv.org Web site.

United Methodist News Service