Contact: Vicky Lynch Vicky@cgrantandcompany.com (630) 362-8829
Grand Rapids, Mich., April 23, 2012—Zondervan has announced plans to honor Chuck Colson’s legacy by donating a portion of the proceeds from Colson’s titles published with Zondervan to Prison Fellowship Ministries. These contributions are above and beyond author royalties that already go to the Colson estate. Through all his accomplishments as an author and Christian leader, Colson never lost focus on his passion for helping inmates. He founded Prison Fellowship Ministries in 1976, and today the ministry reaches prisoners, ex-prisoners and families of prisoners throughout the United States and, through Prison Fellowship International (PFI), in 115 countries worldwide.
“God gifted Chuck Colson in incredible ways, and he gave it all back to the kingdom for Christ. We were honored to work with him and help carry his message to a hurting world, and I am grateful to have gotten the chance to meet and know Chuck. His passion, focus, energy, stamina, drive, and commitment made everyone who came in contact with him a better person and a better warrior for Christ. Our thoughts and prayers are with Patty, Emily, and the rest of his family during this time,” said Scott Macdonald, Zondervan President and CEO.
Zondervan published four books and two video curriculums with Chuck Colson. Loving God was published in 1984, followed by Kingdoms in Conflict in 1987 and God & Government in 2007. In 2008, Colson chose to return to Zondervan to publish what he considered his most important work, The Faith—a thought-provoking, soul-searching and powerful manifesto of the great, historical central truths of Christianity that have sustained believers through the centuries. Colson coauthored the book with Harold Fickett and also developed a video curriculum based on the book. Across all formats, Colson’s Zondervan titles have sold 1.2 million copies.
Stan Gundry, Executive Vice President of Zondervan and its Editor-in-Chief, who worked closely with Colson as his theological editor on The Faith, said, “I want the world to know about the Chuck Colson I came to know when he was not in the limelight, a person who cared about the little things and ordinary people and not indulging himself with an extravagant lifestyle nor condoning wastefulness. For me, Chuck’s faithfulness in such private matters gave credibility to his public message. The more I got to know him, the more I respected him.”
“Chuck loved to write and speak about the Lord. He always wanted those who worked on a project to take a bow when it was done. Now the bow is for him, for a job well done, as he enters the Kingdom of the Lord whom he wrote about so well,” commented John Sloan, Executive Editorial Specialist and personal friend to Colson.
Scott MacDonald, Zondervan President and CEO is available for statements. To schedule an interview, contact Vicky Lynch at Vicky@cgrantandcompany.com or (630) 362-8829.
To obtain additional images of Chuck Colson, visit: http://zndr.vn/ColsonPix
About Zondervan
Zondervan, a HarperCollins company, is a world leader in Christian communications and a leading Christian publishing brand. For more than 75 years, Zondervan has delivered transformational Christian experiences through general and academic resources by influential leaders and emerging voices, and been honored with more Christian Book Awards than any other publisher. Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich., with additional offices in Miami, Zondervan publishes its bestselling Bibles, books, audio, video, curriculum, software, and digital products through its Zondervan, Zonderkidz and Editorial Vida brands. Zondervan resources are sold worldwide through retail stores, online, and by Zondervan ChurchSource, and are translated into nearly 200 languages in more than 60 countries. Visit Zondervan on the Internet at www.zondervan.com.