Awards Honor Religious Content in Secular Media

Jim and Phyllis Russell decided to put their own money into the effort. The result has been a nationally recognized foundation that has brought religion into the forefront in many print media outlets.

In October, the Russells received the Faith in Action Award from the Religious Heritage of America Foundation during that organization's 49th annual meeting. Other award recipients include former President Dwight D. Eisenhower and evangelist Billy Graham. The Russells are members of Bretton Woods Covenant Church in Lansing.

The Russells started a business forms distribution company in 1964. Today there are numerous branches throughout the United States. Their five companies generate approximately $20 million in annual revenue. Married 52 years, they raised five children. As a way of honoring God's provision in their lives, Jim and Phyllis found a way to give something back to the community. They formed a foundation named after their daughter, Amy, who has Down's Syndrome.

The Amy Foundation began April 20, 1970. One of its earliest contributions was the Amy Writing Awards, founded as the result of Jim Russell's increased concern over what he perceived as the lack of biblical presentation in American media. Russell hoped to see a modest trickle of entries for the award, which is a call to present biblical truth reinforced with scripture in secular, non-religious publications. Responses have been anything but modest. With $34,000 in annual awards - including a $10,000 first prize - it has become a much-sought-after journalism award.

"God was prospering the business we had founded, so we were looking for a way we could give with a greater degree of anonymity," said Russell. "Our hope when we launched the Amy Writing Awards was to pray for 100 published entries, and God sent us 154 the first year. It is a result of God's blessings, no question about it. And it is just another way that God shows how he can do the impossible through people who are seemingly unqualified."

Jim Russell has since authored Awakening the Giant, a call to focus on the United States as a discipling mission field. The Amy Foundation continues to diversify as well, awarding more funds through the Church Writing Group effort, a call to writers in the church to influence their community through letters to the editor, point of view columns and book reviews in local newspapers. There is even a college scholarship award for students who publish an article containing biblical citations in a non-religious publication.

The Amy Foundation has also obtained exposure through the Internet. Retired Covenant pastor Don Lindman is editor of the Amy Internet Syndicate, which was formed three years ago. There are 22 writers from around the country contributing to the site, which offers its services to 8,000 community newspapers and 1,500 daily newspapers in the United States. Among the contributors are William R. Mattox of USA Today and Terry Mattingly of Scripps-Howard News Service.

Recently, the foundation developed a curriculum for Sunday schools and small-group studies. Dr. James Dyet, former managing editor of Scripture Press and Accent Publishing, is writing the curriculum for the Discipled Nation Plan, a set of four workbooks including: Discipling Myself, Discipling my Family, Discipling my Congregation and Discipling My Neighborhood.

The Discipling Myself curriculum was tested at the Bretton Woods Covenant Church and Russell is encouraged by the positive feedback he has received. "I can't tell you how blessed I was by the testimonies after the 10-week program," said Russell. "It's an exciting development."

For more information on The Amy Foundation and its various writing contests, contact the foundation by telephone at 517-323-6233 or by email at amyfoundtn@aol.com.

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