Zondervan Author Philip Yancey to Speak at Walnut Hill Community Church, Newtown, Conn.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Dec. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Grief has blanketed the nation.  As the community of Newtown, Conn. prays for peace and reason, best-selling author Philip Yancey will be joining a local church to speak about where God is in this emotional tragedy.

On Friday December 28^th through Sunday December 30^th, Philip Yancey will join Walnut Hill Community Church, just outside the Newtown community, to speak at an open-to-the-public weekend event. Yancey will address the question posed in the title of his book, "Where is God When It Hurts?" 

Yancey will be joining the church's senior pastor, Clive Calver, as they meet and listen to the community's families, teachers, first responders, parents and students who have been deeply affected by the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting.

"Healing and comfort—that's what I want most for those dear people," said Yancey.  "Words can only do so much, and certainly cannot take away the pain, yet I hope that this event could be a place of safety and honesty where people can bring their grief and come away with a new appreciation for why the gospel is good news—even now, especially now."  The event will also host a question and answer opportunity to address attendees' individual questions.

Mark Schoenwald, President and CEO of HarperCollins Christian Publishing commented, "I am humbled to know that a member of our Zondervan author family has been asked to help comfort the community of Newtown.  Asking, 'Where is God in all of this?' is something many people in our nation are currently doing.  I pray that Philip Yancey's words will help these families heal."

Zondervan, the publishers of "Where is God When It Hurts?" will be providing free copies of the book for the individuals who attend the region-wide weekend event.  In addition, the "Where is God When It Hurts?" e-book is currently available to all for free download* on the Amazon, Apple, Barnes and Noble, Christian Book Distributors, Google and Kobo websites until January 2, 2013.

"We are eager to help and show our support for this community," said Schoenwald.  "Newtown is in the hearts and minds of everyone at Zondervan and all of the HarperCollins Christian Publishing division.  We hope that by providing this resource, some comfort will be found and emotional wounds can begin to mend."

For more information on the event, please visit www.walnuthillcc.org. 

Philip Yancey serves as editor-at-large for "Christianity Today" magazine.  He has written 13 Gold Medallion Award-winning books and won two ECPA Book of the Year Awards for "What's So Amazing About Grace?" and  "The Jesus I Never Knew."  Four of his books have sold over one million copies.  Yancey lives with his wife in Colorado.

*Free e-book download only available in U.S.

About Zondervan

Zondervan, part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, is a world leading Bible publisher and provider of Christian communications. For more than 80 years, Zondervan has delivered transformational Christian experiences through its bestselling Bibles, books, curriculum, academic resources and digital products. The company's products are sold in multiple formats, worldwide in more than 60 countries, translated into nearly 200 languages. Zondervan offices are located in Grand Rapids, MI. For additional information, please visit www.zondervan.com.

SOURCE Zondervan