Bo Pilgrim Recognized for 25 Years of Workplace Evangelism by American Bible Society

NEW YORK, May. 08 /PRNewswire/ --

NEW YORK, May 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Bible Society has honored Lonnie "Bo" Pilgrim with a special one-of-a-kind award in recognition of his commitment to a lifetime of Christian service and workplace evangelism.

The award recognizes Mr. Pilgrim's decision to use the name Good News for Modern Man in his evangelistic outreach, his constant commitment to the communication and application of the message of the Bible, and his devotion to seeing lives transformed by Scripture. These efforts further the cause of Bible reading and appreciation, and support the ministry of the American Bible Society, whose motto is "Sharing God's Word with the World."

The Rev. Simon Barnes, executive vice president for development, marketing and research at the Bible Society, made the presentation on May 8 to Mr. Pilgrim at Pilgrim's Pride Corporation in Pittsburg, Texas. In presenting this award, Mr. Barnes noted, "Bo Pilgrim has inspired generations of Christians with a passion for reading and applying God's Word to their lives and then to sharing their faith with others."

Mr. Pilgrim commented, "I'm humbled to have received this award. The Lord has blessed me in countless ways throughout my life, and it has been an honor to share His Good News with so many people over the years. When I was a young boy I promised Him that if I ever amounted to anything, I would give Him the credit, and I'm still committed to that promise."

Criteria for the award include:

    --  to honor lives dedicated to providing biblically-based teaching and the
        impact it creates;
    --  to recognize individuals whose contributions to Bible literacy and
        Scripture proclamation have made a Kingdom difference;
    --  to honor a lifelong commitment to the communication and application of
        the Bible and to having a devotion to seeing lives transformed by it;
    --  to serve as an example to others of how to be a Christian in the
        workplace and to actually practice what is being preached;
    --  to share, on a personal level, one's own faith with other people and to
        instruct them about how to become a Christian and apply Christian faith
        practices to their daily lives.

From its humble beginning more than 60 years ago as a single feed store in a small East Texas town, Pilgrim's Pride Corporation has grown to become the largest poultry company in the world. Today Pilgrim's Pride is a Fortune 500 company with $7.6 billion in annual sales and approximately 55,000 employees. Philanthropy World described Bo Pilgrim as "a gentleman of impeccable character, a generous spirit, and a crusader for Christ... Bo kept honesty and integrity at the forefront."

The award was presented to Mr. Pilgrim in a meeting with Pilgrim's Pride employees, and later at a prayer chapel event.

*Photo available upon request

Founded in 1816 and headquartered in New York City, the mission of the American Bible Society is to make the Bible available to every person in a language and format each can understand and afford, so that all people may experience its life-changing message. The American Bible Society Web site is www.Bibles.com