Preparations are under way for the National Quartet Convention to be held Sept. 21-27 in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee—a change in location that has drawn more Southern gospel music fans than ever. Organizers also are pleased that 30% of the crowd this year will be first-time attendees of the event.

“We are absolutely overwhelmed by the response our move to Pigeon Forge has received,” said Clarke Beasley, executive vice president of the convention. “We set high goals and high expectations when we decided to move to Pigeon Forge, but we would not have dared to project this kind of attendance. Not since the late 1990s have sales been this high, and an all-time attendance record is a real possibility.”

Commerce Department figures announced Friday showed a 0.6% increase for U.S. retail and food-services sales in August, the largest rise in four months. The government also revised its July figure from an estimate of zero to 0.3% growth.

Retail sales rose to a seasonally adjusted $444.4 billion, which was 5% above August 2013.

The full text of the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) is now available on Blue Letter Bible’s website, BlueLetterBible.org, and iPhone/iPad mobile app. Holman Bible Publishers, an imprint of B&H Publishing Group, has given Blue Letter Bible free use of the HCSB translation.

Blue Letter Bible’s mission is to facilitate an in-depth study of God’s Word through an online interactive reference library, including the complete text of Scripture. The site is continuously updated from the teachings and commentaries of selected pastors and teachers who hold to the conservative, historic Christian faith.

Jonathan Cahn’s The Mystery of the Shemitah (FrontLine) has charted simultaneously on two best-seller lists. The follow-up to Cahn’s debut novel, The Harbinger, the new nonfiction book released Sept. 2, placing sixth on the New York Times Advice, How-to and Miscellaneous list and 31^st on USA Today’s Best-Selling Books Top 150 list.

In Shemitah, Cahn reveals a 3,000-year-old biblical prophecy for America’s future, building on the mysterious biblical prophecy from The Harbinger, which sold 1.6 million copies and remained on the New York Times Paperback Fiction list for more than 110 weeks.

The Southern Gospel Music Association (SGMA) announced the eight individuals who are the 2014 inductees to the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Each of the inductees has left their own special touch on Southern gospel music, and as a result, it is only fitting that his or her contributions and work be forever honored.

“As we have been with each inductee class, we are very excited to have another group of Southern gospel pioneers and leaders come into the Hall of Fame membership,” SGMA President Arthur Rice said. “The Southern gospel music community has certainly benefited from the work and dedication of these people through the years.”

CBA has announced the 2015 International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) theme—“Expect.” ICRS is scheduled for June 28-July 1 in the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

“The theme speaks to faith and anticipation of fulfilling our ministry calling through distributing Christian thought, ideas and resources that transform lives,” the Association for Christian Retail said.

HarperCollins Christian Publishing (HCCP) announced Thursday that John Kramp will join the organization as senior vice president of the Bible Group, effective Oct. 1. Kramp will oversee the Bible publishing and study resources business for Thomas Nelson and Zondervan.

For more than 20 years, he has been developing and implementing strategic leadership at various capacities. For 19 years he worked for LifeWay Christian Resources, most recently as vice president of the Church Resources Division. In his role, he led a 550-person team responsible for publishing, events, training, music and a direct-to-consumer channel. Kramp left LifeWay in 2011 to start a consulting firm, where he worked with large corporations, small businesses and nonprofit organizations focusing on leadership development for emerging executives.