The Parable Christian Store in San Luis Obispo, California, plans to relocate in late January. The store's longtime owners—Steve Potratz, president of The Parable Group, and Laurie Potratz, until recently the store manager—are remodeling their new 2,600-square-foot location in Arroyo Grande, California. The new location opens Friday, Jan. 22, at 931 Rancho Parkway in the Five Cities Center near the Trader Joe’s grocery store.

The couple cites rising rents in San Luis Obispo (SLO) coupled with customer demand by South County residents as reasons for the move.

Os Guinness' Fool’s Talk: Recovering the Art of Christian Persuasion (InterVarsity Press) topped the Apologetics/Evangelism category of the 2016 Christianity Today Book Awards.

Joshua Ryan Butler, author of The Skeletons in God’s Closet and a judge for the Apologetics/Evangelism category, said, “Unlike many apologetics books, Fool’s Talk is not a series of quick-fix answers to questions most folks are no longer asking or one-size-fits-all ‘McTheories’ (Guinness’ term) to be applied to any situation. Rather, Guinness draws upon a lifetime of diverse experience to explore and invite us into the art of ‘creative persuasion.’”

HarperCollins Christian Publishing's flagship publishing programs, Thomas Nelson and Zondervan, were recognized with seven Christianity Today Book Awards. Carolyn Custis James' Malestrom: Manhood Swept Into the Currents of a Changing World was named Book of the Year in the Her.meneutics category.

“This is a great achievement for the Thomas Nelson and Zondervan publishing teams as well as our authors,” said Mark Schoenwald, president and CEO of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. “The Christianity Today Book Awards have recognized the impact we strive to make on today’s Christian culture, spreading the powerful messages our authors have captured in these seven titles.”

Tributes are pouring in from authors and ministry leaders as they reflect on the life and legacy of Cru co-founder and author Vonette Bright, who died Dec. 23. She was 89.

Cru President Steve Douglass reflected on his relationship with Vonette and Bill.

“There are few people who have influenced me and Judy as much as Bill and Vonette Bright,” Douglass said. “They have been our leaders, our mentors, our friends. When they passed the leadership baton of the ministry to us, we were overwhelmed and humbled. When Bill died, we looked all the more to Vonette. And now, we rejoice that she is with her Savior and her beloved Bill. We grieve for the loss of our leader, mentor and friend. But we do not grieve as the world grieves, as we know we will see her again.”

M. Robert Mulholland Jr., author of InterVarsity Press (IVP) books such as Invitation to a Journey and The Deeper Journey, died Dec. 20 after a long battle with cancer. He was 79.

“Robert Mulholland’s books on the power and integrity of Scripture have shaped and encouraged thousands of readers in their spiritual formation journeys,” said IVP Publisher Bob Fryling. “Mulholland was a gentleman scholar who humbly taught and wrote out of his love for the written Word of God. His writings remain, but his presence will be missed.”

Vonette Zachary Bright, co-founder of Campus Crusade for Christ (now known as Cru in the U.S.), the world's largest Christian ministry, died today due to complications from acute leukemia. She was 89.

Fueled by a desire to help others meet Christ and learn to follow him, Vonette and her late husband, Dr. William "Bill" R. Bright, spent more than half a century leading and building Campus Crusade for Christ to more than 25,000 staff members and 300,000 volunteers working in 173 countries.

Religious presses improved in August 2015 compared to August 2014, according to the Association of American Publishers’ StatShot report. While total industry sales were down 2.8 percent year over year, religious presses posted 41.7 percent growth. Religious presses and “all other” improved the most this month (44.9 percent growth), while every other category posted a decline relative to August 2014.

The growth is a good sign for Christian retailers, given that overall year-to-date religious sales have lagged behind last year’s by 2.3 percent. The overall industry has done no better, declining by 2.3 percent as well in year-to-date statistics.