Citing declining retailer participation and reduced support to partner ministries, CBA is ending Christian Store Week—an effort to spotlight Christian bookstores and drive traffic.

"Christian Store Week was a great idea and worked well for a season," CBA President Curtis Riskey said. "It raised awareness of Christian stores, sent traffic to them and increased sales to many retailers. However, the ministry return for the significant time and resources to manage the project could not be offset."

Declining consumer donations for exclusive music albums offered in participating Christian stores was also a factor in the decision to end the three-year program, CBA officials said. Christian artists donated royalty-free songs for album compilations for the cooperative industry initiative.

Usually held the first week of October, Christian Store Week raised more than $100,000 for various ministry and disaster-support projects—beginning in 2010 with the "Help Haiti" campaign, launched in the wake of a devastating earthquake.

The 2012 campaign raised about $18,000 to support U.S. anti-poverty and hunger programs. More than 430 Christian stores nationwide—including 138 independent retailers plus Berean Christian Stores and Family Christian Stores chain—partnered with World Vision to raise awareness of the need for hunger relief among children in the U.S., CBA said.

CBA will continue work with suppliers and retailers to develop special industry-wide projects to raise consumer awareness of Christian stores and help drive traffic and sales to them, association officials said.

Bookstore Manager has announced a partnership with Kingdom Retail Solutions to provide exclusive training and consulting to Bookstore Manager users.

"This joint venture allows our users to gain more than just knowledge of the software," said Bookstore Manager President Randy Voorhees. "Robbie's experience in Christian Retail and the software will enable stores to become more profitable and productive."

As the official training arm of Bookstore Manager, Kingdom Retail Solutions "combines the advantages of Retail Management Solutions with expert consulting to help retailers maximize their opportunity for success," company officials said.

"I'm excited to help fellow Christians serve the needs of their communities," said Kingdom Retail founder and owner Robbie Halstead. "There is not greater calling than to spread the Word and retailers are on the frontlines every day."

Training options will include new store setup, on-site training, a monthly training program, refresher courses and new employee training.

Bookstore Manager is offering free training sessions at its booth (#1162) at the International Christian Retail Show in St. Louis, June 23-26. A users' meeting will be held 10 a.m., Tuesday, June 25 in room #260.

Bookstore Manager was founded by Voorhees in 1990 after operating a Christian store for more than 13 years. Halstead has more than 15 years' experience operating Christian stores and an additional eight years consulting retailers.

Retailers can obtain more information on training by contacting Bookstore Manager at 800-997-6724 or Kingdom Retail at 508-265-8666.

CBA is encouraging attendees to digitally connect with its marquee summer event next week. The free ICRS (International Christian Retail Show) mobile app—for iPhones, iPads and Android devices—will be available during the event, set for June 23-26 at the America's Center Convention Complex in St. Louis.

The app will allow users to keep up with ICRS updates; view information from more than 250 exhibitors and schedule of training, exhibitor events, booth happenings; add events to their show calendar; take notes during workshops; and read CBA's show daily newspaper.

"Track what people are saying on Facebook and Twitter," CBA officials said. "Follow the buzz to high-profile events."

For more information, visit www.christianretailshow.com/mobile.

Participants at next week's International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) will hear about a new animated musical celebrating the birth of Jesus—promoted by filmmakers as "a faithful adaptation of the narrative from the Gospel of Luke in both story and song."

To be released on DVD by Glorious Films this fall, The Promise: The Birth of the Messiah "leverages optical motion technology to blend traditional animation techniques with the performance talents of ballet dancers and dramatic stage actors," filmmakers said. "The result is a unique and worshipful story experience that will inspire audiences young and old for years to come."

Todd Shaffer, writer and director of the movie, will promote The Promise at ICRS, scheduled for June 23-26 at the America's Center Convention Complex in St. Louis.

Shaffer told Christian Retailing that The Promise is "a unique film that is unlike anything ever seen in the Christian or general market."

"Our animated musical has biblical muscle, high production value, beautiful music and an original filmmaking voice that transports this very familiar story from Christmas 'fable' to the incredible game-changing story that it is," said Schaffer, who has more than 20 years of production experience working on 100-plus projects, including commercials, feature films, television shows and animated movies.

He noted that Christian retailers should support the musical because of "four defining characteristics."

"First, our story tells the complete biblical nativity story," said Shaffer, a preaching elder at Renaissance Church in Montreal, affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. "Second, our music is beautiful, and the songs tell the story. Third, our animation brings a level of sophistication that is unique even to the general market. The blend of live performance and animation allowed us to approach our production as a Broadway musical.

"Fourth, we sought to make this film as accurate as possible," he added. "We sought the counsel of conservative biblical scholars for everything from first-century Jewish marriage customs, the details of the temple furnishings, to what language the lower Jewish classes would have written. All of these qualities combine to make The Promise a powerful and entertaining experience that our team believes could be one of the biggest animated films to ever hit the Christian retail market."

To watch the trailer of The Promise, which will not be screened at ICRS, visit http://www.gloriousfilms.com/thepromise/.

Abbey Press will be hosting a Grand Opening in its new permanent showroom in Atlanta’s AmericasMart. The wholesale marketer will have show specials, refreshments and drawings for free products Tuesday and Wednesday, July 9-10.

Leasing space in Building 2, showroom 1340, from Divinity Boutique, Abbey will be open for business in time for the July International Gift & Home Furnishings Market. With its inspirational giftware, kitchenware, books, greeting cards, stationery and wrapping paper, Abbey has exhibited in the Temporaries at AmericasMart for more than 20 years.

Winners of the Christian Retailing’s Best awards—formerly known as the Retailers Choice Awards—will be presented at the International Christian Retail Show in St. Louis on Tuesday, June 25. Hosted by New York Times best-selling author Jonathan Cahn (The Harbinger, FrontLine), the awards will also feature an appearance by recording artist Tammy Trent, whose new album, Sunny Days (September Day Records/Infinity Music Distribution), releases in August.

DaySpring and Thomas Nelson have tied with three gift finalists each in the 2013 Christian Retailing’s Best awards sponsored by Christian Retailing magazine. DaySpring’s three finalists are the Love Came Down teapot (General Gift Product); Love Came Down dinner plate (Seasonal/Holiday); and Wooden Cross (Wall Décor). Thomas Nelson’s gift finalists are Grace Happens Here by Max Lucado (Gift Books); Inspired You by Marian Parsons (Gift Books); and The Hope of Christmas by Jack Countryman (Seasonal/Holiday).

Kingstone Media, a Leesburg, Fla.-based company that publishes faith-based comics and graphic novels, is seeking to "become the Marvel Comics" of the Christian product industry, with new titles such as Eternity by New York Times best-selling author Randy Alcorn.

"Comics are booming as well as Christian themes in entertainment," Kingstone CEO Art Ayris said. "Anywhere you want to look—TV and Internet shows, movies, books. The Bible miniseries is the No. 1 rated cable show. Now, why not comics? Randy Alcorn is a leading Christian writer, and now Eternity not only raises the bar, but introduces Randy to a new demographic."

Earlier this month, Kingstone published Eternity, the first graphic novel by Alcorn. Featuring illustrations by veteran comic artist Javier Saltares, Eternity is set in first-century Jerusalem, telling Jesus' classic story of the rich man and Lazarus, while depicting "two shockingly different spiritual dimensions," Alcorn said.

"Junior high, high school, college-aged young people—and older people—are drawn right in to illustrations of one of Jesus' most haunting stories," Alcorn said.

Ayris added: "Our goal is for Kingstone to eventually become the 'Marvel' of the faith market."

Releasing in 2014, Kingstone's 12-volume Kingstone Bible project is expected to be the most complete graphic adaption of the Bible ever done.

"We're producing the volumes as fast as we can the artistry is incredible" Ayris told the Orlando Sentinel. "The stuff we have coming out will make people's eyes pop."

Kingstone's comics and graphic novels are carried by Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, Barnes & Noble, as well as Family Christian Stores, LifeWay Christian Stores and independent Christian bookstores.

Visit http://kingstonemedia.com/ for more information.