An estimated 135.8 million shoppers (58.7 percent) may shop Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and/or Sunday, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF)’s Preliminary Thanksgiving Weekend Survey. This statistic is similar to the 61.1 percent who said the same last year and more than the 55 percent of holiday shoppers who said they did shop in stores and online over Thanksgiving weekend in 2014.

Ypulse Inc. released Wednesday the results of its annual Holiday Shopping Survey.

The survey found that nearly two-thirds of millennials (65 percent) have established a budget for their spending this year. Millennials intend to spend, on average, $352 on holiday shopping in 2015, and their primary gift-giving recipient is mom (84 percent). Shopping for siblings (71 percent) or for dad (70 percent) is on the minds of roughly seven out of 10 millennials, while nearly three out of five millennials (58 percent) plan to shop for friends.

With the popularity of the God's Not Dead film, Newsboys has announced the first God’s Not Dead conference. Targeting youth groups and families, the conference is designed to help young people better understand and defend their faith. The inaugural conference will be held July 7-10, 2016, in San Antonio.

The God’s Not Dead conference (godsnotdeadconferences.com) will feature apologetics-focused teaching sessions led by speaker Nic Allen, praise and worship music, a keynote message and a private concert by Newsboys.

Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group, announced Thursday the signing of a new multi-book contract with best-selling author Tracie Peterson. The new six-book contract will continue Bethany House’s exclusive arrangement with Peterson through 2019, with new novels releasing in 2018 and 2019.

Peterson is the award-winning, best-selling author of more than 100 novels. Her books have sold over 2 million copies, and she makes regular appearances on CBA and the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association's best-seller lists.

New Leaf Publishing Group (NLPG) announced Wednesday the hiring of Randy Pratt as vice president of sales and marketing. Pratt will oversee marketing and sales strategies for all New Leaf Publishing Group imprints, including Master Books, New Leaf Press and Attic Books.

Previously, Pratt served as senior pastor and president/owner of Pennywise Learning. He is also a homeschool father of nine. With Pratt's experience in ministry and the education market, the company expects him to be a valuable asset for New Leaf’s Master Books imprint.

The Red Deer, Alberta, branch of Kennedy’s Parable Christian Store—formerly known as Scott’s Parable—opened Nov. 12 to great enthusiasm in the community. Kennedy's Parable has another location in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

“The response from the customers since [opening] day is, overwhelmingly, with great gratitude,” a spokesman for the store told Christian Retailing. “The customers are soooo [sic] happy we are open again!”

Master Books, a division of New Leaf Publishing Group, announced Wednesday a licensing agreement with Answers in Genesis (AIG) for AIG's Ark Encounter attraction, slated to open next summer. The agreement is a worldwide exclusive contract for all book products derived from the Ark Encounter research, production and the ark itself.

Under the agreement, Master Books will release resources for adults as well as for children preschool age and older. For 2016, the publisher has a minimum of eight titles scheduled for release.