Destructive blaze brought the community together in ‘a special way’

Several Christian publishers and companies in Colorado Springs, Colo., rallied around wildfire victims devastated by the most destructive blaze in the state’s history.

During the Waldo Canyon Fire’s 17-day burn, which broke out June 23, nearly 350 homes burned to the ground, and it has cost an estimated $15 million in damage, Associated Press (AP) reported. More than 30,000 were evacuated at the peak of the fire, which killed two people and wasn’t fully contained until July 11, AP reported.

The mandatory evacuation of The Navigators and NavPress building, which was closed June 23 by city officials due to the wildfire, was lifted July 3, company officials said. The Navigators’ Eagle Lake Camp’s programs were canceled for the rest of the summer. 

“While many of our losses will be covered by insurance, we anticipate uncovered needs among our staff and impacted facilities, including some whose homes have been lost,” said a posting on NavPress’ Facebook page. “We have established a special fund to help us respond quickly to the needs created by this crisis. We trust fully in our God and His power to use these circumstances to help us advance the gospel as we press on to live and disciple among the lost.”

David C Cook Senior Publicity Manager Lisa Beech told Christian Retailing that two Cook employees lost their homes and nine others were evacuated. 

“Employees are rallying together, and Cook is collecting gift cards from employees and giving gift cards to those [displaced] employees,” she said. “The community, in general, has overloaded the evacuation centers with food, water and other items for evacuees. We know that God is at work and bringing this city together in a very special way.”

Meanwhile, Focus on the Family co-sponsored the Wildfire Relief Benefit Concert at World Arena in Colorado Springs on July 4, to support victims of the fire, and recognize and honor the firefighters and emergency response teams. Featuring the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, along with appearances by the Flying W Wranglers, Michael Martin Murphey and Flash Cadillac, the free concert raised funds for fire relief efforts.

In a joint statement with John Weiss, publisher of the Colorado Springs Independent, Focus President and CEO Jim Daly said: “Fighting this fire, we are one community—together. ... We are united in reaching out to fire victims in their time of need and also honoring those risking their lives fighting this devastating tragedy.”

WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group President Steve Cobb said four staff members were evacuated from their homes. 

“Staff members have opened their homes for evacuees and their animals. It is a period of time where everyone has pitched in, as well as prayed a lot.”

Rick Christian, founder of Alive Communications, said two employees and an intern at his literary agency were evacuated, but were allowed back in their homes. “Three of the four displaced families who were staying at our home in Colorado Springs were also allowed back in their homes and are fine,” he said. “The fourth family had a home in the heavily devastated burn zone, but discovered their home is intact.”

Convention screenings of ‘The Bible’ mini-series, VeggieTales superhero release draws rousing receptions

Touting the inaugural Resonate Film Festival as “a celebration of creativity,” CBA launched the competition to highlight new faith- and family-friendly films and DVDs. 

“In years past, we’ve had many films screened at ICRS for retailers and show attendees,” CBA Executive Director Curtis Riskey said during the festival press conference, adding that this year, “our aspiration was to create a festival that’s a celebration of creativity that aims to reach the culture with thought-provoking, redemptive messages.”

Rick Eldridge—founder of Charlotte, N.C.-based ReelWorks Studios, which produces “Max Lucado’s Hermie & Friends” series—announced the winners in three categories, judged by 19 well-known individuals in the movie industry, including Ralph Winter, Dick Rolfe and Ted Baehr. 

“It’s phenomenal to see the quality and caliber of films,” Eldridge said.

 Produced by Impact Productions, Home Run, about an alcoholic baseball hotshot who finds redemption in an unlikely place, won the Best Feature Film and Best Inspirational Film categories. The movie is set for a nationwide theatrical release in spring 2013, coinciding with the release of a novelization with the same title by David C Cook.

Hatikvah Film Trust’s Blessing, Curse or Co-incidence? Volume 1: Israel, the Womb of the Kingdom of God on Earth, which examines the Lord’s purpose for the redemption of mankind and the eradication of evil, was awarded the Best Documentary. The DVD is available from Casscom Media  and
Vision Video.

The festival featured 14 films, including Undaunted, The Early Life of Josh McDowell; God’s Not Dead: The Movie; Heaven’s Rain; The Land Cries Out for the Blood That was Shed; 25 Hill; Journey to Jamaa; and VeggieTales: The League of Incredible Vegetables. 

A 10-hour mini-series based on the stories in the Bible arguably received the most rousing reception. Best known for producing the TV shows Survivor, The Voice and The Apprentice, Mark Burnett and his actress wife, Roma Downey, of Touched by an Angel fame, gave attendees a first-look at The Bible, an adaptation of the Scriptures to air on the History Channel, starting Easter 2013.

Riskey introduced the project, which Burnett and Downey, who are both Christians, have been working to produce for the past two years.

“The basis of what we do in the Christian product industry is God’s Word,” he said. “That is why this project is so exciting because it is bringing the Bible in written form more to life.”

Burnett said the couple recently returned from five months of shooting in Morocco to complete filming of the docudrama, which chronicles well-known characters and events in the Bible.

“This is a passion project for Mark and I,” Downey told a capacity crowd, noting that the production was bathed in prayer. “We hope that this will to go to all corners of the world to bring the Word of God alive to people.”

Burnett, who showed several clips, admitted that the mini-series was “very dark” in its portrayals of characters and events, but also “intensely light” in its redemptive parts.

“From what I’ve seen, it’s going to be amazing,” Riskey told Christian Retailing after the dessert reception, sponsored by the History Channel and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

FaithWords plans a novelization of The Bible and ancillary products, and Twentieth Century Fox will distribute the DVDs.

“I believe this project is going to be a cultural event and seismic in the entertainment world,” Simon Swart, executive vice president and general manager North America of Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, told the audience.

 Elsewhere, The League of Incredible Vegetables wowed fans of the VeggieTales franchise. A standing-room-only crowd attended Big Idea’s latest release, which introduces four new superheroes played by Bob the Tomato (ThingamaBob), Petunia Rhubarb (Vogue), Junior Asparagus (Richochet) and Mr. Lunt (S-Cape)—all with humorous superhero abilities.

Set for release Oct. 13 and Oct. 16 in Christian and general markets, respectively, League is the fourth “LarryBoy” title.

The video includes a theme song by Dove Award-winning group Newsboys. The screening was introduced with a surprise appearance by lead vocalist Michael Tait and drummer Duncan Phillips.

Big Idea will release an extensive line of products in conjunction with the DVD.

Gary Chapman celebration among many book-centered show events

Anniversaries were celebrated, books were signed and awards were presented in the usual flurry around books at ICRS. 

At Moody Publishers’ booth, cake was served Tuesday afternoon to celebrate the 20th anniversary this October of The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman. Led by John Hinkley, marketing manager of the Chapman brand, the event saw about 40 people joining Moody and imprint Northfield Publishing honoring the work of Dr. Chapman as writer, speaker and counselor.  

Hinkley presented the New York Times best-selling author with a gift engraved with: “Celebrating 20 years, 7 million copies, 48 foreign languages, The 5 Love Languages, Changing Lives Around the Globe.” Chapman expressed his appreciation to Moody for publishing the book and to retailers for their part in helping make those sales numbers possible, said Janis Backing, Moody’s publicity manager.

Among the other events built around books were “The Blackaby Publishing Legacy,” highlighting four generations of the Blackaby family authors (Russell Media); Christian Authors Network presentations to demonstrate how retailers can partner with the group for store events; and panels with American Christian Fiction Women authors addressing topics related to the sales and impact of Christian fiction.

Chapman signed copies of The 5 Love Languages of Children and A Perfect Pet for Peyton at the Love Languages event. Other signings at the show included Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson signing Winning Balance (Tyndale Momentum); Jim and Jill Kelly, The Playbook for Dads and Etched...Upon My Heart (both Faithwords); Riva Tims, When It All Falls Apart (Charisma House); and Os Guinness, A Free People’s Suicide (IVP Books).

Along with the Christy Awards, Retailers Choice Awards and Golden Scroll Awards, the American Christian Fiction Writers announced finalists for the Carol Awards.

Allen Arnold keynotes the annual Christian fiction event

Lynn Austin tops the Christy Award winners of all time, winning her eighth in Monday evening’s event at the Rosen Centre in Orlando, Fla. In accepting her award for Wonderland Creek (Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group) in the Historical category, Austin said that “God is able to do above all we could ask or imagine.”

Anne Elisabeth Stengl took home the Visionary award for Veiled Rose (Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group) after winning the First Novel category last year—a first in Christy Award history.

Ginny Yttrup’s Words (B&H Books), which she said told her “very personal story,” was a finalist in two categories and won in First Novel. 

The other winners named were: Promises to Keep, Ann Tatlock (Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group); The Maid of Fairbourne Hall, Julie Klassen (Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group); The Queen, Steven James (Revell/Baker Publishing Group); Waterfall, Lisa T. Bergren (David C Cook; Wolfsbane, Ronie Kendig (Barbour Publishing); and The Amish Midwife, Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould (Harvest House Publishers).

Christy-winning author Liz Curtis Higgs emceed, while Allen Arnold, formerly fiction publisher with Thomas Nelson, gave the keynote address, “Captured by Story: Unpublished Thoughts on Finding True North in a Changing Landscape.”

“The trends are never the secret to success,” Arnold said. Encouraging writers to look to God for creativity, he exhorted: “Quit being fear-based. Quit bowing at the altar of statistics.”

Author and counselor June Hunt receives honor for lifetime achievement

The Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA) announced the 12th annual Golden Scroll Awards at a banquet of the group’s members Sunday just as ICRS was starting. 

June Hunt was the keynote speaker at the event, held at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Fla. A best-selling author and radio personality, Hunt also was this year’s recipient of the Golden Scroll Lifetime Achievement Award. 

“What an anchor is to a ship, hope is to a soul,” Hunt said as she displayed various types of anchors. The theme of hope is close to her heart, as she is founder and CEO of Hope for the Heart, a biblical counseling ministry with radio programs “Hope for the Heart” and “Hope in the Night,” heard on 1,000 outlets worldwide.

The AWSA Member of the Year was presented to Pam Farrel, author of 30 books, including Men Are Like Waffles, Women Are Like Spaghetti with more than 300,000 sold. 

Jeanette Windle received the Beyond Me Award as a tribute for her “selfless” life, said presenter Kathi Macias. 

Other Golden Scroll Awards were given to Harvest House Publishers, honored as Publisher of the Year for outstanding ministry partnerships with their authors. Editor of the Year went to Kim Bangs, now of Regal Books, while Fiction Editor of the Year was presented to Julee Schwarzburg of Schwarzburg Editorial.

Nonfiction Book of the Year was awarded to Poppy Smith for Why Can’t He Be More Like Me (Harvest House); Novel of the Year went to Susan May Warren for Heiress (Summerside Press); and Inspiration and Gift Book of the Year was presented to Mary Tatem for The Quilt of Life (Barbour Publishing).

CBA honored the late Charles Colson, best-selling author and Christian statesman, with the association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

During the Sunday evening worship service, George Thomsen, CBA board chairman, presented the award to a representative of Prison Fellowship accepting on behalf of Colson, who died
April 21 at age 80. 

Leading worship were Michael Card and Rend Collective Experiment, with pastor Voddie Baucham (Crossway) as the featured speaker.

Some suppliers see products without scripture as a help to build Christian retail traffic in today’s economy

The gift area at the International Christian Retail Show drew heavy traffic as a result of vendor giveaways, artist signings and 34 new exhibitors showing their wares at Debut Avenue.

After Abbey Press scaled back its booth for several years, the company returned its highly visible church steeple as the focal point of its booth, a decision made by new General Manager Greg Tate, a 20-year employee who hoped to “get the company back to its core and carry on the traditions of its founding monks.” 

While many returning vendors scaled back their show space, others used it as an opportunity to get creative with the space they had. Heritage Lace, situated on a corner space, cleverly used a large bakery display case to showcase its new “Petits Fours” line of soaps and towels. With the tagline “deliciously packaged,” the line uses creative packaging that resembles real-life desserts such as cupcakes, milkshakes and sorbets to house a towel with soap, bath crystals or bath bomb. 

“We are focusing on the popular bakery trend to create a great gift in the price point that people are looking for—the $10-$20 range,” said Dan De Cook, co-CEO of Heritage Lace.

Practical gifts for the home saw a surge at the show. Several textile companies offered pillowcases with scripture on them. Faceplant Prayers, a newcomer to the show, packages its pillowcases in a fabric envelope with a ichthus symbol, while another new vendor, Celestial Slumber, features a verse for the morning on one side of the pillowcase and one for night on the opposite side.

In the kitchen, Brownlow Gifts’ spatulas and trivets drew attention, even without scripture. 

“Stores are selling some products without scripture, not because they have lost their heart for ministry, but because they are trying to be practical and build foot traffic,” said company President Paul Brownlow.

The stain-resistant, dishwasher-safe spatulas have a conversion table on the back and retail for $7, $3 less than similar products at Williams-Sonoma and other retailers. Retailers at the show loved the price point and requested designs with scripture. 

“High-end gifts were tapped 10 years ago at $25, and now the sweet spot is in the $10-$15 range,” said Joanne Sheehan of the Promise Book Shoppe in Tarpon Springs, Fla., who was shopping at the Brownlow booth. 

Dicksons’ exclusive artist Emily McNabb offered a new look in Christian market with wood wall plaques that used large bold, handwritten letters and small, hand-cut block letters to spell out a Bible verse. The line was reminiscent of Pinterest, the popular social media photo-sharing website where people go to share ideas or “pin” others.

Black and white products were also noticeable throughout the gift section, including Dicksons’ “iBelieve” and “Hidden in My Heart.” 

Carpentree continued a popular event at the trade show with their Merchandising Moments, 20 minutes at its booth showing retailers take-away merchandising tips. 

Artist signings included Vic Kennett, CEO of Kerusso, signing copies of his new book Change Your Shirt, Change the World; Rose Mary Harris, creator of the “Really Woolly” line, signing new cards as part of the revival of the whimsical brand; and Abbey Press artist Sharyn Sowell signing journals while introducing “Thirsting for the Word” tea cups and tray sets. 

First-time exhibitors received heavy traffic at the show. Shoppers followed their noses to the Grilled Cheesus booth where inventor Meg Sheehan served up samples of grilled cheese with her sandwich maker that makes an impression of Jesus on the bread. Deirdre Handcrafted Jewelry, in business for more than 20 years, had a steady stream of traffic to view her extensive line of pewter and sterling silver jewelry. 

In addition to the typical perks of free shipping, product displays and in the case of Bob Siemon Deigns, lead-free pewter keyrings, Lighthouse Christian Products offered weary shoppers refreshments and foot massages, while Every Good Gift gave away a video camera and Kerusso, an iPad.

Innovation in products drew customers to DaySpring’s booth where one store ordered three displays of its “Blooming Expressions” the first day of the show. Designed from parent company Hallmark, with the press of a button, one of three flower designs blooms to reveal a message to the recipient. 

Colorful T-shirts for girls with a small logo on the front and large, fun artwork and witty sayings on the back are a new trend picked up by newcomer It’s A Girl Thing and veteran Kerusso in its 10-design “Cherished Girls” line. 

Gregg Gift Co. unveiled a line to Christian stores that already has high visibility from the word of mouth received by Christian music artists and sports figures that already wear the “LETGOdwork” line. The 45 designs are available on trucker hats, beanies, T-shirts, hoodies and bracelets. 

“These are targeted to reach the next generation of youth, exactly the market that Christian bookstores should be trying to reach,” said General Manager Jane Charette.