The 2015 International Christian Retail Show, launched Sunday, June 28 and running through Wednesday, July 1 in Orlando, Florida, includes a series of new digital-publishing training sessions for international publishers.

The training is a cooperative effort from CBA, Media Associates International and Magazine Training International. Those that finish the eight sessions offered will be given a certificate of completion.

Retailers received a message of encouragement and inspiration as the International Christian Retail Show launched opening night with its annual Worship Him! event, featuring well-known speakers and music artists who inspired retailers to focus on God and their mission.

Randy Frazee, senior pastor of Oak Hill Church in San Antonio and a Zondervan author told several-hundred retailers and exhibitors gathered at Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center the heartwarming story of his son David, who was born missing his left hand. Frazee shared how worried he was when his son was born that David would have a hard time in life because of his deformity. Instead, David grew up to be a high-school football star, receive black belts in karate and today is an attorney.

CBA recognized best-selling author, apologist and evangelist Josh McDowell with the International Lifetime Achievement Award during the 2015 International Christian Retail Show on Sunday morning at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. This is the second year that CBA has presented the award for the powerful impact of international ministry. McDowell joins Ravi Zacharias, who received the inaugural honor in 2014.

CBA President Curtis Riskey presented McDowell with the award at the opening of the Global Worship Celebration, which attracted several hundred attendees from all over the world.

Members of the Association of Logos Bookstores gathered for their three-day annual meeting prior to the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS). Held in Orlando, Florida, the 41st Logos Annual Conference was a time of educational seminars, worship, meetings with authors and publishers, and learning from each other.

The opening banquet featured the presentation of store awards and the unveiling of the annual Logos Book Awards, as well as awards for Author, Vendor and Distributor of the Year. Certificates were on display for 29 Outstanding Road and In-house Reps nominated by the store managers. Many of these plaques and certificates are on display in vendor booths at ICRS.

Author and humorist Chonda Pierce kept members of the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA) laughing-and crying-at the 2015 Golden Scroll Awards and Banquet. Pierce was the keynote speaker at the June 28 event at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, where she also was presented with the 2015 Golden Scroll Lifetime Achievement Award.

Pierce talked of the search for worth and spoke plainly of the many challenges in her life, including a stay for depression in a psychiatric hospital, where she realized what the church was supposed to be like, and watching her husband lose his battle with alcoholism in the past year.

Kerusso has announced the product line of officially licensed merchandise for the Kendrick Brothers’ latest film, War Room, which releases Aug. 28 from Sony Pictures Entertainment’s TriStar Pictures. Based on the film's tagline, "Prayer Is a Powerful Weapon," the Kerusso line features three T-shirts, two caps, a mug and "prayer pads."

“The challenge of providing officially licensed merchandise is that the products should complement the film while allowing us to stay true to our mission,” said Vic Kennett, CEO and founder of Kerusso. “Any time we can work with the Kendrick Brothers is a true blessing because their films are powerful and change lives—and it is important to us that we make our products just as impactful.”

LifeWay Christian Resources President and CEO Thom Rainer recently laid out three strategic changes LifeWay Christian Stores is making to prepare for the future, according to a report by Baptist Press. Rainer gave his presentation during the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), held June 16-17 in Columbus, Ohio.

The first change for the retail chain is the relocation of LifeWay's headquarters from its sprawling campus in downtown Nashville to a smaller site in the city more suited to the company's needs. At present, employees are spread across a number of buildings that were not designed with LifeWay's needs in mind, with the majority of the property currently unused. Plans are underway to sell the property, purchase a different lot and build a new headquarters, which Rainer estimates will see a late 2017 move-in date.