Billed as the "world's largest missions bookstore," a temporary 30,000-square-foot store will be part of Urbana 09, the tri-annual gathering of students hosted by InterVarsity Press (IVP), which will be held Dec. 27-31 at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.

IVP's 22nd Urbana student missions conference store will carry 900 titles, featuring both IVP titles as well as books from other publishers. IVP authors Shane Claiborne (Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers) and Brenda Salter McNeil (A Credible Witness) are keynote speakers for the conference, while IVP books by James Choung (True Story: A Christianity Worth Believing In) and Kent Annan (Following Jesus Through the Eye of the Needle) will be featured as "Books of the Day."

Seminar speakers include IVP authors Ben Lowe (Green Revolution), Andrew Marin (Love is an Orientation), Julie Clawson (Everyday Justice) and John Perkins (Welcoming Justice). Several authors will be doing book signings in the store, organizers said.

Since InterVarsity's first student missions conference in 1946, more than 240,000 people have attended the gathering, which Billy Graham has called "one of the most powerful, stimulating forces in missions for nearly 50 years."

"It remains to be seen exactly how the current economy will impact Urbana 09," Urbana 09 Communications Director Christy Chappell told Christian Retailing. "Currently, there are over 16,000 people registered, and we look forward to seeing what will happen in the lives of students who will be coming from all over North America."

Click here for more information on Urbana 09.

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