CBA Chair-elect George Thomsen has proposed an industry summit to help build up Christian retail.

"I would really love to see us work together," he said when asked about his hopes for the future, during an informal question-and-answer forum at The Gathering 2010 at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Ky.

Around 150 registrants from church, independent and chain stores, and more than 90 vendors are at the event, which runs through tomorrow and features training, fellowship and inspiration, and an exhibition floor with more than vendors.

"I'd like to see us tear down barriers--whatever barriers there are, let us rip them down because it is not Christlike," Thomsen said. "And we need to work together; we need to love each other, as brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to operate with integrity; we need to not be mean with each other as we sometimes are."

Having detailed recent changes at CBA, including the appointment of Curtis Riskey as executive director and the sale of the organization's Colorado Springs, Colo., headquarters in a cost-cutting move, Thomsen said: "I think we need to get together as an industry and talk and perhaps even have an industry summit where we bring publishers together, where we bring associations together ... different entities, people who have a stake in this game."

Thomsen--the manager of church-based The Harvest Store in Riverside, Calif., who takes over the chairmanship in October--said he could not fault publishers pursuing other sales channels.

"Quite honestly if somebody gave me a job in a publishing house I would want to do the same thing; but at the same time we need to recognize that there is a uniqueness and a unique value that Christian retail has and there is a benefit to community, there is spiritual capital that is lost if Christian retail disappears in communities," Thomsen said.

"And that is worth preserving, so we have got to find ways to preserve and to grow and to enrich Christian retail and keep the importance of Christian retail in the mind of consumers."

Organized by Christian Retailing magazine, The Gathering opened with a prayer focus during which attendees were encouraged to prayer for each other's personal and business needs and challenges.

Today's program includes the opening of the exhibition floor, author and artist autograph party, and the announcement of the winners of Christian Retailing's 2010 Retailers Choice Awards in more than 30 categories.

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