Celebrations were the order of the day as retailers and suppliers convened for the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) in Atlanta, yesterday.

Curtis Riskey, executive director of host CBA, opened the first general session at the Georgia World Congress Center by reminding attendees that this year marks the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible. The show, which runs through Wednesday, July 13, features a collection of artifacts gathered for a Celebrate the Word Bible Legacy Exhibit.

Jim Powell, retiring president of Christian Trade Association International, was acknowledged for his work in founding the global organization at its International Vision Celebration & Luncheon. A tribute to his work was led by Kim Pettit, former CTAI chief operating officer, who has taken over at the helm of the group.

Celebrity visitors to ICRS included the 21-strong Duggar family—stars of the hit TLC reality show 19 Kids and Counting and subjects of A Love That Multiplies (Howard Books)—and Bethany Hamilton, the subject of the surfing biopic Soul Survivor. Featured artists included Nicole C. Mullen and Francesca Battistelli.

The contributions of industry figures were honored at The Champions of the Faith Awards and Benefit Concert that closed out the first day. Among those recognized were Peter Dunn, founder of gift supplier P. Graham Dunn; C28 apparel and retail chain founder Aurelio Barreto; and Rich Peluso, vice president of Affirm Films.

Best-selling author Karen Kingsbury also received one of the awards, presented by CBA in partnership with the Premier Foundation, along with NewSong founders Eddie Carswell and Billy Goodwin.

While several events acknowledged achievements, researcher and author George Barna spotlighted opportunities in his opening session presentation.

The Tyndale House Publishers author said that the industry was entering "a new golden era for books. We are not seeing the death of books; we are seeing the renaissance, the redefinition and the expansion of books."

Some of the growth figures being mentioned in publishing "radically overstate the importance of e-books," he said. The prediction by some that by 2015 half of all books sales will be digital "is not likely to be the case."

At the same time, Barna outlined how technological and cultural shifts are dramatically redefining traditional publishing, retailing practices, and author and reader attitudes and behaviors. But "all new things are born in the midst of chaos," he said.

"If chaos scares you, let someone who thrives in the midst of it fill your space," he said. "That doesn't mean you have to get out of the industry, you just have to find the appropriate place in which you can serve."

Meanwhile, the Advanced Writers & Speakers Association (AWSA) announced yesterday the 2011 winners for the Golden Scroll Awards, which recognizes the editors and publishing houses that best demonstrate outstanding ministry partnerships with their authors. The Publisher of the Year was Discovery House Publishers, while Editor of the Year went to Terry Glaspey of Harvest House Publishers. Fiction Editor of the Year was Tyndale House Publisher's Jan Stob. Novel of the Year was Red Ink by Kathi Macias (New Hope Publishers), and Nonfiction Book of the Year was awarded to The Girl in the Orange Dress by Margot Starbuck (Likewise/IVP Books). The AWSA winners were announced during the 11th Annual Golden Scroll Awards Banquet, held at The Omni at CNN Center in Atlanta and coincided with the opening of ICRS.

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