LifeWay Christian Resources, parent company of LifeWay Christian Stores and B&H Publishing Group, released on Tuesday a summary of some of the key events for the company in 2013.

One of the biggest stories for LifeWay was its continued expansion and acquisition of new stores. Months of individual store acquisitions culminated in LifeWay’s purchase of Berean Christian Stores, the latter of which resulted in 17 new stores in seven states for the LifeWay brand.

LifeWay also took a look back at a decade-old offense stemming from an Asian-themed VBS program. Company President Thom Rainer apologized for the stereotypes in the program and for the offenses it caused, a move many in the Asian-American community hailed as a positive step toward healing.

Rainer’s book I Am A Church Member (B&H Publishing) also made waves at Christian retail, hitting best-seller lists while focusing on the declining numbers of those in the church and what it means to be part of the body of Christ.

LifeWay also relaunched its popular “Bible Studies for Life” series with updated and enhanced Bible study materials for the brand.

In a partnership between LifeWay Christian Stores, B&H Publishing and the International Mission Board called The Thomas Project, the chain’s customers provided donations to print and distribute more than 150,000 Bibles to people in South Asia who do not have the scriptures in their native tongue.

B&H received accolades from the Spanish Evangelical Publishers Association, garnering seven awards, including Publisher of the Year and Book of the Year for La Resolución para Hombres (The Resolution for Men) by Stephen and Alex Kendrick.

Additionally, LifeWay’s publishing arm branched out into cinema this year, with Experiencing God, a documentary about the discipleship study of the same name, debuting as the first release of LifeWay Films.

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