A Vacation Bible School (VBS) workshop for Christian retailers has been added to the schedule for the Christian product industry's new winter event.

The special two-and-a-half-hour presentation will be made on the opening day of The Gathering 2009, to be held at The Ramada Orlando Celebration Resort & Convention Center in Kissimmee, Fla., Jan. 7-9.

Representatives of some of the leading VBS suppliers will present details of their programs for 2009 and explain how Christian stores can build beneficial relationships with local churches by providing VBS materials and resources.

The January program was "a great time for our key store staff and Christian education personnel to become familiar with all the various VBS themes and materials available," said Jan Blessings-Ellis, church and customer relations manager at Lighthouse Christian Stores in Southern California.

"It sharpens our ability to give excellent service to our church customers, when we have received firsthand information early in the year from the VBS publishers," she said, "and makes for a more profitable summer season."

The free VBS breakfast session is open to all retailers, though The Gathering organizer Dave Condiff said he hoped that many of those signing up might decide to stay on for the rest of the event. Beginning formally with a pray-for-the-industry period, The Gathering will include workshops, times of inspiration and fellowship, and an exhibition floor for church bookstores and independent retailers.

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