Generous attendees have made it possible for 25 managers of fledgling Christian bookstores in mainland China to travel to Hong Kong to get vital training.

A special offering taken at Sunday night's Worship Now! event to sponsor the Chinese attendance at Marketsquare Asia in September raised more than the $12,500 needed, CBA President Bill Anderson announced at yesterday's show-floor ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Anderson presented an oversized check for the gift to Jim Powell, president of Christian Trade Association International (CTAI), which is organizing the Marketsquare event, and Alex Li, chairman of the CTAI chapter in Hong Kong, which is hosting the meeting.

Anderson thanked the several-hundred-strong crowd at the official opening for their generosity, commenting that the training was "a great opportunity" to help the emerging Christian book industry in China.

I also reminded retailers waiting to get onto the exhibition floor that "what you are about to do is serious work, very important," as the products they chose to carry and chose not to carry in their stores would help make them the kind of safe environment sought by their customers.

An opening prayer for the event was offered by Jane Charette, general manager at Gregg Gift Co. and chairman of the ICRS exhibit advisory committee, who prayed that retailers would leave the event "not just with products and product knowledge and business skills and acumen, but that everyone would leave refreshed and renewed, ready to go back to their stores, ready to run the race."

Pre-opening music was provided by the three members of Go Fish, the a cappella music group for children.

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