Christian Retailing

GENI: Notes from a giant family reunion Print Email
Written by Staff   
Wednesday, 28 April 2010 10:39 AM America/New_York
If you did not get to come and be a part of The Gathering 2010, let me give you a taste of all that went on this last week by opening the pages of my diary from our time at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Ky.

Monday: Dave Condiff, publisher of Christian Retailing, The Church Bookstore and Inspirational Gift Trends magazines, and I spent the day finalizing the arrangements for the event. The excitement built as boxes for the vendors arrived, classrooms were prepared and airport runs were planned.

Three wonderful ladies from Southeast Christian—Patty Long, Cheryl Kilgore and Leah Wilhoite—helped me put together 30 gift baskets for our VIPs. They were amazing! My thanks for all of their help and some great laughs while we were doing it.

A special thanks, too, to Scripture Candy for all of the wonderful candies they gave us to put into the baskets—I could have started a candy store with them. And, I have to admit, I ate a turtle or two.

Tuesday: I was exhausted but totally blessed by all of the happenings of the day. Heidi Macias and Julie Swecker did a wonderful job with our New Managers class for prospective stores. Rick Jones from Bellevue Christian Bookstore at Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn., became an official cab driver for the event. I am not sure how many runs he made to the airport, but everyone arrived safely and it was such fun seeing old friends as they came to register.

Andy Butcher, editor of this newsletter as well as the trade magazines, hosted a great focus group in which we discussed the magazines and how they could better serve stores and suppliers. In the evening, the regional directors of the Church Bookstore Network and other bookstore managers gathered to discuss ways to involve more church bookstores and ways we can better assist new stores.

Wednesday: Today was so exciting ... there were tours of the church—an incredible facility—a time of prayer for the industry and each other, a great luncheon with a discussion of e-books (thank you, Joe Questel from Symtio, for great information) and their effect on the industry, and classes-lots of classes. The hardest part was choosing which ones to attend. I heard great things about them all.

Our special guest at dinner was chairman-elect of the board of CBA, George Thomsen. He has served the Church Bookstore Network as a regional director and is manager of the bookstore at Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif. George talked with us about how our industry needs to unify and become stronger.

One of the highlights of the week was the opportunity to join members of Southeast Christian for a worship service with their teaching minister, Kyle Idleman, sharing a sermon titled "Not a Fan." What a blessing—and a challenge!

Thursday: Showtime! The show floor was filled with new vendors as well as familiar ones. It was such fun visiting with supplier representatives and attendees. How blessed we are to be part of such a great industry.

Dinner time was very different this year. The publishers of Christian Retailing chose to honor us by announcing the winners of their annual Retailers Choice Awards. The Church Bookstore also announced the winners of its annual store and managers′ awards—it was so exciting to see excellence awarded.

And we weren't through yet: Almost 30 authors and artists honored us with an autograph/dessert party and gave us wonderful books, gift items and art prints—all autographed and to be treasured.

Friday: Such a hard day--because it meant our time was coming to an end. Jack Webster, on staff at our host church, led us in a wonderful time of devotion. On the vendor floor, we gave away lots of product, compliments of the exhibitors. After lunch, there was a wonderfully informative session with Mary Manz Simon bringing us up to date on children's ministry and product.

As we gathered in the fellowship hall to wrap things up and say farewell, I felt as though we had participated in a giant family reunion and we were just saying goodbye for another year.

The week was such a blessing. There are more people to thank than there is memory in my computer ... so, to each of you who touched my life through the Gathering this week—thank you and may God bless you richly in the coming year.