Time again in the scriptures we find God pulling His people together. In the New Testament we first see a band of 12 men whom Jesus chose to teach for three years so that they, in turn, might go out into the greater world and teach others, both individually and in small and large groups.

We see this approach exemplified today in churches, Bible studies, ministries and industries of all sorts. In our Christian products world, we have many such gatherings, too. Once a year the trade organization for our industry, CBA, hosts the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS). The Munce Marketing Group sponsors a show in Hershey, Pa., in January, and for five years now Strang Communications, publisher of The Church Bookstore, has hosted The Gathering.

Our May 17 meeting was hosted by Diane Sowieja, manager of the Living Well Bookstore at St. Michael's Catholic Church, Farmington, Minn.

Jan Palmquist, gift buyer from Genesis Bookstore at Prince of Peace Lutheran in Burnsville, Minn., brought a beautiful selection of handmade cards created by a woman in Esko, Minn., which attendees were able to purchase at a great price-and avoid shipping!

Our guests were Dee Bigelbach, a sales rep from Midwest, who set up a table with garden items and some suggested best-sellers for Christmas. Several of us made appointments to meet with Dee at the Minneapolis Gift Mart later in the week to see the full selection of Midwest products.

Monday, Aug. 10, at Harvest Bookstore at Eastview Christian Church in Normal, Ill. (within three hours of St. Louis, Chicago & Indianapolis). Topics and vendors TBD.

Contact regional director Susan Chipman at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

TEXAS

Thursday, Aug. 20, at Gateway Church's Southlake Campus in Southlake, Texas, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Topics and vendors to be confirmed. Will include discussion and training for church coffee bar managers and staff.

Contact regional director Bobby Williams at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

In our efforts to run an excellent Christian bookstore we have found it's important to pay attention to items that have nothing to do with books, music or gifts. Consider these questions we frequently are asked:

- "Do you have anything for a headache?"

- "I'm here for a baptism, and I left my camera at home. Do you have any disposables?"

- "I brought my camera for the baby dedication (or wedding), but the batteries are dead. Do you have any AAs?"

Striking displays don't have to be elaborate. The old saying, "Stack them high and watch them fly" still holds true. Making a focus of a new or important title by piling all in-stock copies together can create a sense of significance and urgency--as seen at Lakewood Bookstore at Lakewood Church in Houston. The approach doesn't necessarily require a large number of books, though-in a smaller store, a stack of even half-a-dozen copies on a table can bring emphasis in comparison to everything else in the store.

How do you fire an employee who is a church member?

As sad as this situation may be, it is bound to happen.

The most important thing is to be very open and honest in the hiring process. Many times church members want to work in the church bookstore because they see it as a ministry. It is a ministry-and a very special one-but it is also a business, and any business will have personnel changes from time to time.

Hiring church members is wonderful, but they must understand three important things about their employment:

- They are part of a ministry, but this does not mean prayer and Bible study all day. It is work!

- People will come into the store who are not church members and sometimes not even Christians. People will be people, and with that comes all types of customer service issues.

- Our expectations are high. We are a team and each member must carry their weight. We strive for excellence-our church and our Lord deserve no less

The National Survey of Megachurch Attenders, released this week, found that young and single adults are more likely to be part of a megachurch-one with more than 2,000 members-than a smaller fellowship, and that two-thirds of megachurch attenders had been at these churches five years or less.

"From a clerk's perspective I think the three main things I would want them to understand is that the majority of Bible purchasers have made the decision to purchase well before they come into the store. In other words, it's a 'preplanned purchase,' and the customer knows they want a Bible.

"So treat them accordingly. Second, since nearly two-thirds of Bible purchases are for gifts, it's highly likely that the customer is on a gift-giving mission, so make sure you ask them clearly, 'Who the Bible is for?' Never assume

Share your ideas and experiences with others. Write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."

Hebrews 10:23, NIV