A message from Geni Hulsey, president of the Church Bookstore Network:

I am writing this week from Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Ky., which is to be the site of The Gathering 2010, to let you know excited I am about next year's event.

Southeast Christian Church is a beautiful facility that is perfect for the event happening April 21-23. For those who may have have attended before or in the past couple years, The Gathering is the event formerly known as The Gathering of Church Bookstores.

While the event has been opened up to other Christian retailers, it still retains an emphasis on church stores, too.

The campus here in Louisville has ample space for all of the classes that we will have—for church bookstores, for coffee bars in stores and for church libraries, especially those in churches that also have bookstores.

The church also has a great space for the vendor show that will feature many of the suppliers you already know, along with some new ones.

Worship will be held in Southeast's beautiful chapel and the popular author/artist autograph party will be hosted in the unique youth facility known as The Block.

Southeast is also home to The Living Word bookstore, which earlier this year was named The Church Bookstore magazine's Large Church Bookstore of the Year. Bookstore manager Sara Peters and her staff will be our hosts.

Wish you could be here for it all? Well, you can-and you don't even have to pay the $125 registration fee.

'More than commodities' message

by Rose Seeley

"Alive and vibrant" were the words one vendor used to describe the regional meeting held in Southern California at Cottonwood Church in Los Alamitos, Oct. 19. Almost 50 managers and their staffs from 23 churches, plus 10 vendors, met for a full day of training, supplier presentations and meetings, a Q-&-A session and a special guest speaker.

The meals (breakfast and lunch) and breaks provided time to renew and make new connections, and enjoy fellowship with other like-minded brothers and sisters. The training sessions covered topics such as how to merchandise your store, store layout and traffic flow, becoming a better manager and building thriving volunteer teams.

More resources were reviewed during one mini-session covering the Church Bookstore Network. From the magazine to the e-newsletter to the virtual online shows, chat forums and webinars, the session was an eye-opener for many who didn't realize what the organization has grown into.

One highlight of the day was an inspiring talk by the chairman-elect of CBA and director of the Harvest Bookstore in Riverside, Calif., George Thomsen. He shared his perspective on the state of the Christian retail industry and the emergence of the church bookstore as an important entity within it.

by Jayson Payne

Nothing is more frustrating than having crowds of expectant customers rush into your store for a book that your pastor just recommended in the Sunday morning sermon—when you had no idea he was going to mention it.

Here are some steps for dealing with the challenge:

CALM DOWN

First, remember to pray for patience. Perhaps the Holy Spirit suddenly led your pastor to quote a certain author, and there was no way he could have given you advance notice.

Also, realize that whenever your store has increased traffic, there are going to be opportunities for sales and ministry, so take full advantage of the seemingly problematic task at hand.

PHONE SOMEONE

One possible way to still connect a customer with the resource on the same day is to call a nearby church or independent bookstore to locate the desired item. For this purpose, keep handy a list of local bookstores' phone numbers so you can check on availability for your customers and refer them to another store.

Former Christian retailer Michelle Zwicky and her husband, Marlin, believe in the power of prayer.

They pray over each batch of anointing oils and biblical scents they make, then pray for the stores that distribute them, the people that buy them to use in their ministry and those receiving prayer. "We take it very seriously," she explains in her presentation as part of the Virtual Christmas Showcase.

The couple's Every Good Gift company—started in the rear of the Christian bookstore they ran in Houston, before growing into their full-time concern—is one of the vendors featured in the online exhibition and training event hosted by Christian Retailing magazine and focused on the holiday season.

In the Every Good Gift virtual booth presentation, Zwicky explains the history of the business, which began with the creation of a frankincense and myrrh anointing oil. As part of the Christmas showcase, Every Good Gift is offering free shipping on orders of more than $150 wholesale (restricted to the contiguous U.S.).

The company's presentation also includes details of its other products, among them anointing oil holders, an acrylic display pack and the book Mary's Lavish Gift.

The virtual show has drawn nearly 1,500 visitors from 46 countries since it began Sept. 30, with more than 5,000 page views.
In addition to highlighting products and specials, the online event also includes interviews, new release spotlights and other offers.

Additionally, there is a Retailer Roundtable on Christmas in which representatives of four leading stores discuss the big issues of the holiday season-from price point and displays to keeping the real spirit of Christmas alive amid all the busyness.

To find out more about Every Good Gift's specials and the Virtual Christmas Showcase, go to http://vcs.christianretailing.com.

How do you determine the employee dress code for Sunday mornings?

The Sunday morning dress code should be an individual store decision. However, Betty feels that her staff should dress like the congregation dresses.

Today's "Sunday dress" has changed in many parts of the country, and more casual attire can be found in churches everywhere.

Nevertheless, the workers in your store should still dress in a way that is respectful of the significance of the Sunday services.

And, no matter what dress code you set, there are a few non-negotiables:

* Clothes should be clean and shoes polished.
*Employees should be bathed, with their hair neatly cut and styled.
* Clothing must not be too tight, short or revealing.
* A form of employee identificationsuch as a name tag or badgeshould be worn at all times.

One rule of thumb, which Betty preaches all the time, is that casual dress stimulates casual work. A little extra pride in the employee's appearance can speak volumes about the value they place on their job.

Got a question for Betty Bookstore? Write to her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

An important new study by the Barna Group reveals significant differences in the way various generations view the Bible.

Based on five surveys conducted between 2006 and 2009 with more than 1,000 adults, the researchers found "mosaics" (aged 18-25) "charting a new, unique course related to the Bible" when compared to "busters" (26-44), "boomers" (45-64) and "elders" (64-plus).

Less Sacred: Nine out of 10 boomers and elders described the Bible as sacred, which compared to eight out of 10 busters (81%) and just two out of three mosaics (67%).

Less Accurate: Just 30% of mosaics and 39% of busters firmly embraced the view that the Bible is totally accurate in all the principles it teaches, compared with 46% of boomers and 58% of elders.

More Universalism: Among mosaics, a majority (56%) believed the Bible teaches the same spiritual truths as other sacred texts, which compared with four out of 10 busters and boomers, and one-third of elders.

Less Engagement: Busters and mosaics are less likely than average to have spent time alone praying and reading the Bible for at least 15 minutes in the last week.

Bible Appetite: Despite the generational decline in many Bible metrics, one departure from the typical pattern was the fact that younger adults, especially mosaics (19%), expressed a slightly above-average interest in gaining additional Bible knowledge. This compared with 12% of boomers and 9% of elders.

Source: Barna Group

To read the full report, go to http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/12-faithspirituality/317-new-research-explores-how-different-generations-view-and-use-the-bible.

Sometimes in working in a church environment it is easy to fall into "professional Christian" mode, but God is interested in how we grow personally as much as having us help others do the same. What do you do—and encourage your staff to do—to keep spiritually fresh in the midst of demanding ministry?

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

"So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers."
Acts 16:5, New International Version