A recent TV news report about the football team at McCombs High School in northern Ohio caught my attention—and my heart—with its inspiring lessons for us all.

The manager of the team was a young man born legally blind. Able to see only shadows, he was faithful to do what a good manager does—filling water bottles, getting equipment ready and doing whatever else was needed to be sure the team was ready to play the game.

As the coach saw him grow physically, he began to talk with the young man about getting into uniform and actually going out onto the field. Finally, one Friday night the coach said, "It's your time." The student went in at nose guard and helped set the table for a touchdown.

When the team got within a yard of the goal line, the captain said, "Coach, why don't you send him in as quarterback and let him make the touchdown?" The coach sent the manager in, and with a good push from his teammates when the ball was snapped, he made a touchdown!

You can receive a registration—worth $125—when you place a qualifying order during the online Virtual Christmas Showcase currently being hosted by Christian Retailing magazine.

The three-day event in Louisville promises to be our best yet, with time for fellowship, worship, inspiration, training and business. It's an invaluable opportunity to connect with leading suppliers, fellow church bookstore staff and other Christian retailers from across the country.

To find out more about the free registration, go to http://vcs.christianretailing.com.

The Jan. 21-22 event is to be held at the ministry's Santa Ana, Calif., center, with workshops to include "Selecting Core Products," "Doctrine and Integrity" and "Serving Your Customers." Speakers are due to include pastor and author Britt Merrick and Mark Taylor, president of Tyndale House Publishers.

For more information, go to www.calvaryd.org, or contact Sarah Yardley at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

by Anita Welty

Some retailers prefer to keep Thanksgiving separate from Christmas by withholding all Christmas merchandise and décor from the store until the weekend after Thanksgiving Day.

In such cases, an after-Thanksgiving sale is a perfect time to mark down and move out all remaining Thanksgiving items, while simultaneously introducing new Christmas merchandise.

Once all Thanksgiving-specific products have been removed from the store, it can be instantly transformed for Christmas with the simple addition of decorated wreaths, seasonal merchandise and in-store music.

However, stores that don't wish to wait until after Thanksgiving to begin stocking Christmas products may want to incorporate new Christmas items into Thanksgiving displays, blending the two holidays.

These stores can embrace a theme of "Giving Thanks for the Savior's Birth," and simply adding a sign with this sentiment can make a strong statement while highlighting the reason for both seasons.

If your church decides to go the route of Thanksgiving care packages for the local community, the church bookstore is an ideal location for a book, Bible and tract drive for the needy. These products could then be included in a gift basket or given away at an outreach event.

Develop a list of appropriate book titles, including prices, and encourage church members to purchase them for donation. Some stores may even wish to donate Thanksgiving products such as gift books, children's books and coloring books.

Above all, prayer is the key that can unlock the hearts of the lost and needy this Thanksgiving. Many church bookstores may discover a new opportunity for ministry—one that is worthy of eternal thanks to God.

- Anita Welty, a freelance writer, was involved in Christian retail management for more than 17 years.

- Read the complete article at http://www.thechurchbookstore.com/a.php?ArticleID=15994.

The Central Florida-based company is giving the introductory materials away to visitors to its booth at the Virtual Christmas Showcase hosted by Christian Retailing magazine.

With a former Marvel comics artist among its production team, Kingstone Media spotlights several of its comic book titles, which include a futuristic adventure, 2048, penned by author and World magazine Editor Marvin Olasky. Other projects include the movie The Touch, based on the story of a woman's path to homelessness and the help she received from a local church.

In a video greeting at his company's showcase site, Kingstone CEO Art Ayris, also executive pastor of a Florida church, welcomes visitors to the online event, giving an overview of its projects—which include a $25 million movie development project for the book Sudan.

The virtual show has drawn nearly 1,600 unique visitors from 56 countries since it began Sept. 30. 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 the Kingstone Media Group offer, visit the Virtual Christmas Showcase at http://vcs.christianretailing.com.

As the old adage goes, "Christmas only comes once a year," but if you have ever been in retail, it can feel like an eternity. I remember one year when we placed the wassail pot near the checkout and I thought I was going to become violently ill if I had to go through one more hour of smelling that pot of brewing Christmas cheer.

Now to the problem at hand: I am afraid you will most likely just have to grinch and bear it. I have found that variation is the key. There are so many different styles of Christmas music that I make sure that we mix our CDs in our CD changer. Changing the order of the music makes it easier on our staff and gives all of us a chance to breathe during this hectic season.

Hope this drives away the bah humbugs!

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..

Eighty-five per cent of Southern Baptist pastors surveyed by the denomination's LifeWay Research group said that their congregation had hosted a VBS program in the previous 12 months.

The next most frequently organized kind of outreaches were a prayer emphasis focused on evangelism or unbelievers (58%) and servant evangelism projects (46%). Meanwhile, offering food to people in need was cited as one of the most common ongoing outreach activities, with 77% percent of pastors reporting such involvement.

"Government stats show that use of food stamps is up, and our research shows that requests to churches for financial assistance are up," said Scott McConnell, associate director of LifeWay Research. "Churches have the responsibility to help believers be prepared to share the reason for the hope they have in Jesus Christ, and this is a tangible way of being prepared, as the Scripture calls us to be."

The study also revealed that 43% of pastors "strongly agreed" that evangelism at the church was often overshadowed by other priorities. Only a third of respondents said that evangelism training was an ongoing activity at their church.

Don't miss Christian Retailing's comprehensive guide to the 2010 VBS seasons... details of 19 major programs can be found in our Nov. 9 issue, with more information available online at www.christianretailing.com.

Source: LifeWay Research

To read the full report, to go http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/article_main_page/0%2C1703%2CA%25253D169720%252526M%25253D200906%2C00.html.

Share your recommendation with others at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

James 1:17, New International Version