October 20, 2021 – Media Associates International is pleased to announce Dar Manhal Al Hayat publishing house in Lebanon as the recipient of our 2021 Robert B. Reekie Global Publisher Award.
Named after MAI founding President Robert B. Reekie, this annual award recognizes the ministry excellence of a Christian publisher serving in a challenging context to provide valuable spiritual resources for its readers. The award comes with a cash gift made possible by an anonymous donor.
“We commend Dar Manhal Al Hayat for its many years of distinguished ministry,” MAI President John Maust wrote to publishing director Sawsan Tannoury, “and especially for your perseverance in creating quality Christian content for the Lebanese people during this period of great economic need and socio-political upheaval in the nation.”
“We have received news of the award with joy and gratitude to MAI and the Lord, who has helped and strengthened us in the midst of frustrating and harsh conditions,” Sawsan responded.
Lebanon finds itself in a deep political and economic crisis, which has sparked widespread protests and two changes of government since 2019. “A currency collapse, shortages and the pandemic have battered the economy and reduced Lebanese who were comfortably middle-class to poverty,” the New York Times recently reported–all this in a nation still reeling from last year’s Beirut port blast leaving 200 dead and sections of the city in wreckage.
But none of this has kept Dar Manhal Al Hayat from publishing and serving its readers.
On October 9, it launched six books by Dr. Imad Shehadeh in partnership with the Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary (JETS). “Also, we have published two books for children by local authors, with two more on the way,” Sawsan said. “We have also started work on a promising project, ‘The Voice of Arab Women.’”
Dar Manhal al Hayat was established in the 1960s to develop Arabic Christian resources that meet the needs of the Church in Lebanon and various countries in the Arab world.
“The harvest is abundant in this region, which makes it a high priority for us to make Arabic Christian resources accessible at prices that are affordable for Christians,” Sawsan said. “Because the church in the Middle East and North Africa faces many challenges, we do our best to serve and provide it with resources that enhance its daily walk with God.
“It is a privilege and an honor for us to receive this MAI award, and it means so much to me and the staff to receive this good news amid all the sad news [now in our country].”

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VANCOUVER, BC—IVP author and beloved Regent College professor Dr. Donald Munro Lewis, seventy-one, passed away unexpectedly from cardiac arrest on Tuesday, October 19, 2021. Lewis taught and served in various roles at Regent College for forty years, most notably as professor of church history.
Grand Rapids, MI – Oct. 2021 – Zondervan, a division of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, is proud to announce the launch of Passaggio Setting Bibles, a new Bible layout that combines single-column and double-column settings in one Bible format.
NASHVILLE, TENN. (October 17, 2021) The Jesus Calling Podcast received an international Gold Award for Digital Excellence as a part of the 16th Annual w3 Awards selected by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts. The Jesus Calling Podcast, which has garnered more than 8 million downloads, was created as a result of the success of the bestselling daily devotional Jesus Calling and is produced by Four Eyes Media.
LAKE MARY, FL—Today the church is living in times of great discrimination. There is a rise of interest groups who speak out against Christianity, and Christians are drawing inward for prayer in privacy. In her latest book, Pray Out Loud: Your Voice Can Change the Atmosphere (ISBN-13: 978-1-62999-762-9, Charisma House), bestselling author Kimberly Daniels is reassuring Christians to boldly confess their prayers out in the open.
WESTMONT, IL—Saint Nicholas the Giftgiver, the first title to release from IVP Kids on October 12, has won the 2021 Bronze Moonbeam Children’s Book Award in the picture book category for ages four to eight.
Bellingham, WA—Lexham Press is pleased to announce a lineup of new books from its trade imprint, Kirkdale Press. Three key titles are scheduled for early 2022, with others planned for later in the year.
Grand Rapids, MI – Oct. 2021 – Zondervan, a division of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, is proud to announce the release of the NRSV C.S. Lewis Bible. Originally published in 2010, this much beloved Bible has been re-typeset in Zondervan’s exclusive NRSV Comfort Print® typeface.
NASHVILLE, Tenn., October 2021 – It’s not easy growing up in today’s culture. In addition to the regular challenges and pressures of growing up and learning how to navigate life, career and move in into adulthood successfully; our children are also facing numerous epidemics including loneliness, mental health struggles, pornography, and addiction.




