Returning to Lipscomb University in Nashville this November, ECPA PubU will feature tracks in Editorial, Marketing, Design, Production & Operations, and a Children’s Book Summit.

TEMPE, ARIZ., JUNE 6, 2022 – ECPA’s annual Fall training program – ECPA PubU – will return as an in-person event in 2022 after being presented online for the past two years.  PubU will be held on November 16-17 at Lipscomb University in Nashville, where the event had been held for three consecutive years before going online.

Developing the program will be a group of industry leaders – called the ECPA PubU Brain Trust, led by Jamie Lapeyrolerie, editor at WaterBrook & Multnomah.  The committee is charged with recruiting speakers to present on relevant topics in each of these tracks:  EDITORIAL, MARKETING, DESIGN, PRODUCTION & OPS.  In addition, the second annual CHILDREN’S BOOK SUMMIT will be presented on November 17.

“PubU is unique among all of the gatherings and events that ECPA hosts annually,” Jeff Crosby, ECPA president and CEO, said. “It’s an event developed by the industry for the industry, drawing on the unique perspectives, skill sets, and experience of a range of outstanding leaders and practitioners. I’m grateful to Jamie Lapeyrolerie for her leadership of this year’s ‘Brain Trust’ that even now is forming content around the major disciplines of our industry.”

Serving on the 2022 PubU Online Brain Trust are:

BRAIN TRUST LEAD AND DEI CONSULTANT:
Jamie Lapeyrolerie, Editor, WaterBrook & Multnomah

EDITORIAL TRACK:
Trillia Newbell, Acquisitions Director, Moody Publishers
Susan McPherson, Acquistions Editor, David C Cook

MARKETING TRACK:
Bob Gaudet, VP Marketing, Bibles, Zondervan
Katherine Chappell, Marketing Manager, Kregel Publications

OPERATIONS & PRODUCTION TRACK:
Bradley Isbell, Chief Operating Officer, Iron Stream Media
Jenn Butenschoen, Director of Production and Digital Content, Harvest House Publishers

DESIGN TRACK:
Torrey Sharp, Owner and Principal, Faceout Studio

CHILDREN’S BOOK SUMMIT:
Linda Howard, Associate Publisher for Children and Youth, Tyndale House Publishers
Shannon Marchese, VP and Publisher of Tommy Nelson, the children’s imprint for Thomas Nelson

EMERGING LEADERS CONSULTANT:
Paloma Lee, Assistant Producer and Project Specialist, InterVarsity Press

“I’m incredibly honored and grateful to lead this year’s Brain Trust and am so excited to not only connect in person with publishing professionals, but for attendees to learn from such creative and experienced people,” states Jamie Lapeyrolerie.  “I’ve personally benefited from ECPA PubU as an attendee and I know it’s going to be a great event with practical takeaways, inspiration, and connection.”

ECPA PubU will continue its Emerging Leader mentorship program, offering scholarships to up-and-coming industry leaders, with an emphasis on under-represented voices in the industry.  Each emerging leader will be matched with an industry mentor, for a year-long mentorship relationship.

For more information about the program, our schedule, the Brain Trust, or to receive program updates when registration opens, visit ECPAPubU.org.

The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) is an international non-profit trade organization comprised of member companies that are involved in the publishing and distribution of Christian content worldwide. Since 1974, ECPA has strengthened Christian publishing by building networking, information, and advocacy opportunities within the industry and throughout multiple channels so that our members can more effectively produce and deliver transformational Christian content. For more information about ECPA: info@ecpa.org ECPA.org @ECPA

ECPA PubU has delivered training, connection, networking and inspiration to the industry’s frontline practitioners since 2004.  Industry leaders develop the program to invest in the expertise of their colleagues, and train up the next generation of leaders.  For more information, visit ECPAPubU.org.

Media contact:  Jeff Crosby, ECPA president/CEO, jcrosby@ecpa.org, 480-966-3998 

 

 

The VOICES Collection of Our Daily Bread Ministries has prepared resources to recognize Juneteenth and help the church celebrate freedom by watching the first of its kind documentary, reading biblical insights, listening to music and more.

Celebrating Juneteenth is an opportunity to embrace themes of unity amongst diversity. We offer the following practical steps to build diverse community and authentic dialogue:

• Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom is a feature-length film that teaches and inspires about the cultural and spiritual significance of the holiday. Available: Jun 6, 2022
• Juneteenth: Our Story of Freedom is a 10-Day devotional which reflects on biblical passages and themes of hope and justice. Digital Reading Plan: Available starting Jun 1, 2022
• Where Ya From? Podcast: In this special edition of Where Ya From? History professor and minister, Dr. Carey Latimore, tells the story of Juneteenth and the importance of history. Available: Jun 13, 2022
• Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom ~ The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: This groundbreaking album features gospel, poetry, and hip-hop from Grammy-award-winning artist Lecrae Moore, gospel producer, Lucius Hoskins, Sho Baraka, and more! Singles from the album starting Jun 6, 2022
• Unshakable Faith: African American Stories of Redemption, Hope, and Community (Our Daily Bread Publishing, January 2022) by professor Carey Latimore

The VOICES community discusses, develops, and distributes resources by Black Christian content creators for communities of color. The VOICES community seeks to share our particular stories to make God’s life-changing wisdom understandable and accessible to all.

For more information: https://ourdailybreadpublishing.org/experiencevoices

(Colorado Springs, CO)—A growing list of internationally known crisis experts, analysts, and journalists will speak at the Crisis Publishing Initiative conference organized by Magazine Training International (MTI) in partnership with the Evangelical Press Association, June 26-29, 2022

Some 100 Christian journalists, publishers, and authorities on crisis from around the world are expected to attend the second Crisis Publishing Initiative (CPI) conference in Mundelein, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The first CPI conference was held in Hungary in 2017, drawing some 70 participants from more than 20 countries.

At the conference in Chicago, Christian leaders with in-depth knowledge will provide accurate, up-to-date information on a variety of crisis affecting the world today, including worldwide refugee movements, religious persecution, human trafficking, the global orphan crisis, terrorism, and violence against women and girls.

Journalists from the U.S., Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, India, the U.K,, and Ukraine will discuss how to report on Christian minority countries, publishing in an Islamic context, covering war from both the inside and outside, reporting on hostage situations, staying safe in a dangerous environment, reporting on the Middle East, dealing with disinformation, discerning truth when viewpoints collide, creating a context for communicating complex stories, dealing with humanitarian organizations in crisis, and much more.

Speakers include Dr. Miriam Adeney, professor at Seattle Pacific University; Kent Annan, director of Humanitarian and Disaster Leadership; Asif Aqeel, Pakistani newspaper journalist and correspondent for World Watch Monitor; Jamie Aten, founder of Humanitarian Disaster Institute; Joseph Benjamin, publisher of Gujarati Christians in India; Julia Bicknell, co-founder of World Watch Monitor in the U.K.; Jayson Casper, journalist in Lebanon; Dr. Anita Deyneka, missionary and director emeritus of the board of Mission Eurasia; Sarah Gesiriech, principal of 127 Global Strategies; Sonnie Gitonga, founder and director of Scars to Stars Foundation in Kenya; Palmer Holt, founder and CEO of InChrist Communications; Bob Klamser, executive director of Crisis Consulting International; Dr. Sandra Morgan, director of Vanguard University’s Global Center for Women and Justice; Heather Pubols, founder of le Motif; Gökhan Talas, founder of Miras Publishing Ministries in Turkey; Jeremy Weber, director of CT Global; and (name temporarily withheld) videographer in Kiev, Ukraine.

The Crisis Publishing Initiative Conference is for Christians in publishing who face the challenge of reporting on catastrophic events and wish to gain the knowledge, skills, and resources that will enable them to research, report, and publish responsibly in crisis situations.  More information is available on the event website or our website and Facebook.

About Magazine Training International
The mission of Magazine Training International is to encourage, strengthen, and provide resources to Christian magazines as they seek to build the church and reach their societies for Christ. Over the last 33 years, MTI offered 70 conferences, courses, and seminars in East/Central Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America. In addition to courses and conferences, MTI provides online courses and workshops, free e-books, training videos, course manuals in a dozen languages, and other print digital, audio, and audio-visual materials in resource center on MTI’s website.

Media Contact: Sharon Mumper, President, (719) 598-9743, semumper@magazinetraining.com

(Carol Stream, Illinois, USA) – “Given the situation the world is going through, LittWorld 2022 was one of the best conferences I have ever attended,” said publisher Sawsan Tannoury of  Lebanon. “We saw how God is spreading His Word, despite the difficult circumstances.”

Some 164 Christian publishing staff and writers from 50 countries gathered in Siófok, Hungary, April 24-29, for LittWorld 2022, the triennial global publishing conference organized by Media Associates International (MAI).  CEO Kornél Herjeczki of Harmat Publishing in Budapest and MAI’s European Board served as conference hosts.

After two-plus years of relative isolation due to the pandemic, participants said LittWorld opened their eyes to the global media community and connected them to new global relationships for future growth and innovation.

“Many attendees told me that they were so glad that we went ahead with the conference despite the uncertainties of COVID-19, and then described the specific ways they benefitted from it,” MAI President John Maust said.

More than 40 speakers and workshop leaders from Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas led vision-building and “how-to” sessions for publishers, editors, writers and designers–weaving in the conference theme, “Stronger Together: Publishing Hope Beyond Crisis” into their sessions.

“It was a time of encouragement and insights,” said publisher Hussam Fakhoury of Jordan. “Just four months earlier I became director of a publishing house for the MENA region, and LittWorld was an opportunity to get wisdom from experts.”

Journalist Jonah Nyoni of Zimbabwe commented, “The conference came at the nick of time in my career as a writer. I feel that after such training, I am able to fly and make a greater impact.”

The opening two sessions of the conference were livestreamed, with author and counselor Emöke Tapolyai of Hungary speaking on “How to Maintain Hope and Help Others in a Dark World,” and best-selling author Philip Yancey encouraging communicators to create content that will “lift eyes to permanent things” in a world in crisis.

The war nearby in Ukraine added a dimension of immediacy, with delegates both from Ukraine and Russia. Firsthand reports from Ukraine united the group in prayers for peace. A global bazaar conceived by a delegate from Mexico featured items from countries around the world that were sold at LittWorld. All the money raised went towards Ukrainian refugee relief in Hungary.

LittWorld is the largest training event of Media Associates International (MAI), which also holds smaller in-country workshops to equip and encourage Christian publishers and writers in hard places of the world to create excellent content that enriches the Church and influences society.

“Thank you again for all the organizing, all the attentiveness, all the kindness and love you have shown to us,” Romanian author and screenwriter Balázs Zágoni said. “I can only repeat what I have said before: If I could choose only one conference to attend in my life, it would be LittWorld.”

Ada, Mich. (May 9, 2022)—Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, is pleased to announce that The 40-Day Sugar Fast: Where Physical Detox Meets Spiritual Transformation by Wendy Speake has reached a significant milestone, with more than 250,000 copies in print.

“We are thrilled to be partnered with Wendy and continue to be astounded at the number of people who gravitate to this message,” says Rebekah Guzman, Editorial Director of Baker Books. “It is amazing to see Baker Books and Wendy hit this incredible sales threshold, and we look forward to many more lives changed from her books.”

Wendy Speake is the author of The 40-Day Sugar Fast, The 40-Day Social Media Fast, The 40-Day Fast Journal and is coauthor of Triggers: Exchanging Parents’ Angry Reactions for Gentle Biblical Responses. Wendy hosts her annual online 40-Day Sugar Fast every January and her 40-Day Social Media Fast every Lent. Her next book, The 40-Day Feast, will release in 2023.

Baker Books has a vision for building up the body of Christ through books that are relevant, intelligent, and engaging. We publish titles for lay Christians on topics such as discipleship, apologetics, spirituality, relationships, marriage, parenting, and the intersection of Christianity and culture. We also publish books and ministry resources for pastors and church leaders, concentrating on topics such as preaching, worship, pastoral ministries, counseling, biblical reference, and leadership.

Baker Publishing Group publishes high-quality writings that represent historic Christianity and serve the diverse interests and concerns of evangelical readers.

Contact: Kelli B. Smith, (616) 676-9185, ksmith@bakerpublishinggroup.com

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—R.H. Boyd is proud to announce its upcoming Legacy Ball on June 17, 2022, in celebration of the company’s 125^th anniversary.

The oldest Black printing and publishing company in the country, R.H. Boyd was founded in 1896 by Dr. Richard Henry Boyd to produce resources that give a voice to the Black experience.

Today, under the leadership of Dr. LaDonna Boyd, fifth-generation president/CEO, R.H. Boyd continues its tradition of printing, publishing, and distributing Christian, inspirational, historic, educational, and cultural literature. The company also houses a full-service commercial printing facility, provides white-glove author services, and has numerous community initiatives, such as the R.H. Boyd Family Endowment Fund.

“It is rare that any organization sustains for 125 years and five generations. We know that we are not only blessed to commemorate this milestone in the life of our company, but also to honor our many partners and supporters throughout the years,” said Dr. Boyd. “We humbly thank and celebrate our community for their continued patronage in support of our mission and we look forward to continuing our tradition of giving voice to the unheard for generations to come.”

The inaugural ball will take place at the Sheraton Grand Nashville Downtown Hotel in Nashville, in conjunction with the Vision Conference™, the company’s premier annual leadership event that offers a multitude of vital resources to the community.

The conference is presented in partnership with the National Baptist Congress, a 116-year-old consortium of churches and organizations focused on Christian education and leadership.

The Legacy Ball will be marked by fellowship with family, friends, community partners, and more. Ball guests will enjoy an evening of live music, dining, and special presentations honoring community partners and heroes across generations.

Proceeds from the Legacy Ball will benefit the R.H. Boyd Family Endowment Fund, through R.H. Boyd Company (a 501(c)(3) organization), which provides scholarships and grants to make investments in students and communities nationwide.

Limited tickets for this black-tie affair are available. Please visit www.rhboyd.com/legacyball for further details and be sure to follow the company on social media @rhboydco for updates.

Contact: Emmanuel LeGrair, marketing@rhboyd.com

Margaret Kercher has been promoted to publicity director, Fiction for both HarperCollins Christian Publishing and HarperCollins Focus. In this role, Margaret will oversee the publicity strategy for Thomas Nelson Fiction, Zondervan Fiction, and the general market imprint, Harper Muse, as well as lead awareness campaigns in both the Christian and general markets.

Margaret joined the Fiction team in 2019 as a publicity manager after working for GS&F, an award-winning Nashville-based advertising agency, where she worked on national PR campaigns for brands like Amazon Prime. Since joining the team, Margaret has expanded Fiction’s reach with features in major media outlets including the TODAY Show, The New York Post, Vanity Fair, Town & Country, BuzzFeed, Cosmopolitan, Entertainment Weekly, and PopSugar. She also spearheaded the publicity campaign for the 2021 launch of the Harper Muse imprint, which received an international platinum Marcom Award.

 

Palm Bay, FL: Created with Christian Fiction Reader-Fans in mind, the 2022 ACFW Storyfest is ACFW’s response to reader requests for access to some of their favorite authors and the chance to talk story. This inaugural year of hosting ACFW Storyfest (formerly the Christian Fiction Readers Retreat) takes place Thursday afternoon, September 8, 2022 through Saturday, September 10, 2022 at the Hyatt Regency at the Arch in St. Louis, Missouri.

The reader event—conducted in conjunction with ACFW’s annual conference for authors—includes a Meet & Greet with Christian Fiction authors on Thursday evening; all-day Friday and Saturday sessions including free books, free swag, interactive games and fun with authors; informative panels; afternoon tea; and more. Friday dinner and Saturday breakfast, with author-hosted tables, are included, as well as the opportunity to join a multitude of authors to hear an address by Liz Curtis Higgs, the conference’s keynote speaker.

Readers may also purchase an add-on Gala ticket which will allow them exclusive access to ACFW’s annual conference Awards Gala, celebrating the best in Christian Fiction through ACFW’s Carol Awards (published in the previous calendar year), Genesis Awards (as yet unpublished, writers to watch for), and other honors.

Christian Fiction readers are invited to celebrate story and some of their favorite authors right on the premises of the ACFW conference—where hundreds of CF authors gather each year. Books will also be available for purchase and signing onsite.

For more information or to register TODAY, check out https://www.acfwstoryfest.com/

MAY 16, 2022, TEMPE, AZ — At the ECPA Awards Celebration, held May 3rd in Philadelphia, Stan Jantz was presented with the ECPA Chair Award by board chair Dan Kok, former chair Dwight Baker, and president Jeff Crosby.

Stan was recognized for his outstanding contribution to the industry as an author of 80 books, a former Christian bookstore owner, publisher, and former president of ECPA.  The presentation was a surprise to Jantz, who was attending the ECPA Leadership Summit as a speaker in his new role with Global Discipleship Alliance.

“Some people are rightly called a ‘da Vinci type’ because they are gifted in so many areas,” stated Dan Kok during the presentation. “Stan Jantz is one such person in the Christian publishing and products industry, equally adept and visionary in a broad range of roles…. We are profoundly grateful for his decades-long commitment to Christian content – as a bookstore owner, author, publisher, president of ECPA, and ongoing work in international discipleship.”

Stan began his work in 1974 caring for the music department in the Fresno Bible House retail store he would later own and operate.  He skillfully filled roles at Word Music and Regal Books/Gospel Light, and co-founded the online content and social media experience, Conversant Media Group.  In 2015, Stan assumed the role of ECPA president and guided the organization through six years of growth and service to its membership community.  Stan has authored or co-authored nearly 80 books with sales of close to 4 million units worldwide, published by several ECPA publishers.

Stan now heads up Global Discipleship Alliance, an organization he founded with two other industry pioneers:  Byron Williamson (former Worthy Publishing president) and David Moberg (former president of Thomas Nelson).

Stan, Williamson, and Allen Yeh, a missiologist and associate professor at Biola University, presented a session at the ECPA Leadership Summit on “Elevating Global Discipleship” – calling for publishers to invest in “glocal” opportunities to support the global church.

The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) is an international non-profit trade organization comprised of member companies that are involved in the publishing and distribution of Christian content worldwide. Since 1974, ECPA has strengthened Christian publishing by building networking, information, and advocacy opportunities within the industry and throughout multiple channels so that our members can more effectively produce and deliver transformational Christian content. For more information about ECPA: info@ecpa.org ECPA.org @ECPA

Contact:  Jeff Crosby, ECPA president & CEO, 480-966-3998 or jcrosby@ecpa.org

WHEATON, Ill.—Crossway is pleased to announce that New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional (Crossway, October 2014), by bestselling author Paul David Tripp, has surpassed one million units in print sales.

“We are so honored to publish Paul Tripp’s New Morning Mercies, which helps readers marinate each day in the greatest news of all time,” says Justin Taylor, Crossway’s executive vice president of book publishing and book publisher. “As a publisher, we do not put our trust in horses or chariots or sales figures, but we rejoice at this milestone insofar as it represents a million readers who are pondering the gospel afresh each day and being transformed in the process.”

New Morning Mercies features 365 gospel-centered devotions that lead readers away from behavior modification and feel-good aphorisms, and into an encounter with the living God. Each daily reading opens with a brief gospel thought, followed by a meditation expounding on that theme, equipping Christians with the good news that they need to trust in God’s goodness, rely on his grace, and live for his glory—day in and day out.

“This devotional is a call for you and me to remember,” writes Tripp. “It’s a call to remember the horrible disaster of sin. It’s a call to remember Jesus, who stood in our place. It’s a call to remember the righteousness that is his gift. It’s a call to remember the transforming power of the grace you and I couldn’t have earned. It’s a call to remember the destiny that is guaranteed to all of God’s blood-purchased children. It’s a call to remember his sovereignty and his glory. It’s a call to remember that remembering is spiritual war; even for this we need grace.”

Matt and Lauren Chandler, pastor of the Village Church in Dallas and his wife, commend, “We have always resonated with Robert Robinson’s hymn ‘Come Thou Fount,’ especially the line, ‘Prone to wander—Lord, I feel it—prone to leave the God I love.’ We feel the pull daily away from God’s goodness and toward a pursuit of our own, away from God’s gracious acceptance and toward the exhausting, impossible weight of trying to tip the scales in our favor. We are grateful to God that Paul has written this devotional to help, in Robinson’s words, seal our hearts for God’s courts above. If you’re prone to wander, this book is for you.”

Tripp is also the author of Parenting (Crossway, 2016); Come, Let Us Adore Him (Crossway, 2017); and Do You Believe? (Crossway, 2021). For more information, visit paultripp.com.

New Morning Mercies is available in TruTone and hardcover, a cloth-over-board gift edition, and ebook formats.

Paul David Tripp (DMin, Westminster Theological Seminary) is a pastor, award-winning author, and international conference speaker. He has written numerous books including the bestseller New Morning Mercies. His nonprofit ministry exists to connect the transforming power of Jesus Christ to everyday life. Tripp lives in Philadelphia with his wife, Luella, and they have four grown children.

Founded in 1938, Crossway is a not-for-profit global Christian publishing ministry that
publishes gospel-centered, Bible-based content to honor our Savior and serve his church. Crossway seeks to help people understand the all-encompassing implications of the gospel and the truth of God’s word—for all of life, for all eternity, and for the glory of God alone. Crossway is the global publisher of the ESV® (English Standard Version®) Bible, more than 1,000 Christian books, and an extensive list of gospel literature. For additional information, visit crossway.org.

Contact: Lauren Susanto, lsusanto@crossway.org