LARGO, Fla.—After a challenging year, Christian Product Expo (CPE) Winter 2021 was a much-needed time of refreshing. CPE Winter 2021 was held February 14-16 at the Embassy Suites and Concord Convention Center in Charlotte, NC, making it the first time the winter regional show has been held in the southeast.
Even with attendees wearing masks, it was evident they were excited to be there and happy to see the Christian retail industry alive. There was a total of 236 attendees, including 58 vendors and 40 retail stores. An additional 44 stores were registered for the show; however, they were unable to attend due to extenuating circumstances. In fact, CPE Winter 2021 was set to be the largest winter show to date.
“I loved the energy of the show,” said Sara Skerl, sales manager for Christian Art Gifts. “It was so amazing to have so many Christians and Christian goods all together, doing business and sharing wins and successes from 2020.”
The show officially kicked off on Valentine’s Day with corporate praise and worship and a devotional from the show’s master of ceremonies, comedian Tim Lovelace. Tim encouraged attendees with Scripture and a personal story of God’s protection in tough times.
On Sunday afternoon, retailers enjoyed a buffet lunch hosted by Samaritan’s Purse and heard from Operation Christmas Child shoebox recipient Yuliya Shubina as well as from Rebecca Poisson, manager of corporate and ministry partnerships for Samaritan’s Purse; Sue Brewer, Munce Group COO; and retailer Vicki Geist of Cedar Springs Christian Store in Knoxville, TN.
Following lunch, retailers received a free, in-person training, valued at $2,000, to help them better manage their business. The training was led by David and Jason Benham, twin brothers, bestselling authors and nationally acclaimed entrepreneurs who had a reality show on HGTV, which was abruptly cancelled because of their commitment to biblical values.
“I enjoy attending CPE and the effort they put forth to bring the Christian book/product community together,” said Robert Flores of Chapel Creek Book & Coffee in Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, CA. “The show allows you the opportunity to share ideas with like-minded people, learn new practices and keep your focus on our purpose to glory and make Christ known.”
Sunday evening concluded with contemporary Southern Gospel songs from siblings Parker and Hannah Webb, who started the group Guilford, and a compelling testimony from Billy Graham’s pastor, Dr. Don Wilton, compliments of CPE’s platinum sponsor HarperCollins Christian Publishing.
For the Monday evening showcase, attendees heard from the talented Hayes Family and Jason Brown (Penguin Random House), the highest-paid center in the NFL. Jason shared how he followed God’s call to leave the NFL and buy a thousand-acre farm in Louisburg, NC, only to give away all his crops to those in need.
Retailers also enjoyed a time of spiritual refreshment with morning devotionals from Moody Publisher’s author Hannah Anderson and even a few live experiments with Dr. Fizzlebop, otherwise known as author Brock Eastman (Tyndale House Publishers), that involved crowd participation.
“This event is so God-blessed. The time with vendors and other retailers is so valuable. The speakers and worship are so uplifting,” said Joyce Barbatti of TJ’s Christian Bookstore in Cedar Falls, IA.
The show floor opened Monday morning to the sound of carols playing, getting retailers into the spirit of shopping for Christmas. Part of this year’s winter show featured a Christmas corner where retailers could browse various seasonal gift displays. There were over 900 orders written at this show, an average of 29 orders written per store.
“It is always a blessing to see everyone and be around other believers,” said Les Jones of Genesis Marketing. “The added benefit of strong sales like we saw at CPE is an extra blessing.”
On Tuesday, the show floor closed at 2:00 PM with four cash prize drawings. The grand prize winner received $1000. Throughout the show, CPE gave attendees over $2000 in cash prizes.
“I love attending CPE. Not only does it give me opportunity to meet face-to-face with vendors, but it also encourages me as I talk with other retailers,” said Dale and Marie Underwood of Holcomb’s Office Supply & Christian Products in Cornelia, GA.
Retailers and exhibitors have already signed up for the Fall 2021 show, which will be on August 15-17 at the Embassy Suites and St. Charles Convention Center in St. Charles, MO. To learn more about CPE, visit cpeshow.com.
The Munce Group was founded in October 1991 and currently serves nearly 200 member retailers across the US. The mission of the Munce Group is to provide member retailers with the highest quality Christian materials and services to equip independent Christian retailers for the work of their ministry and business. Munce Group also hosts Christian Product Expo (CPE). CPE is the only industry trade show that is free to attend and provides a generous reimbursement program. Visit www.cpeshow.com
Ada, Mich. (March 8, 2021) — Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, announces the signing of Entrusted Women founder Kia Stephen’s first published book in a deal negotiated by Jevon Bolden of Embolden Media Group.
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, provides books that inspire and equip readers, offering them hope and help for daily life. Learn more at
[NASHVILLE, TENN., March 1, 2021—] International speaker, author and Bible teacher Lisa Harper recently released her first-ever devotional “
Lisa Harper is an engaging, hilarious communicator as well as an authentic and substantive Bible teacher that many enjoy hearing in person, or on countless TV and radio platforms. She holds a Master of Theological Studies from Covenant Seminary, and a doctorate-in-progress at Denver Seminary. She’s been in vocational ministry for 30 years and has written 19 books and Bible study curricula but says her greatest accomplishment by far is becoming Missy’s (her adopted daughter from Haiti) mama! They live on a hilly farmette south of Nashville, Tenn., where they enjoy eating copious amounts of chips, queso and guacamole.
CAROL STREAM, Ill. – (February 22, 2021)–Tyndale House Publishers (@tyndalehouse), a leader in developing Bibles and Bible translations that are accessible and understandable, has been awarded a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the technology underlying its Filament Bible Collection. The invention protected by the patent deals with connecting print products to related digital content through recognizing page numbers. This innovation allows readers to scan a page of the Bible using their phone or tablet to access a large array of study materials, devotionals, and video and music resources carefully curated to the page they are reading.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Feb. 24, 2021) – Popular cozy enthusiast, design influencer and “Cozy White Cottage” bestselling author, Liz Marie Galvan teams up with husband, Jose Galvan to share a message of acceptance and love in their first children’s book, “We Belong To Each Other.”
CAROL STREAM, Ill., Feb. 24, 2020 — Oasis Audio, a leading independent audiobook publisher and a division of Oasis Family Media, has been recognized with three nominations from the Audio Publishers Association in the 2021 Audie Awards. The Audie Awards recognizes the year’s most distinctive audio publishing work and is frequently called the “Oscars of spoken-word entertainment.”
The 2021 Audies saw more than 1,500 submissions in 25 categories. Winners will be announced during the 26th annual Audie Awards Gala, which will be held virtually on March 22. This year’s program will be hosted by John Leguizamo, with celebrity judges Jerry Craft, Melissa de la Cruz, Jennifer Egan, Tommy Orange, V.E. Schwab, and David Sedaris.
“I couldn’t be more proud to see the Oasis name included among the Audie finalists yet again,” said Steve Smith, president and publisher of Oasis Family Media. “We’ve worked tirelessly to establish a reputation for excellence — in both content and production — and I think these titles are some of our best yet.”
February 24, 2021, Colorado Springs, Colo.— David C Cook announced today that Cris H. Doornbos will retire in August after almost 16 years as the organization’s CEO. David C Cook’s board of trustees has appointed COO Scott Miller to serve as interim CEO, effective April 2. Doornbos, a 38-year veteran of the Christian communication and publishing industry, will continue to be employed by David C Cook as a consultant until August 16 when he turns 65.
CHICAGO, Feb. 25, 2021 — Oasis International, publisher of the Africa Study Bible and many other titles that speak to the unique issues and challenges of the church in Africa, are offering their free Lent devotional, Lent Through African Eyes, for the third year in a row. “Following the launch of the Africa Study Bible in 2016, we have developed several free resources to encourage and guide readers as they journey and discover Jesus through African eyes, a perspective all of us can benefit from. Thousands of readers across the world are being impacted as they understand Scripture stripped of the western clothes we often see in devotionals written in the US and Europe.” says Dr. Matthew Elliott, President of Oasis.
About Oasis International:
Ada, Mich. (February 26, 2021)—Baker Publishing Group is pleased to announce the promotions of Alex Nieuwsma and Jean Entingh. Alex will serve as the director of subsidiary rights. Jean will serve as the director of contracts. These combined positions fill the vacancy of Marilyn Gordon, who retired in January 2021.
Jean began her career at Baker Publishing Group in October 2018 and has served as a contracts associate and a contracts manager. In her new role as director of contracts, she will oversee the author contract process from the drafting to the execution of the final publishing agreement. This will include working with authors on any future modifications to their agreements, including rights reversions. In addition, she will oversee various publishing duties, including permissions requests and the registration of Baker Publishing Group titles with the Library of Congress and US Copyright Office.
Carol Stream, Ill. (February 26, 2021) — Tyndale House Publishers (@tyndalehouse) will release Your Brain Is Always Listening: Tame the Hidden Dragons That Control Your Happiness, Habits, and Hang-Ups by #1 New York Times bestselling author Daniel G. Amen, MD, on March 2. Dr. Amen is the founder of Amen Clinics, which focuses on brain health as the foundation of overall health. In his new book, Dr. Amen provides practical tools to tame the dragons that control our minds. With more than 40 percent of American adults experiencing mental health issues in 2020—about 90 million people—his message has never been more necessary.




