May 12, 2023, WHEATON, Ill.—Crossway is pleased to announce that both Blessed: Experiencing the Promise of the Book of Revelation (Crossway, May 2022) by Nancy Guthrie and The Biggest Story Bible Storybook (Crossway, March 2022) by Kevin DeYoung have won 2023 Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) Christian Book Awards in their respective categories.

Justin Taylor, Crossway’s executive vice president of book publishing, writes, “We are grateful to God that the ECPA has recognized these books by Nancy Guthrie and Kevin DeYoung as worthy of their annual awards. It is a joy to work with such faithful and godly authors. These books represent the very heart of our mission at Crossway: to help readers see and delight in the gospel and the purposes of God in his Word and to live their lives in light of his plan.”

Blessed, winner in the Bible Study category, is written by bestselling author and speaker Nancy Guthrie and gives individuals and small groups a friendly, theologically reliable, and robust guide to understanding the book of Revelation.

The Biggest Story Bible Storybook tied for the award in the Children category. This beautifully illustrated book by Kevin DeYoung combines 104 easy-to-read stories from Scripture with artwork by Don Clark, helping children ages 6–12 learn the unified story of the Bible.

According to the ECPA’s website, the Christian Book Award® program recognizes the highest quality in Christian books and Bibles in twelve categories, and is the oldest and among the most prestigious awards programs in the religious publishing industry.

Nancy Guthrie teaches the Bible at her home church, Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in Franklin, Tennessee, as well as at conferences around the country and internationally, including her Biblical Theology Workshop for Women. She is the author of numerous books and the host of the Help Me Teach the Bible podcast with the Gospel Coalition. She and her husband founded Respite Retreats for couples who have faced the death of a child and are cohosts of the GriefShare video series.

Kevin DeYoung (PhD, University of Leicester) is the senior pastor at Christ Covenant Church in Matthews, North Carolina, and associate professor of systematic theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte. He has written books for children, adults, and academics, including Just Do Something; Crazy Busy; and The Biggest Story. Kevin and his wife, Trisha, have nine 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, crossway.org

St. Louis, May 11, 2023 —Jonathan D. Schultz, President and CEO of Concordia Publishing House (CPH), has announced that Rev. Dr. Jacob Corzine has accepted the call to serve as vice president of publishing. Corzine will begin service at CPH on July 1, 2023.

“CPH has a rich history of equipping The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod with resources for churches, schools, families, and individuals to understand and proclaim the faith confidently,” said Schultz. “I look forward to working with Dr. Corzine as CPH strives to provide resources faithful to the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions for the church today and for years to come.”

“Throughout his career, Dr. Corzine has demonstrated a strong commitment to equipping Lutherans with the resources needed to confess their faith confidently,” said Dr. Mark Bender, chair of the CPH Board of Directors. “The board is certain that his extensive scholarly and editorial experience will benefit CPH for years to come.”

Corzine’s research interests include the Lord’s Supper, certainty and the conscience, and the rise of confessionalism in the nineteenth century. He has been a member of the Concordia University Chicago (CUC) faculty since 2017, most recently serving as the interim dean of the College of Theology, Arts, and Humanities. At CUC, he has taught classes on Lutheran doctrine and the Lutheran Confessions.

“I am delighted to accept God’s call to serve Him at Concordia Publishing House,” said Corzine. “I look forward immensely to working together with the team at CPH and so many others to cultivate a collection of faithful resources in service to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in and beyond The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. In all we do, to God alone be the glory.”

Corzine has extensive international ministry experience in Germany, northern Europe, and South Africa. Prior to his work at CUC, Corzine served as campus minister assigned to the University of Pretoria, South Africa. The author and editor of many scholarly publications, Corzine also has contributed German-language translations for the extended American Edition of Luther’s Works for Concordia Publishing House. Corzine received his doctor of theology in systematic theology from the Humboldt University of Berlin in Germany. He also holds a master of divinity from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and a bachelor of arts from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois.  Corzine and his wife, Tiia, have been blessed with two daughters.

For more information or to schedule an interview with Jacob Corzine, please contact Elizabeth Pittman, director of Public Relations, at elizabeth.pittman@cph.org.

About Concordia Publishing House
Concordia Publishing House (CPH) is the publishing arm of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. For 153 years, CPH has been providing individuals, churches, and schools with products that are faithful to the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions. From books and Bibles to church supplies, curriculum, and software, CPH offers over 10,000 products to support the proclamation of the Gospel worldwide. Visit CPH online at cph.org.

Contact: Elizabeth Pittman, elizabeth.pittman@cph.org

 

Ten Titles across Seven Categories Honored as Finalists

Nashville, Tenn., May 2023 — HarperCollins Christian Publishing (HCCP) congratulates its authors and publishing teams who were honored with five 2023 Christian Book Awards on May 9, 2023 at an awards ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee. These awards are presented annually by the Evangelical Christian Publishing Association (ECPA) and honor the “best of the year” in Christian books and Bibles.

The five winning titles from HCCP are:

• Bible Reference Works – Early New Testament Apocrypha: Ancient Literature for New Testament Studies with Christopher Edwards, Editor (Zondervan Academic)

• Biography & Memoir – Seasons of Sorrow: The Pain of Loss and the Comfort of God by Tim Challies (Zondervan Reflective)

• Devotion & Gift – When You Don’t Know What to Pray: 100 Essential Prayers for Enduring Life’s Storms by Charles F. Stanley (Zondervan)

• Faith & Culture – Still Time to Care: What We Can Learn from the Church’s Failed Attempt to Cure Homosexuality by Greg Johnson (Zondervan Reflective)

• New Author – Breath as Prayer: Calm Your Anxiety, Focus Your Mind, and Renew Your Soul by Jennifer Tucker (Thomas Nelson Gift)

In addition to the award-winners, 10 HCCP titles were selected as finalists across seven categories. The 10 HCCP finalists are:

• Bibles – NIV Thompson Chain-Reference Bible (Zondervan)

• Bible Study – New Testament Everyday Bible Study Series: Acts by Scot McKnight (HarperChristian Resources)

• Bible Study – The Women of the Bible Speak Workbook by Shannon Bream (HarperChristian Resources)

• Biography & Memoir – America, a Redemption Story: Choosing Hope, Creating Unity by Senator Tim Scott (Thomas Nelson)

• Christian Living – Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms by Justin Whitmel Earley (Zondervan)

• Christian Living – How to Hear God: A Simple Guide for Normal People by Pete Greig (Zondervan Reflective)

• Devotion & Gift – You Can Count on God: 365 Devotions by Max Lucado (Thomas Nelson)

• New Author – A Christian’s Guide to Planet Earth: Why It Matters and How to Care for It by Betsy Painter (Zondervan)

• Young People’s Literature – The Wonder of Creation: 100 More Devotions About God and Science by Louie Giglio with Tama Fortner; illustrated by Nicola Anderson (Tommy Nelson)

• Young People’s Literature – You Can Count on God: 100 Devotions for Kids by Max Lucado (Tommy Nelson)

“We are honored that these five titles have been recognized by the ECPA as some of Christian publishing’s best releases of the year,” says Mark Schoenwald, president and CEO of HCCP. “From a record-breaking pool of nearly 400 entries, I’m proud of our winning and nominated authors who chose to partner with us, as well as our publishing teams for their commitment and focus to accomplish our company mission to inspire the world.”

The Christian Book Award® program has recognized the absolute highest quality in Christian books since 1978, when it was called the Gold Medallion Award. Based on excellence in content, literary quality, design, and impact, the Christian Book Award® program is the oldest and among the most prestigious awards in the religious publishing industry.

HarperCollins Christian Publishing
The world’s leading Christian publisher, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc. comprises the Thomas Nelson, Zondervan and HarperChristian Resources publishing groups and imprints, BibleGateway.com, FaithGateway.com, StudyGateway.com and ChurchSource.com. The Company produces bestselling Bibles, inspirational books, academic resources, curriculum, audio and digital content for the Christian market space. Bible Gateway is the world’s largest Christian website with more than 29 million unique visitors each month.  HarperCollins Christian Publishing is headquartered in Nashville, Tenn. For more information visit HarperCollinsChristian.com.

Contact: Doug Lockhart, SVP, Sales and Marketing, doug.lockhart@harpercollins.com

New book offers wisdom and relatable stories to help women discover their purpose

MAY 10, 2023 — Confidence coach and QVC host Kim Gravel is now a bestselling author, as Collecting Confidence: Start Where You Are to Become the Person You Were Meant to Be (Thomas Nelson) claims the No. 9 spot on The Wall Street Journal bestseller list during its first week of eligibility.

Collecting Confidence showcases the confidence Gravel has gathered from her own life journey. The book invites readers to examine their lives with a fresh new lens and encourages them to start where they are and become the person God created them to be. In Collecting Confidence, Gravel reminds you that you are not your current circumstance. You are not your current habits. Where you are right now is, in fact, simply your starting place to become who you’re meant to be and find God’s calling for your life.

Collecting Confidence has been received with critical acclaim. Publishers Weekly named it a bestseller, ranking #8 for Hardcover Nonfiction, and SRQ Magazine reviews it by saying, “I found myself copying the handful of pages with larger quotes to give to women I know, who also struggle with being undervalued and consequently self-limiting. Her slogans were not only catchy, but deeply effective due to their provocative deep thought resonance.”

“If you’ve lost your way and forgotten who God made you, this book will equip you to glean empowerment from life’s lowest moments,” Gravel says. “You’ll start to change your perspective to realize mistakes can be stepping stones.”

Kim’s passion is seeing people rise to their God-given calling. She wrote the book to encourage women to realize who they are, embrace their gifts and talents, the things they like to do and do well – and then learn to operate and walk in confidence.

The book is available everywhere books are sold.

About The Author:  

Bold. Audacious. Warm. Funny. Real. These are just a few words that describe Kim Gravel, entrepreneur, podcaster, TV personality, and host of several number-one hit shows on QVC. The minute she says, “Hey, ya’ll,” you can feel her authentic personality shining through–but she felt pressure to conform for a stretch of her life. She hid her light and lost her shine.

In the aftermath of the pressures of the pageant scene and a toxic failed marriage, Kim found herself alone in a run-down apartment, and it was there that she began her journey to change her life and she began to discover her purpose, including her first gig as a talk-show host at a community TV station just a few blocks from her apartment. Her purpose was just steps away.

Now Kim’s mission as a global voice is to build up women with words of encouragement, reminding them to stop struggling, embrace the beauty of who they are, and step into their power and purpose.

MAY 10, 2023 — Reformed Free Publishing will release a new children’s book on the Ten Commandments on May 16, 2023.  Written by by Ron Cammenga and illustrated by Ana Sebastian, “The Ten Commandments for Children,” is an in-depth dive into the heart of the Christian faith at a pace that kids can easily follow. The book is intended to be read as a devotional with kids age 6-9.

This book is the first in a three-part series by the author, Ron Cammenga of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The three books will follow the format of the original Catechism of the Church of Geneva written by John Calvin. This catechism used the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Apostles’ Creed to teach the basics of the Christian religion to children.

• First, “Of the Law, That is the Ten Commandments of God”
• Second, the Lord’s Prayer for kids (“Of Prayer)
• And third, the Apostles’ Creed (“Of Faith”)

If you have children or grandchildren, Ten Commandments would make a great devotional to close out the school year or start the summer off right. Chapters include discussion questions (“Let’s talk it over”), a Bible memory verse (“Let’s read the Bible”), and a related psalm to be sung (“Let’s sing”).

MAY 8, 2023 — Elk Lake Publishing, Inc. authors took home six Christian Indie Awards and one Honorable Mention.  They are:

Children’s 8-12:
No Bones About It—Annette O’Hare – 1st Place
Into the Great Marinara—Nicolas C. Day – 2nd Place

Children’s Picture Books:
Do Your Best, Tess—Janet Morris Grimes – 3rd Place

Bible Study:
Bible Briefs—God’s Will, Unraveling the Mystery—L. G. Westlake – 3rd place

Novella:
Awakened—T. E. Bradford – 2nd Place

Speculative:
Beneath the Deep—Andrea Chatman – 2nd Place

General Fiction:
Into the Room—Steven Rogers – Honorable Mention

TEMPE, Ariz., May 15, 2023 — At the ECPA annual member meeting held on May 10 during the Leadership Summit in Nashville, ECPA members voted on two new board members and a slate of executive committee members. Chriscynethia Floyd, vice president and publisher of Our Daily Bread Ministries; and Devin Maddox, trade books publisher of B&H Publishing Group were voted in for a first, three-year board term.

Their positions replace outgoing board members Dan Kok (Crossway) and Dan Baker (Baker Publishing Group) who completed their term.

The new executive committee officers will be Paul Santhouse (Moody Publishers) as board chair, Jeff Johnson (Tyndale House Publishers) as vice chair, and Jerry Kregel (Kregel Publications) as treasurer. Barb Sherrill (Harvest House Publishers) will continue as secretary, and Tina Constable (WaterBrook and Multnomah) will continue as director at large.

Completing the board are members Dr. Ladonna Boyd (RH Boyd), Terumi Echols (InterVarsity Press), Daisy Hutton (Hachette Nashville), and Doug Lockhart (HarperCollins Christian Publishing).

 

 

May 15, 2023 — ECPA honored the impact and imprint of two great writers at the ECPA Awards Celebration held on May 9:  Philip Yancey and Luci Shaw.  Both gave moving presentations that had the audience of industry leaders, attending the annual Leadership Summit, on their feet in standing ovations.

Award-winning author PHILIP YANCEY received the industry’s Pinnacle Award in special recognition of the outstanding contribution of his body of work to the industry, church, and society at large.  Yancey also delivered aheartfelt keynote reflecting on his writing life.

In his presentation, ECPA president Jeff Crosby expressed, “I am not only grateful but honored to present to you our Pinnacle Award for your body of literary, spiritual work that has guided readers all over the world toward a deep, resilient, authentic, grace-filled understanding of Christ, of the gospel, of what it means to follow in the Jesus way. You have been an inspiration to so many of us.”

Also honored with the industry’s Kenneth N. Taylor Lifetime Achievement Award, was renown writer and poet LUCI SHAW, in recognition of her innovative, influential and enduring work in Christian publishing.  The 94-year old poet, author, editor and former publisher, wrote and presented apoem for the occasion, called “The Quickening.”

Crosby presented on behalf of the industry: “Throughout your lifetime adventure in publishing, you have planted, watered and sowed seeds of beauty, truth and goodness. Where those seeds have gone! And where they will continue to go, for years to come.”

More on their impact:
https://rushtopress.org/edition/for-immediate-release-march-2-2023/

May 12, 2023 — Hugh Revell Barbour, Christian publishing visionary who grew the Fleming Revell Company, founded Barbour Publishing and helped start ECPA, died on May 5.  He was 93.

In addition to serving as a publishing leader of his own company, Hugh Barbour distinguished himself with broader industry leadership through long-term service to ECPA. He was a part of the first ECPA board of directors when it was formed in 1974, serving alongside Dr. Robert L. Mosier (chair/president), Muriel Dennis, Wilfred Frykman, William Greig, Jr., Robert Kregel, Walter Poff, and Doug Ross.

He returned to ECPA board service for two additional terms, from 1974 to 1976 and again from 1985 to 1991.

“When I came into the Christian book retailing and publishing industry in 1983, I quickly learned about the giants on whose shoulders I was standing,” Jeff Crosby, current ECPA president and CEO, said. “Hugh Barbour was one of those people. At CBA conventions in July and January annually and at ECPA trade shows that supplemented CBA’s work with retailers, Hugh never failed to extend his hand, his heart, and his encouragement to young booksellers like me. All of us in the work of Christian publishing are indebted to Hugh for his example of faithful, joy-filled service.”

Hugh Revell Barbour was born in Manhattan on November 6, 1929 and raised in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, NY by William R. Barbour and Mary Alice McKelvey Barbour. He was the youngest of three children: Mary Clark, his older sister and William Rinehart, his older brother. He attended Horace Mann School in Riverdale, NY, graduated from Northfield Mt. Hermon in Northfield, MA. and attended Stevens Technological Institute in Hoboken, NJ before joining the Air Force in 1950.

On May 30, 1953, he married Eva Marie Cox and soon after moved to Southern California to begin his book publishing career with the Fleming H. Revell Company, which was founded in 1870 by his grand uncles Fleming H. Revell and Dwight L. Moody. He learned the book business as the West Coast sales representative, calling on bookstores from San Diego to Seattle.

After his time on the West Coast, Hugh and Eva moved to Westwood, NJ to join his father and brother on the executive team, focusing on managing the sales and marketing groups. He was a visionary from day one, always looking for new opportunities to expand the distribution of Christian books. Over the next twenty-five years, the Fleming Revell Company grew into the largest publisher of Evangelical Christian books in America.

Early on, Hugh saw an opportunity to increase distribution beyond Christian bookstores and launched Spire Books, the first mass market paperback imprint specializing in Evangelical Christian Books. Partnering with other mass market paperback publishers, including Bantam, Simon and Schuster, and Ballantine, millions of Revell books were then available in both Christian and general bookstores all over America.

In the late 1960s, there was a huge growth in charismatic churches, whose pastors and leaders often found it difficult to get bookstores to carry their, mostly, self-published books. True to his form, Hugh saw an opportunity and partnered with Jim Lyons, a pastor in Greensburg, PA, to launch Manna Books, which became a significant portion of Revell business, selling millions of copies throughout the world.

In 1973, Hugh and Al Hartley, one of the original artists of Archie Comics, saw yet another opportunity to reach youth and young adults with the Gospel and created a new series of Archie Christian Comics. Revell went on to publish dozens of titles that sold millions of copies in the traditional bookstore market, as well as prisons and stationary stores all over America.

In 1974, Hugh and his brother Bill partnered with several leading Christian publishers and founded the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association to share expertise and to better define industry standards and practices.

In the late 1970s, Hugh saw another opportunity in the market, and he asked Dale Hanson Bourke to join the Revell team to launch Today’s Christian Woman, a national magazine that featured life-changing stories of Christian women and bestselling authors of Christian books.

Hugh worked with many bestselling authors including Corrie ten Boom, Eugenia Price, Marjorie Holmes, Ruth Bell Graham, Norman Vincent Peale, Rosalyn Carter, Francis and Edith Schaeffer, Helen Steiner Rice, Chuck Colson, Catherine Marshall, Rich DeVos, Hal Lindsay, Tim LaHaye and others. In 1974, Revell published Total Woman by Marable Morgan, which became the largest selling book in America that year. Her follow up book, Total Joy, was launched with a cover story in Time magazine.

The Fleming H. Revell Company was sold in 1978 to Scott Foresman and a few years later, Hugh decided to branch out on his own and launched Christian Book Bargains, a new company that featured overstock Christian books, which were primarily sold through Christian stores and through a direct mail catalog. This was a huge success and led to a new book publishing venture, The Christian Classics Library, a series of value-priced reprints, including In His Steps, Pilgrim’s Progress, The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life, Mere Christianity, Screwtape Letters, and My Utmost for His Highest.

In 1984, Hugh launched Barbour Books with his nephew, Bruce Barbour, with a vision to publish Christian books that inspired readers around the world with life-changing Bible messages. The new imprint included Bible Promise Books, Inspirational Romance Books, Bible Games and Puzzles and several successful Christian Book Clubs. Millions of books were sold through the traditional bookstore channels, but also through discount outlets including Christian Book Distributors (now ChristianBook.com), and mass merchandisers like Dollar General, Sam’s, Costco, and BJ’s.

During Hugh’s time at Revell and Barbour Books, his innovative and creative vision to see trends resulted in industry-changing thinking about getting Christian books and content to the widest possible audience. Thousands of Revell, Spire, Manna, Christian Classic Library and Barbour titles were published and sold millions of copies throughout the world.

In 1999, Hugh retired from book publishing to continue his lifelong love of buying and selling hundreds of affordable homes in New Jersey and Southwest Florida; one more way he helped people realize their dreams.

Hugh never met a stranger and lived a life dedicated to being a faithful servant and disciple of Jesus Christ. His laugh was infectious, and his friendship was cherished. In addition to Christian book publishing and real estate, Hugh pursued other passions, including flying his private planes, playing tennis and bridge, and working in his flower and vegetable gardens. He will also be remembered for his philanthropic work with the Barbour Foundation and his service at Faith Church in Ft. Myers, FL.

Hugh was predeceased by his oldest daughter, Debbie Dietrich, grandson, Alex Morton, and granddaughter, Whitney Kugelman. He is survived by his loving wife, Eva Marie, of nearly seventy years, his son Steve Barbour (Karen), daughter Connie Barbour (Tom Kugelman), seventeen grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at Faith Church in Ft. Myers, FL on Sunday afternoon, July 16, from 3:00 to 5:00.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be mailed to Faith Church, 15690 McGregor Blvd, Ft. Myers, FL 33908 (239-482-2030) or made online at www.faithum.com.

Memories and condolences may be shared with the family and viewed online at www.nationalcremation.com or faxed to 239-656-0585

 

Billboard’s Top Gospel Artist of the Decade and multi-GRAMMY award winning singer and songwriter, Tasha Cobbs Leonard’s Do It Anyway offers a revelatory and uplifting message about discovering the transformation unlocked when we show up to hard things with resilient faith and perseverance.  A deeply personal account of Tasha’s trials and triumphs, she offers practical steps for being courageous in risk and patient in discomfort, and shows the breakthrough is always worth it on the other side.

The book is scheduled for publication in Summer 2024.

World rights were acquired in a multi-book deal by WaterBrook Editor Estee Zandee from Esther Fedorkevich at The Fedd Agency.

For rights queries: Denise Cronin, decronin@prh.com

WaterBrook is an imprint of the Random House Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.