Representatives of nearly 50 Russian Christian publishing companies attended the first-ever International Exhibition of Christian Literature held in October 1999 in St. Petersburg, Russia. Doug Wicks, resident publishing advisor for the Evangelical Christian Missionary Union, Krasnodar, Russia, reports the book fair was organized by three veteran publishing companies: The Bible for Everyone (St. Petersburg), Mirt Publishers (St. Petersburg), and the Russian Bible Society (Moscow). "The purpose was to bring together in one place the growing number of Christian publishers for fellowship, interchange of ideas, presentation of new products, and building of unity among those involved in the emerging Christian book industry in the former Soviet Union," he said.

The four-day event included a full schedule of discussions and seminars and an exhibit hall where 38 publishers displayed their products. At the closing ceremony, prizes were given for the best books in five different categories. Contest judges stated that indigenous Russian Christian authors are noticeably sparse at the present time. Many of the current Christian books are translations of works written by non-Russian writers. 

Edited excerpt reprinted with permission from Media Associates International, Trainer Network (April 2000): 2.

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© 2000 East-West Church and Ministry Report
ISSN 1069-5664