At the end of a Bible reading marathon, it feels like revival has broken out as the word of God goes forth in power like no other spoken word, says Vickey Weathers of Cleburne Baptist Association in Heflin.
“To me, especially with how things are going in the world today … it just changes the atmosphere to have God’s word going out, as simple as just reading it,” the association’s administrative assistant explained.
Jon Graef, associate pastor of Crossgates Baptist Church in Brandon, Mississippi, agreed.
“When we speak the Word out loud, because the word of God is living and active, we can literally change the atmosphere around us. It can change the people around us.”
Reading a ‘marathon’
Many churches and associations choose to offer Bible reading marathons — reading the Bible aloud in its entirety — leading up to Easter in April or the National Day of Prayer in May. Crossgates also hosted one leading up to Pentecost.
Cleburne Association held two Bible reading marathons before COVID-19 and has one scheduled for the first week of May. They start with a brief worship service at 5:30 on the Sunday evening before the National Day of Prayer and read around the clock until about 11:30 a.m. Thursday. They conclude with a prayer service outside the courthouse.
“You would think as small as our county is that it would be hard to fill up the slots, but we wind up sometimes turning people away toward the end,” Weathers said. “They’ll come out and read and realize how fast it goes by, and they’ll say, ‘Hey, sign me up again if you’ve got any more empty slots.’”
Using SignUp.com, the association asks people to fill 15-minute slots for the outdoor event, and some churches take a large chunk of time. Facilitators sign up to serve an hour each, ensuring the reading stays on track and replenishing the snack and coffee table. The association rents a sturdy tent in case of rain.
Overnight slots benefit from more than one reader, Weathers advised, adding that a “good, clear Bible translation” is important.
A small park with benches is near the association tent, and people from the community wander over to listen, Weathers said.
“It’s kind of tranquil. You just sit up there and listen to it, and I’ve brought my parents up there to listen in the quiet.”
Sometimes readers fret over difficult-to-pronounce names, particularly in the Old Testament, but Weathers tells them to “just plow through it. Do the best you can, and don’t think twice about it. Most people are not going to know if you’re right or wrong.”
A Bible reading marathon “pulls the community together,” she said. “We’re always looking at the association as a way to get all our churches together in something, and this pulls them together. One church might be sitting and waiting while another church finishes.”
Children can participate as long as they have a parent or someone close by to help with words they can’t pronounce, Weathers noted. Youth groups have filled time slots, and sometimes it may be the first time a teenager has read a particular portion of the Old Testament.
“At the end of the week, it will feel like revival has happened. Every year it’s special.”
‘His purpose’
Graef cited Isaiah 55:11, that God’s word will not return to Him void but will accomplish His purpose.
“We’re basically coming at this from the standpoint of saying, ‘God, we don’t believe the Bible contains Your Word; we believe the Bible is Your Word, and we believe it is important enough that it needs to be read out loud from time to time all the way through so that our sanctuary is well established with the Word in it, so the Holy Spirit can move any way He wants to on the hearts and minds of the men and women, boys and girls here,’” Graef told The Alabama Baptist.
Crossgates uses the One Year Bible, so each person reads part of the Old Testament, part of the New Testament, a Psalm and a Proverb, Graef said.
“That makes it very simple. There are 365 readings,” he noted. “We put it online, and members can sign up for a 20-minute time slot.”
Deacons and other leaders take turns checking people in and covering time slots that weren’t claimed.
“We’ll have two stools on the platform with a podium in front of each one that has a One Year Bible on it. That way, if someone comes in and is a slow reader and it takes them 25 minutes instead of 20 minutes, the next person can go ahead and start. That way we keep everything on time,” Graef said.
When the marathon leads up to the National Day of Prayer, Crossgates offers a prayer guide, so once people finish their reading they can choose to sit down and pray for a few minutes.
“What a great opportunity to spend a few more minutes in prayer,” Graef said.
EDITOR’S NOTE — The National Day of Prayer is observed each year on the first Thursday in May. This year’s observance will be May 5th. For more information, click here.
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