In the days leading up to today’s National Day of Prayer (May 4), some Baptist associations host Bible reading marathons near the courthouses of their towns, sending God’s Word forth on loudspeakers to accomplish its purpose.
“This is my favorite week of the whole association year,” Vickey Weathers of Cleburne Baptist Association, said. “It’s a lot of preparation, it’s a hectic week, but at the end of the week, it feels like revival.”
Jim Hill of Dale Baptist Association said the event unites churches of different denominations around a reverence for the Bible.
“It’s not just our Baptist churches. It’s the Methodist church, the Catholic church, the Lutheran church, the nondenominational churches,” Hill said. “Everybody is in unity about God’s Word being read and spread.”
A typical event begins on Sunday evening with a brief outdoor worship service on-site, and then the reading starts in Genesis with people signing up for 15-minute slots. Readers continue around the clock, culminating in the reading of Revelation on Thursday morning. A National Day of Prayer service follows.
“We will unite in prayer for city officials all the way up to President Biden and his staff,” Hill said.
‘Rejuvenating’
Weathers said she “fell in love with this wonderful, rejuvenating event.”
“I watched as youth read portions of Scripture that they may have never seen before,” she said. “I listened as older generations and younger generations came together for the purpose of reading God’s Word all the way from cover to cover.
“I watched a mom whose son had reading challenges stand right by him, helping him read for 15 minutes aloud. She was so overjoyed and shared with me what a big deal this was.”
As for logistics, Cleburne Association uses signup.com to manage the time slots until the reading begins, and then they take sign-ups in person and by phone. Often, a person who signed up for a slot will ask for another when they finish, and both associations reported that the slots tend to fill up one way or another.
At the reading podium, Cleburne Association provides a giant print HSBC Bible for readers, but they are welcome to use their personal Bibles.
“We will usually complete the whole reading of the Scriptures early Thursday morning. When we do, we begin again in Genesis and read Genesis and Romans,” Weathers said. “That covers the remaining time. We have also allowed others to read their favorite part of Scripture once the whole Bible has been read.”
Drawn to the Word
Some people are intimidated to read Bible names aloud, especially in genealogies, Weathers said, but she encourages them to plow through them with “no judgment” from listeners.
“In addition to readers, we have facilitators who sign up for one-hour shifts,” Weathers said. “The facilitators keep the reading on track and ensure no passage is missed due to loss of place in the reading or pages sticking together. They help keep the coffee flowing and keep an eye on the snack table, replenishing and straightening as needed.”
The association rents a sturdy tent in case of rain, and men from a local church set up lights and a sound system. The park has benches, but people bring chairs, and sometimes camping heaters are needed.
“Last year, a lady walked up around 9 p.m. and said that she was drawn to what she was hearing,” Weathers said. “She was in a challenging season in her life, and the words were bringing her comfort. She wanted to know if it was OK to just sit and listen.”
Even when Weathers isn’t required by her role to be there, she likes to sit in the evenings and listen to the reading.
“When we put God’s Word out there, it doesn’t return void,” she said. “You never know the impact it’s going to have on the people around it.”
Heightened awareness
Among the reasons the Dale Association has hosted a marathon for nearly 20 years is to “heighten the awareness of God’s Word, to publicly acknowledge Scripture, and to share with others what they may not be doing in their own homes,” Hill said.
Dale Association has seen people walking or driving by stop to see what’s going on. “We’ve had people saved when they’ve come and asked questions,” he said.
Some of the participating churches move their Sunday evening or Wednesday evening services to the Bible reading site.
“I hope it is multiplied across our state,” Weathers said.
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