How long does it take to read the Bible? Less than 90 hours, according to Wilma Hart and Judy Stephens, coordinators of the Bible-reading marathons hosted in Ozark and Troy leading up to the National Day of Prayer May 1.
Each year, these women join with churches and individuals from around their communities to host continuous Bible reading by the steps of the courthouse in Ozark and in the town square in Troy. They started reading from Genesis Sunday, April 27, and reached Revelation before the event ended in a prayer service at noon the following Thursday. If they finish early, they start again in Matthew to maintain continuous reading.
"It’s great to see what God is doing and to get to meet people in our community," Hart said of the event.
Organizers recruited volunteers from area churches of all denominations to read aloud, and the Dale and Salem-Troy Baptist associations’ offices managed the reading schedules.
Ozark scheduled two events to celebrate the National Day of Prayer, a prayer breakfast that morning at Ozark Baptist Church and then a prayer service on the steps of the courthouse at noon.
The program is in its fifth year in Ozark, but this is just the second year for the Troy marathon, and the event was an act of faith, according to Stephens. When reading began on Sunday, there were still 200 of the 360 reading time slots left unfilled. As the week went on, however, all the reading times were taken.
"We stepped out on faith, and we got it done," Stephens said.
Both the Ozark and Troy marathons have enjoyed widespread community support, including that of city officials who were necessary to gain permission to hold the event on public property.
Hart said someone has been saved as a result of the event each year, and many people on their way in to the courthouse request prayer on their behalf. Volunteers hand out literature to passersby, some of whom offer to participate in the reading.
"The whole point is to share with our neighbors who don’t know the Lord," Hart said.
Maxine Tharpe, a member of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, Ozark, volunteered to take the graveyard shift on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, along with her husband, sister and brother-in-law.
"We’re retired, so we can," she said, explaining why they volunteered for shifts beginning at 1 a.m. and lasting as long as three hours. "It’s a privilege that we have."
Even at that early hour, Tharpe has encountered bystanders interested in what they were doing. But whether they come or not, she said she appreciates having the opportunity to read God’s Word in the quietness of the night.
"We’re lifting up God, and that’s what it’s all about," Hart said.
For more information about Bible-reading marathons across the country, visit www.biblepathway.org.
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