First-ever week-long Bible Reading Marathon to begin this Friday

WARNER ROBINS — The first-ever Bible Reading Marathon will start this Friday at the steps of the Houston County Annex. The event will run for a week, concluding with a closing ceremony on Nov. 20 at 5 p.m. 

Attendees will read the Bible from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22. The opening ceremony will be on Friday, Nov. 14, at 6 p.m. Following the ceremony, readers will start at 7 p.m. and continue until midnight. 

On Saturday, Nov. 15, the reading will take place from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Then on Sunday, Nov. 16, the reading will begin at 2 p.m. and continue until midnight. 

The following week, readers will begin at 7 a.m. to midnight. Finally, on the event’s last day, the reading will begin from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., followed by a closing ceremony.

Speakers will include Houston County Commissioner Chairman Dan Perdue, Sheriff Matt Moulton and Commissioner Shane Gottwalls. 

Organizers B.C. Smith and Karol Matthews described the event as a historic experience.

“We felt like the Lord was telling us that it was a community event that needed to involve a lot of different churches and organizations, not just one particular church,” she said. 

As Smith explained, the reading is divided into 360 segments, each taking 15 minutes to read. So far, 200 readers have signed up to read a segment, but he hopes more will participate.

“We will do whatever we need to do to make this a complete, public Bible reading marathon,” he said. 

The couple heard about the event while attending a doctor’s appointment. One of the nurses told them about a 22-year annual event in Cochran.

They discovered the event has been held around the world, but not in Houston County.

Smith heard of a similar Bible Reading Marathon held in the area called 7:14, part of a worldwide event. It is in reference to Chronicles 7:14, and is held every year on July 14 at 7:14 a.m. 

During 7:14, the state is divided into 159 counties, and each county reads a separate portion of the Bible. Within approximately an hour, the entire Bible will be read in the state, Smith said.

The first complete Bible Reading Marathon started 20 years ago in Jerusalem and continues to spread around the world. Eventually, the couple decided to also spread the Lord’s word in Houston County. 

“Karol and I were just sort of marveling at the thought of such an event. We looked into a little bit and found out that within 90 hours, you can read through the entire Bible. We took it from there and said, ‘Hey, maybe the Lord wants us to do this.’ So, that got us started,” he said. 

Matthews hopes their impact will be to glorify the Lord, and His word is to be read out loud. She referenced 1 Timothy 4:13, which says, “Do not neglect the public reading of my word.” 

Matthews also referenced Revelation 1:3, which says, “You’re blessed if you read this prophecy out loud.” 

“We just believe that it’s going to bless our community. First of all, it’s to glorify Him. We’re reading to Him and it will bless our community just because He does things like that,” she said. 

Smith said the Lord blesses the reading of his words and hopes that when they finish, they can say, “we have not neglected it.”

He described the event as an incredible experience and sees it as a way to bring people from various denominations together. Smith shared that they will have people from different backgrounds reading the Bible in Korean, a Philippine dialect, Spanish and Hebrew.

“[This is] to reflect the churches that exist in Houston County,” he said.

He believes people should attend this event because the Lord blesses it and the nation that honors His word. 

“We as individuals are blessed when we read his Word. The community that comes together will be blessed; the state and the nation,” he said.

Smith also believes it is an act of obedience to God, and it offers the community, including non-believers, faith, hope, inspiration, and unity. He said it is a life-changing experience.

Matthews shared that God said His word will not return void, and whatever He desires to do with that word, He will do. 

Due to their age, the couple hopes to pass on the event to someone who can make it an annual event. 

“We are putting everything we are doing and intend to do on paper, so that [if] we should not be here, someone else will be able to take the lessons that we have learned and make it a whole lot easier for them to accomplish the same thing,” she said.

Matthews said the community has already blessed them through donations from various local businesses that support the event.

“It’s just been really exciting to see the community come together so far. I know it will be even more so after we start reading the word,” she said. 

The Bible Reading Marathon will start on Friday, Nov.14, from 7 p.m. to midnight at the County Courthouse Annex, located at 200 Carl Vinson Parkway in Warner Robins. 

To sign up for the event, click here.