The eyes of the world will once again be on Murfreesboro as the Middle Tennessee Bible Reading Marathon goes global. There will be a live video feed from the grounds of Bible Pathway Ministries’ international headquarters on Thompson Lane here in Murfreesboro at the end of April.
Beginning Sunday, April 29 and running continuously until noon on Thursday, May 3, every word of the Bible will be read, out loud, beginning with Genesis 1:1 and ending with the last verse of the Book of Revelations. With the united efforts of a variety of local church members, Bible groups, and individuals reading in 15-minute time slots over a 90 hour period God’s Word will not only echo over the city of Murfreesboro, but will reverberate around the world on a continous streaming Internet feed. Men and women serving in the military will be able to join their family members by reading along in their own Bibles while watching their loved ones back home. Facebook friends will be able to join in from wherever they are in the world – even ships at sea have Internet connections via satellite. Everyone is encouraged to invite their family and friends around the globe to join them by watching the video stream.
Local residents are invited to “Plan on coming directly from church on April 29,” said Karen Hawkins, local coordinator and a member of Bible Pathway’s staff. “Starting at 1:00 p.m., we’ll have hamburgers and hot dogs with drinks and dessert. Bring a blanket or lawn chair & plan to sit a spell as there will be music all afternoon. Gospel groups and choirs will provide old time Southern Gospel and Praise music.” Hawkins went on to say that, “We have declared opening day as Youth Day, and have scheduled ‘Danny’ and his lady friend, Mary Dodson, a ventriloquist, as part of the entertainment. Young people will open the Bible reading during the first 6 hours of the marathon, beginning at 6:15 p.m. that evening.”
Reading times are still available by contacting Bible Pathway at 896-4243. Families, clubs, groups and churches may choose to reserve a block of one or more hours to give various members an opportunity to read together. In the past, the youngest reader was a 2 year old being home schooled and the oldest has been about 90. Not just because of its international scope but to demonstrate that the Bible is for all people and all languages, Hawkins is asking for readers in languages besides English to bring their Bibles and read. There are usually at least half a dozen languages represented but the Pathway staff is praying for even more this year.
