Community Corner
Members of Local Faith Groups Join in Bible Reading Marathon
A public Bible Reading Marathon near the courthouse in downtown Leesburg is bringing together members of local churches and synagogues to read the Bible from beginning to end.
Members of local faith groups are joining together this week in a public Bible Reading Marathon near the courthouse in downtown Leesburg.
Organized by the interdenominational group Loudoun Awakening, participants are publicly reading the entire Bible, from beginning to end. The readings began at noon on Saturday, April 30, with a ceremony on the courthouse steps, and have been continuing every day from 6 a.m. until midnight. The marathon will conclude with a ceremony at noon on Thursday, May 5, the National Day of Prayer.
“We are building bridges,” said event organizer Annette Scheel of Church of the Holy Spirit/Anglican in Leesburg. She noted that representatives of two Jewish synagogues have participated, along with members of many Christian churches. “This is a Judeo-Christian event,” she said.
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Scheel said that the marathon began on Saturday with a reading in Hebrew from the Book of Genesis. There have also been readings in Spanish as well as English, she said, adding that past marathons have involved hundreds of readers, some as young as five years old, reading the Bible in as many as nine different languages. This is the fourth year the event has been held in downtown Leesburg.
Scheel did not know exactly how many participants had read from the Bible so far this year. “We had about 360 last year, and we will have several hundred again this year by the time it ends,” she said.
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On Wednesday morning, Kathy Monte of Christian Fellowship Church in Ashburn was reading from the Gospel of Matthew. This is the first time she has participated in the marathon.
“I felt the power of God as I was reading the words Jesus spoke,” she said after Stephanie Havener of Christian Fellowship Church had replaced her at the podium. “It really made it feel real to me.”
Monte said that the response from passersby has been very positive. “We get waves, thumbs up, even shouts of Hallelujah,” she said.
Scheel said that the readers usually reach the end of the Bible early on Thursday morning. After that, participants may choose their favorite passages to read.
“We hope that the word of God is reaching those who walk or drive by, even if they only hear a word or two,” she said.
