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Health & Fitness

Bible Marathoners Experience Spirit-Filled Week

The Bible was read in ninety hours from Genesis to Revelation by 236 men, women and children participating in the Bible Reading Marathon during the six day, five night event.

“Everything good happens because of prayer and nothing good happens without it’ – Watchman Nee

“The Church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state" - Martin Luther King Jr.

”Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight” - Proverbs 3:5-6

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Loudoun Awakening hosted the 6th annual Bible Reading Marathon on the Loudoun County Courthouse grounds in Leesburg.  The readings began at 1 PM on Saturday, April 28. The readings proceeded until midnight each evening and renewed at 6:00 a.m. each morning until Thursday, May 3rd, when the marathon concluded at noon, to coordinate with the National Day of Prayer.

The one hour opening ceremony was facilitated by Patricia Phillips who provided the Welcome and explained the purpose of the public reading of the Bible. The ceremony included a Presentation of the Flag by Boy Scout Troop 982, the National Anthem by Passionate Patriots, Pledge of Allegiance by Reverend Brian Wells, Family Worship Center. Invocation by Bob Wertz, Commissioner of the Revenue, Prayer for Scripture Reading, Reverend Dr. John Peterson, Ashburn Presbyterian Church, Scripture Reading by Susan Volpe, Sugarland Run District Supervisor, and The Message from Bishop John Guernsey, Anglican Church in North America, Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic.

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Sid Fearing from Church of the Holy Spirit Leesburg completed the opening ceremony with the blowing of the Shofar three times. The three blows represent the Old Testament, the New Testament and the combination of the old and new.

The Old Testament lays the foundation for the teachings and events found in the New Testament.  The Bible is a progressive revelation.  The New Testament is only completely understood when it is seen as a fulfillment of the events, characters, laws, sacrificial system, covenants, and promises of the Old Testament. In both testaments, God reveals Himself to us and how we are to come to Him through Jesus Christ and discover all we need for eternal life and godly living.

The opening ceremony was highlighted by Bishop John Guernsey who provided reflections and encouragement.  Bishop Guernsey’s message included a reading from Psalm 19 that cites that the Word of God written in the Bible is more desirable than gold, sweeter than honey; it brings joy to the heart, enlightenment to the mind, and new life to the soul.  “The Bible is truth.  It is the truth.  It has the power to touch and change our lives.  The Bible enables us to know the will of God and to live a life pleasing to Him, because the Bible, all of it, is the Word of God,” Guernsey said. 

Randy Minchew, a resident of Leesburg kicked-off the six day-five night event with a reading from Genesis 1.  Later Minchew said, “I feel really honored to be the leadoff Lector at this year's Bible Marathon.  The public reading of scripture has always been an inspiring joy for me; going back to my days as the Student Leader at my high school's Young Life Club and carrying through to my lay ministry work today at St. James Episcopal here in Leesburg. 

“When we read Holy Scripture aloud and in public, we exercise the two most important clauses of the First Amendment and that is a good thing.  As with our muscles that can atrophy when we do not use them, so can our privilege secured by the Bill of Rights, if we do not exercise them notoriously,” Minchew said.

The Bible was read during the ninety hour event from Genesis to Revelation by two hundred and thirty six (236) people participating in the Bible Reading Marathon during the six day, five night event.  Thirty three (33) of these were children, ages five (5) to seventeen (17). 

Fifty (50) churches, one synagogue (Kehilot Sar Shalom) and organizations, Aglow International, Young Life, Patrick Henry College, church youth groups, Pray Leesburg, Pray Purcellville, Pray Sterling, Voices of Worship, Loudoun Burn 24-7, Community Bible Study (Eastern Loudoun) and Intercessors for America (IFA) attended the days and nights of prayer.

Marathone's came from the countries of: Turkey, Honduras, Germany, India, Pakistan, El Salvador, Korea, China, and Congo Democratic Republic.

Languages heard during readings were Turkish, German, Spanish, Tamil (India), Urada (Pakistan), Korean and English.

The Bible was read through to completion by 8:20 a.m. Thursday morning.  After 8:20 a.m. the Marathoner's chose their own favorite scripture selections until noon when the Bible reading officially ended.

The National Day of Prayer gathered two times on May 2nd: first, from 12 noon to 1 p.m. in the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Room in Leesburg to honor Mayor Kristen Umstattd and Police Chief Joe Price prayer concerns for the city. Pastor Clancy Nixon of Church of the Holy Spirit led pray warriors and intercessors in worship for the noon time meeting.  Both Kristen Umstattd and Joe Price attended the worship service.  Battery Warehouse sponsored the luncheon where those attending could break bread with pastors.

The second meeting evening service occurred at Evergreen United Methodist Church in Leesburg from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. for spontaneous prayer and worship for our communities and our nation.  Both Pastor Chip Giessler (Evergreen UMC) and Reverend Darryl Gilbert (Chapel of the Holy Spirit-Leesburg) led the worship service and music was led by the Evergreen UMC worship band. 

Those attending the evening service prayed for Leesburg and Loudoun County; for God to change the hearts of the people, for salvations, healings, and miracles and for God to reveal His manifest presence among us.  Prayer for the city officials and police, schools and principals, community leaders, government workers, the businesses and the families in Loudoun was also included.  The evening led on to prayer for God’s protection and to end gangs, sex trafficking, drugs, violence, theft, apathy and disrespect for authority.  All had continued prayer for the homeless, jobless, the needy and the hungry.  In the end folks prayed for the churches and for unity among the churches.  All prayed for our teens and for the generations to come, that we would pass the baton of the Gospel to the next generation.

Leesburg Mayor Kristen Umstattd requests community prayer for the following efforts:

Urges parents to spend more time with their children and counsel them wisely.

Be mindful of the almost 1,000 homeless or precariously housed children in Loudoun County.

Support for the Inova Hospital and Backpack Buddies who are helping these children, and assisting to address their needs.

Be aware about the loss of town funding for Virginia regional transit buses. Mayor is concerned about people with no other town transportation.

Pray for Mayor Umstattd to receive God's wisdom, energy, revelation and guidance in performing her duties.

The Bible Reading Marathon would like to thank the donors who graciously supported the six day event:

Bachrach Photography

Battery Warehouse

Freedom Center

Intercessors for America (IFA)

Metro Leather Furniture Restoration

Stockman Title & Escrow

The Worship Center

The BRM organizers thank our sponsor, Loudoun Awakening for helping bring this event to our community for the sixth consecutive year.  For more information visit on line at http://www.loudounawakening.org.

A Final Thought:

Intercessory prayer is the act of interceding to God on behalf of others.  An intercessor is called and gifted to be the go-between, who stands/goes before God to petition on behalf of a person, situation, or need, like the priests of Old Testament.

A prayer warrior is an intercessor, with a gift to do battle employing a strategic mindset, bringing God’s strategy for victory on to the field of battle with an authority that allows them to identify the appropriate weapon(s) required and the know how to get heaven involved.  Prayer warriors may pray for individuals or for an entire city, state, nation or nations.

Both intercessor and prayer warrior have variations of the Lord’s gifting/mantles based on His grace or desire.

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