Bible Reading Marathon ends as National Day of Prayer Begins

May 5 is designated as the National Day of Prayer, but the days leading up to it were just as special at Tuscaloosa First Baptist Church. That’s where more than 300 volunteers spent about 80 hours straight reading through the entirety of the King James Bible.

From Genesis through Revelation, the eighth annual Bible Reading Marathon wrapped up outside the church around 10 p.m. Wednesday after volunteers read in 15-minute shifts.

Reader Cyndi Wilson said that with so much going on in the world, it’s important that they focus on what’s important.

“If we don’t repent and humble ourselves, then we set the example,” Wilson said. “I think it starts there. Our nation is in serious need of Christ.”

Another reader, Greg Rogers, said it’s a blessing to read the Bible in public.

“This is an opportunity,” Rogers said. “We still live in a country where we can read publicly, so we want to be able to do that.  In the Book of Revelation Chapter 1:3, it says to bless those who read the words of the prophecy and bless those who hear it.”