Nearly 150 staff and members with First Baptist Church Mandeville, Louisiana, gathered inside the worship center to read all the way through the Bible during the last weekend in March.
Held for the second year, “Our Eyes on your Word” began at the end of the congregation’s Wednesday midweek worship and concluded Sunday morning.
Men, women, boys and girls of all ages read passages aloud for an hour at a time around the clock.
Pastor Ronny Cooksey read three times during the marathon: Genesis 1–2, Ezekiel and Revelation 22. The church live streamed the entire event so members and others could tune in and be encouraged any hour of the day.
‘Unique’ experience
The 78-hour event was “low budget but highly engaging,” Cooksey said.
“It wasn’t very flashy, yet was so fun,” he told Louisiana’s Baptist Message. “On the one hand, it’s about lifting up the Lord’s Word and devoting a weekend to just elevating His Word. And then we had a team accomplishment feeling, where long-time and even new members came together for a fun event.
“When I announced the event last year, I wondered if there would be enough interest,” he continued. “To my joy, the response was much better than I could have hoped. Everyone loved it and wanted to do it again this year.”
Event coordinator Clint Caughman, a layman who works in logistics for the Marines, read 20 chapters of Genesis and then again with his daughter, Kallie, from various chapters in Matthew and Mark.
“It’s a great event that everyone seems to enjoy,” he said. “No matter what people end up reading, they all have a unique and meaningful experience.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Brian Blackwell and originally published by the Baptist Message.
