The 8th annual Bible Reading Marathon ended at noon Thursday with Troy Mayor Jason Reeves reading the concluding verses.
The Bible Reading Marathon, hosted by the Salem-Troy Baptist Association, opened at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Gazebo on the square in downtown with the reading of Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” and was planned to end with the reading of Revelation 22:21 “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”
But for the first time, the Bible Reading Marathon ended in the chapter of Romans.
“We were challenged this year,” said Ken Baggett, director of missions for the sponsoring Salem-Troy Baptist Association. “We had wind and rain and lightning like I had never seem before and had stop reading for several times.  But we were successful in visibly presenting the Word of God in the community.”
Baggett said the Bible Reading Marathon publicly proclaims the Word of God.
“Isaiah 55:11 tells us that if God’s word goes out, it shall not return void,” Baggett said. Those who are readers in the Bible Reading Marathon say they find it comforting and uplifting to read from God’s world in a public venue.
“They also say they are encouraged and blessed by the interaction with those who sit and listen to God’s word being read,” Baggett said. “Those who have issues in their lives find comfort and reassurance in God’s word.”
Although the Bible Reading Marathon is hosted by the Salem-Troy Baptist Association, it is a community-wide event.
“The Bible Reading Marathon is open to anyone who wants to participate,” Baggett said. “We had 250 readers, including church and civic groups and individuals. We do ask the readers to read from the Bible we provide. This year, we read from the New King James Bible.”
Baggett expressed appreciation to all who worked behind the scenes to make the Bible Reading Marathon possible, the readers, those who came to listen and to the City of Troy for providing the venue and the sound equipment.
The Bible Reading Marathon in Troy was one of hundreds held across the nation on Thursday including the 25th annual U.S. Capitol Bible Reading Marathon on the steps of the nation’s capitol.