Group holds Bible-reading Marathon in Washington

WASHINGTON — A religious group spent the daytime hours of Sept. 6-8 in Washington’s square last week, spreading out around the park to read their Bibles aloud from cover to cover, in what they called a Bible-reading marathon.

Organizers said the tradition dated back around seven years, after a group reading Scripture aloud in the Des Moines Capitol Building inspired others in all 99 counties.

“Out purpose is to get it into the atmosphere, change the spiritual atmosphere,” Washington County Bible Reading Marathon Chair John Hartmann said. “It’s the same thing the prophets did in the Old Testament … Heaven, we’re bringing it down here and spreading it in this environment that we’re in.”

Hartmann said he was convinced it worked.

“It has been a real life-changing event for a lot of people,” he said. “There’s been a definite change in the atmosphere, I’ve seen … people change. That’s why we do it.”

Participation fluctuated throughout the week, but Hartmann said it never dropped to zero during their scheduled hours.

The tradition has changed a little since its first iteration. Earlier years were set up outside the Washington County courthouse where readers shared one book. Today, the annual affair is held on any public property available, and participants are allowed to bring their own unabridged bibles.

“The Latino community down here doesn’t read English — and we don’t read Spanish — very well,” Hartmann said. “They couldn’t read the one that was in English, so we said, ‘You can read on your own, as long as it’s a real Bible,’ … and we’ve been doing that ever since.”

There are different strategies for the long haul event. Many, including Hartmann, break their reading into 30-minute sessions. Others simply show up and read however much they have time for. Participants are only held to one rule.

“It takes about 78-80 hours to read the whole thing,” he said. “You can read however many you want as long as you have the Bible. And we ask that you take your Scripture out here in the park and read it aloud. It has to be read aloud so it can be put into the air, the same as the prophets did.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com