Bible-Reading Marathon Tradition Continues at OBU April 17-18

Students and faculty members of OBU, as well as representatives of the Pottawatomie-Lincoln Baptist Association and leaders in the Shawnee community, will continue the tradition of a New Testament Reading Marathon, April 17-18 at OBU.

The public reading of the entire New Testament, which will involve an estimated 300 students, faculty members, community members and eight reading coordinators, will begin with an opening ceremony at 8:30 p.m. on April 17 in the  student lounge of the Geiger Center.

A two-hour lunch break and picnic will be held on April 18 with a closing ceremony scheduled for 6 p.m. The event is open to the OBU and Shawnee community members, and participants may come and go.

This year's marathon leads up to a one-year renewal celebration following the tornado that struck OBU and the Shawnee community on April 19, 2023.

The Bible-reading marathon, which began as a Shawnee event in 2004 by Dr. John Nichols, involved reading the entire Bible in a three-day span. Nichols served as associate professor of mathematics at OBU from 1997 to 2014. The marathon was moved to the OBU campus in 2005.

For more information about the event, go to plba.org.