Richard Froese
South Peace News
Easter will be celebrated April 20 and a tradition that started in High Prairie about two decades ago is back!
People in northern Alberta and around the world are invited to join the Holy Week Bible Reading Marathon online April 13-17.
Readers of all denominations are welcomed to read the Bible aloud in one-hour blocks on Zoom and Facebook in the 100-hour marathon, organized by the Anglican Diocese of Athabasca.
St. Mark’s Anglican Church in High Prairie started the event about 20 years ago.
From the book of Genesis to Revelation, the Bible will be read from April 13, Palm Sunday at 1 p.m. to April 17, Maundy Thursday at 5 p.m.
Held for many years in the local Anglican church, the upcoming event marks it’s fifth year as a worldwide tradition.
“We encourage people of all denominations to be part of this wonderful endeavour to read and spread God’s Word throughout the world,” says the Rev. Deacon Peter Clarke, of High Prairie, who initiated the marathon.
It was opened to the world online in 2021 after the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions closed churches in spring 2020 during Easter.
Each person reads for a one-hour time period and starts reading from where the previous reader ends.
“We encourage readers to use their own Bible translation and read in the language of their choice,” Clarke says.
“In the past, we have had many readers use a great variety of languages, which show the great diversity of the family of God.”
He invites people to view the marathon online.
“It would be a great time to get the family together to watch or come together as a group,” Clarke says.
“You might see readers from many parts of the world such as Africa, Europe, England, the Philippines and more.”
In early March, he learned about the worldwide impact of the marathon.
“A couple of years ago, a woman from Manilla in the Philippines came to read and she thought it was such as wonderful event that she has convinced the Episcopal Church in the Philippines (ECP) to do a similar event,” Clarke says.
It runs for the five days during National Bible Week, a national holiday in January, and is designed to spread the Word of God across the country.
“The (ECP) copied our Bible marathon titled Bible Reading Relay,” Clarke says.
However, instead of individuals reading the Bible from their homes or elsewhere, they do the reading inside their churches with members participating as readers and other listeners and the event is live-streamed on Facebook and Zoom.
He notes the event that started in High Prairie has inspired churches to do a similar event.
“From a small town event so many years ago, it has become a means of getting another country to find a unique way to share God’s Word,” Clarke says.
For more information or to sign up to read, visit the diocese website at athdio.ca.