Members from area churches participated in an activity earlier this week during which they read parts of the Bible aloud – a simple act with profound effects. And although the idea didn’t originate here, there are definitely ties to Vance County.
Lois Murphy, a member of First Baptist Church in Henderson, has helped organize this effort for the past few years – at least six, she said in a telephone interview Friday.
Murphy said nine churches in the Henderson area participated on Wednesday, May 4, but she would be very happy to have more join in. “We try to add some each year,” she explained. Island Creek Baptist Church joined for the first time and were given Lamentations and part of Hosea to read, according to Pastor Johnny Yount.
Each church is assigned a different section of the Bible to read aloud, Murphy said. Her church was assigned Genesis and Exodus, the first two books of the Bible. She and a partner began the day at 8 a.m. and read, taking turns, for 15 minutes until their hour was up. Then two different readers came in and continued until the two books were completed.
One church began at 6 a.m. and continued on until late in the afternoon, she said. Although they didn’t read the entire Bible in one day, Murphy said past participants have said the experience was meaningful.
“We feel that the word of God is very powerful,” she said, “and if we read it to Him, He will listen.”
One church reported that sickness among some participants prevented them from completing their entire reading assignment, so they saved the parts that had not been read and the children and youth finished the readings when they met. “I think that is just marvelous,” Murphy said.
The read-aloud project is intentionally held on the day before the National Day of Prayer, which was observed on Thursday, May 5 this year.
“We would also like to include other towns or other areas,” Murphy said, “because this is something that we don’t care to keep to ourselves.”
Murphy said she is passionate about this project, which she learned about a number of years ago from someone who was friends with the Rocky Mount woman who inspired the project.
And here’s where the local connection comes in: In January 1982, Janice Gravely successfully landed a private plane in a field in northern Vance County. But she wasn’t the pilot – her husband was piloting the plane and suffered a heart attack mid-flight. Gravely was injured, but she was able to crawl to a nearby home to get help.
Gravely wrote a book about this life-altering event which became the catalyst for the project to read the Bible aloud. Gravely died in 2020 and her daughter is continuing her mother’s efforts, Murphy said.
“She said that God spoke to her and asked her to start a day when people would read the Bible aloud,” Murphy said. Gravely’s obituary stated that she created the project as a way to declare the importance of the Bible in our nation’s life.
She died in December 2020 at the age of 99.
Gravely’s book is titled “Won’t Somebody Help Me!” She would have celebrated her 101st birthday Monday, May 9.
Interested in participating in next year’s event? Contact Murphy at 252.432.0681.