Bible lovers around the island will have an opportunity to read the Bible non-stop for an entire week under the Torii Gate in the International Bazaar beginning Sunday.

The North Bahamas Confe-rence of Seventh-day Adventists is hosting the seven-day Bible Marathon set to commence at 3:00 p.m. on September 13 and conclude on Sunday, September 20.

An invitation is being extended to church members, friends and even community leaders to participate in the round-the-clock reading for a a total of 15 minutes consecutively.

The concept is to encourage Christians of every faith to become students of the word of God, engage in regular devotion which fosters a desire to know Jesus personally and to experience a one-on-one relationship with God, Pastor E. Byran Tinker, president of the North Bahamas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, said yesterday at a press conference.

"Follow the Bible is an exciting and inspiring initiative of our World Church, which of course incorporates our conference here in the Northern Bahamas. It is an initiative that appeals primarily to members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church but also to Christians of every faith," he said.

Pastor Tinker added that the "Follow the Bible" project provides more than just a scriptural reading plan and the goal is to make personal devotion a way of life.

He pointed out that the Bible is the most neglected book in the world today, and there is evidence of this neglect in our homes, schools and society and it is manifesting itself in the decadence of Christian morals and principles.

"Today we're delighted to report that in an effort to further assist in bringing greater focus to the study of the word of God, our Church has printed a very special Bible," Pastor Tinker announced.

The Bible is written in more than 60 different languages and is presently crisscrossing the globe and travelling through all of the church territories as a symbol of commitment to personal Bible study and spiritual renewal.

He added that it will be in The Bahamas in December of this year.

The last chapter of this journey takes place in the North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventists World Church from May 31 through June 29.

The multi-language Bible will be presented to Pastor Jean Poulson, president of the Adventist World Church, during the opening ceremony of the 2010 General Confer-ence Session in Atlanta, Georgia.

Last evening, the North Bahamas Conference held a special joint prayer service at the Freeport Seventh-day Adventist Church, where special prayers were offered on behalf of the leaders of the country and the entire Bahamas.