Contact: Peggy Nienaber, 202-546-8329
WASHINGTON, April 29, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Reverend Rob Schenck (pronounced "Shank") will spend four hours reading the Bible from the West Terrace of the US Capitol on Monday morning, April 29, from 4:00 to 8:00 AM, in spite of the forecast for rain. The reading is part of the 90-hour, uninterrupted US Capitol Bible Reading Marathon, now in its 24th year, which runs from April 28 to May 2.
Schenck, 54, is an ordained minister of 30 years and, since 1994, a missionary to top government officials in Washington, DC. His organization, Faith and Action, located a block from the Capitol Building, is a co-sponsor of the Marathon event. Schenck is also chairman of the Evangelical Church Alliance, America's oldest association of independent evangelical clergy.
Each year scores of volunteer readers from around the country are joined by members of Congress in reading from a Bible-shaped podium at the same spot where the presidential inaugural platform is constructed on Inauguration Day and where newly-elected presidents swear the oath of office.
Rev. Schenck said, "Even at hours when no one is likely to be listening, and in weather when people are not likely to be outside, it's important we continue reading. Reading the Bible non-stop, outdoors, no matter what, at the seat of American politics and government is important because it's both about declaring this eternal truth and about our First Amendment freedoms of speech, religion, and association. Constitutional rights are like muscles, if you don't use them, you'll lose them. The Marathon is a robust exercise of the First Amendment, which helps all Americans, not just believers in the Bible."
The main sponsor of the event is the International Bible Reading Association of Murfreesboro, Tennessee and is under the local direction of Pastors Michael and Terry Hall of the People's Church of Camp Springs, Maryland.
Schenck can be reached on site at 202-656-1252, or, during business hours at 202-546-8329. For more information visit www.faithandaction.org, www.dcbiblemarathon.org, www.ecainternational.org, or en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Schenck.
