Project 7:14: Churches of Georgia coming together for Statewide Bible Reading event

Churches of Georgia are interlocking hands to read and appreciate the Good Book and to acknowledge that its lessons know no bounds. 

All around the state of Georgia, these churches are joining together for a Statewide Reading of the Bible on Monday, July 14, at 7:14 a.m. at their respective county courthouses. Each church will read a different excerpt from the Bible, and any church or Christian interested in participating are encouraged to do so.

Local pastor Rev. Curt Lysaker will be in charge of the reading here in Dublin. He is the pastor of Shady Grove Baptist Church, but he emphasizes that this event has nothing to do with being a Christian or a church’s denomination. The event is for all churches and denominations to engage with the Gospel together. 

“Of all the counties in the state of Georgia, every county, there will be someone at the courthouse steps reading Scripture,” Lysaker said. “Each county has a different passage that they read, and ours is going to be first Kings chapter 8 through chapter 12.”

The event is known as the 7:14 project, which comes from Second Chronicles 7:14, which reads: “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

This is why the event begins at 7:14 a.m. and why it takes place on July 14. Each county will have its passages read by many different people, with each person reading around 5-10 verses. 

The idea for the event was originally brought about by  Cochran resident Jerri Tuck. She began the idea seven years ago, and Lysaker has been involved for six years in Laurens County. Lysaker stated that the Gospel advises that Christians get the word out to all people. A specific example of success has been Bleckley County, where hundreds people have come out each year for this event in the past. 

“It’s just an amazing way to get Christians to come together, get churches to come together and it doesn’t matter what denomination someone is,” Lysaker said.

“I’m Baptist, but we’ve had Nazarene churches come, we’ve had Catholic churches come, we’ve had Pentecostal churches come. It’s not about the church, it’s about being a follower of Jesus.”