March 10, 2008
Reading the Good Book from cover to cover
By O.C. Stonestreet
The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
— Psalm 19: 7,8
The Rev. R.C. Redmond Jr., of Sweet Home Baptist Church got a call from his boss 31 years ago. No, not from the head of the Board of Deacons, not from the President of the Southern Baptist Convention (Sweet Home is an independent Baptist church). The boss. You know, the man upstairs.
The boss, Redmond felt, wanted to know why Redmond, who had been calling himself a minister for about 10 years, had not read all the Scriptures.
Redmond had no ready excuse and so he began to read. Of course, he had read many chapters before, and had memorized favorite verses, but he had never sat down and read the Holy Bible cover to cover. He persuaded his wife, Helen, to read it, too.
And while he was at it, he thought that this might be a good challenge for his 400-member congregation at the Union Grove church.
And 31 years later, the pastor and his flock are still at it; 35 members read through The Good Book during the year 2007 and were recently recognized during a Sunday morning worship service.
“If you start reading on New Year’s Day, and read four chapters every day, you’ll get through the Bible around the third week of October,” said Redmond. “Of course, some chapters are longer than others, so sometimes you could read more than four at one time and finish a little sooner.”
“We had 32 readers last year, and I think 28 or 29 for the two years before that. We had two elderly ladies in the congregation, both since passed away, who read it and then started reading it through again right away. I think one of them read it seven times in one year. Of course, they had more time to read than most folks.”
Althea Moore, who grew up in Union Grove but now lives in Davidson and makes the 50 minute drive to Union Grove on Sundays, read the Bible through for the first time last year. Her mother has read it numerous times and encouraged her in this project. Her husband, she says, also was very supportive.
“It was Christmas of 2006,” she said, “when our church’s missionaries spoke at Sweet Home. There they were, devoting their lives, serving the Lord in Africa. When I thought about what this couple was doing, it made me feel very, very small.
“I don’t sing in the choir or teach Sunday school, but I thought to myself that I could read the Bible, all of it. It’s absolutely wonderful and I plan to read it all the way through again. I didn’t want to get done.”
She continued, “There’s so much wisdom I didn’t know about in there, and I want God to take the wisdom I’ve learned and to make me a better person.”
As Moore read she met some old acquaintances. “You remember all the old Bible stories they told you in Sunday school? Well, I’d be reading along and all of a sudden I would realize I’m reading one of the old Bible stories, but I’m reading the real version. It covered it so much better.”
Josh Tomlin, 34, of Olin, is a life-long member of Sweet Home Baptist and has started to read the Bible all the way through several times unsuccessfully, but “made the commitment, no matter what” to read it this past year.
“It makes you appreciate God a little bit more, to see how everything is part of His plan. The theme, each book in the whole Bible, points to Christ.”
Tomlin said he is reading it again currently, but in a little different order, reading part of the Old Testament , Psalms and the New Testament each day.
His final word, “Nothing is in there by happenstance.”
Although there are numerous translations and editions, the King James Version is the only Bible used at Sweet Home. “We feel it is the best translation and we don’t allow any other version to be taught or preached in our church. This was decided in a church business meeting,” Redmond said.
“I like to challenge people to read the Bible in its entirety. You don’t want to go to Heaven and face the Lord and hear Him say, ‘You didn’t even read my book through.’ ”
Redmond feels that having read the Scriptures so many times it has strengthened him in the pulpit as well as many in the congregation.
“When I preach, you can hear a pin drop. Visiting ministers often will comment on how quiet the congregation is here. I do think it’s because of having read through the Bible.”
Although the church is located about a mile inside of Wilkes County, Redmond, an Iredell native, says that about 90 percent of the congregation lives in Iredell County.
Interest in what the 120-year-old congregation is doing has not been confined to the Union Grove community.
“Quite a number of people, not only in the Union Grove, but in town, will stop me and ask me how many readers we’ve had this year,” he said.
