Everyday from 10am to 10pm, 14-19 July 2025
From Genesis to Revelation, come and take part in reading or listening to the Bible at Bognor Regis Methodist Church. The week long event is part of the centenary celebrations of the church at Waterloo Square. It will bring together people across the town and further, and readers will include the Mayor of Bognor Regis.
The event is part of initiatives to bring people together in the community and mark the 100 years of outreach and presence the church has had within the town and beyond. People who have volunteered to read come from the town and surrounding areas, from a variety of churches, community groups, shops, and more. The event in the main church building will be open to all, and there are still places available to take part in the reading, help with the welcome, or assist with refreshments.
Organiser Ray, says the purpose of the event for him is to: “Grow our church in the heart of the community, be part of the spiritual growth of the congregation, and to proclaim the great commission.”
He adds: “I describe it as the four Ps: from the pavement, to the porch, from the porch to the pew, from the pew to the pulpit.
“Come one and all and and hear the word of the Lord.”
Can you help?
You can still be part of this event, and there are lots of ways to take part.
- Bible readers – there are still some spots available and there is support for anyone nervous about reading out loud. There will be seats for anyone who would prefer to read whilst sitting.
- Welcome team – to meet and direct the public
- Tea and cake team – to serve tea and coffee
- Donations welcome – tea, coffee, sugar, squash, milk, biscuits, cakes
If you would like to join in, contact the volunteer organiser Ray on 07794 202884.
Ray is particularly keen to hear from other churches in the area as this is an ecumenical event. People from the other churches under the leadership of Revd Tongayi Matamba will be taking part in the event, as well as representatives from Greenways, the Living Word Bookshop, some of the members of Bognor Churches Together, and New Day Church.
Ben Leney, from Bognor Churches Together, said: “It is a great event. There is particular power in reading Scripture out – we are recognising that it is on a different level to every other book, and it is a blessing to all who hear it.’
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The direct link to this story to share with others https://bit.ly/BRMCbibleread2025
We hope that people will on the seventh day join a service at Bognor Regis Methodist Church or any of the local churches to hear and read Bible readings as part of the many services available locally.
Thoughts from the Revd Tongayi Matamba on the centenary events
The year 2025 marks the 100 years of the Methodist building in Bognor Regis town. As the congregants celebrated this historical event there were several activities that were carried out. Among them was the services that was held on 6 April 2025, led by the President of the Methodist Church. This was followed by various other activities, including a bake-off judged by the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Sussex, a musical concert, Lego church, and history talks and displays. We were able to share the history of the building and Methodism during the last 100 years, based from the building at Waterloo Square.
One cannot afford to forget the specially-commissioned play that was done in the sunken garden which was very well attended and was very memorable.
Now we are in July and looking towards the Bible reading week from the 12 to 19 July 2025. This will be a week rooted in the teachings of John Wesley about the ‘Bible moths’. This exercise will run from 10am to 10pm each day with people reading the Bible for 30 minutes each to the general public who come into the church.
The term “Bible Moths” became a badge of honour, symbolising a life-centred on Scripture and spiritual discipline, and it helped lay the foundation for what would become the Methodist movement, spiritual discipline and methodical practice The group’s methodical approach to Bible study, prayer, fasting, and acts of charity earned them the nickname “Methodists” as well as “Bible Moths” for their voracious appetite for Scripture. This structured program should become the hallmark of revival, emphasizing personal holiness and disciplined spiritual growth.
I expect that this is a time of the theological awakening of the group’s intense spiritual searching which will lay a the groundwork for the transformative experiences .
Interview with event organiser Ray
Reading the entire Bible in six days! There have been different ways of sharing the Bible with prayer events, Bible study groups and workshops, reading it in groups and many more. But in July 2025, it will be read in six day chunks of 12 hours a day right here in the centre of Bognor Regis, a bustling seaside town on the south coast of England.
Why read the Bible live?
Ray, who was inspired to run this event in the town, said: “I am a member of Bognor Regis Methodist Church, and we were asked last year to put forward ideas to celebrate our 100th anniversary in our current building off Waterloo Square. I came up with the idea of reading the Bible out loud across a week, going from Genesis to Revelation, and to invite the general public to come and listen!”
It will take 6 days to do
from Monday 14 July-Saturday 19 July 2025 – 12 hours per day,
10am – 10pm!
He added: “I have wanted to do this for sometime. The late, famous international minister, Dr David Pawson from Guildford Baptist Church read the entire Bible way back in 1972! Then, it was read within its church among the congregation. I am very community-minded and thought, “Wouldn’t it be a good idea to read it aloud and invite all of Bognor Regis to come and hear it!”
The Methodist Christian tradition was inspired by John Wesley’s teachings and evangelism. The event follows on from this inspiration.
What’s it been like planning such a big event?
How much time and planning the idea of a live Bible reading week would take came as a surprise to Ray, but he is determined to encourage as many people as possible to take part and as the event approaches, is very excited about the event.
He said: “It is a huge undertaking! I never realised just how much time and effort it would take to get it underway. I have a folder almost a foot thick with all my preparations, letters and planning. It’s the biggest project I have ever done!”
What can people expect if they come to listen?
We asked Ray. He replied: “I’ve given this a lot of consideration, and realised that what the listener needs context to navigate their way through the event – whatever time of day they decide to come. So when people come in they will immediately notice a large screen at the front of the church. It will show which of the 66 books of the Bible is being read, a bit of background information about the text, and lots of pictures!”
If you come and listen to the live readings, you will be able to easily know which book is being read and its purpose, the dates and times in history it refers to, and the main characters.
The church is keen to make the event as accessible as it can, so there will be different locations set up where people can do their readings, including some seated. The person reading will give the chapter name they are reading from so listeners can follow along in the Pew Bibles kept under every seat in the church.
What do you hope will be the impact on the local community?
Ray said: “I faithfully believe that the Bognor Churches Together organisation, which includes other Christian churches in the area, together with the public in general can make this centennial anniversary event something to remember for years to come.”
Ray added: “I believe that it will have a ripple effect. Spiritually, reading the Bible out loud is very powerful. Doing so, will bless the churches reading it, those hearing it and the wider Bognor Regis community. What comes to my mind is a the verse in, Matthew, Ch.18 V.20: ‘Where two or three gather in My name, there I am also.’
So I beseech Bognor Regis with a Clarion Call to:
“Come One and All – Hear the Word of the Living God.”
How did the idea for a Bible Reading Week in Bognor Regis come about?
Ray said: “Early on, after I had made Bognor Regis Methodist Church my home, I heard one of the most powerful sermons of my life. It was uttered by an elderly retired Minister. When he started to speak I was gripped. His powerful voice was at odds with his frail demeanour! He spoke about evangelism and what it meant to a Methodist. Everything!
“Revd Anthony G. Trevithick said our congregation was out there, on the Pavement. He said we had work to do to get them past the Porch, into the Pews and hearing life-changing sermons from the Pulpit.
“Now the Pavement is the street. The Porch represents all the thousands of hirers we’ve had pass through the church over the years, but who never stay or return to sit in the Pews to listen to God’s Word from the Pulpit.
- How could we jumpstart a new era of revival in the seaside town of Bognor Regis?
- How do we re-dedicate the Methodists in Bognor to another 100 years of diligently serving the Lord?
- How do we become the living embodiment of the evangelists, as demonstrated by John and Charles Wesley, who both left a library of rousing worship songs and a legacy of hope for the lost.”