Unlike the several thousand expected there this evening, just a handful of people gathered in a wet and mist-shrouded Long's Park just after dawn today.

But even in the park's stillness at the start of this National Day of Prayer, the grass wet under your feet and the trees shrouded by gloom, "we just want the word of God to go out," Ricki See, of Lancaster, said.

That's because, "no matter what the circumstances are in your life, the answers are in here," she said, holding the Bible in both hands and pointing with her nose to its pages, opened to the Old Testament.

So even though there were just a few more than the biblical "two or more" who gather in Jesus' name there at the time, See and Betty Luzar were making sure God's word went out.

The two are co-coordinators of a Bible-reading marathon at Long's Park, one of many Lancaster-area aspects to the 58th annual observance of the prayer day.

The volunteers who came early today to read under a small white tent near the park amphitheater stage "are our starters," Luzar said, sounding a bit like a baseball manager discussing pitchers.

"As the day progresses, the number of people increases, and we have some people who just show up" and are then asked to read, she said.

Later, by about 10 a.m., the number of readers had grown to about 20 people, Luzar said.

Long's Park is a focal point for the annual prayer-day gathering, which generally enjoys one of its largest turnouts in the nation here in Lancaster County.

There was an all-night prayer-and-worship service at the park Wednesday. The event continues today with an all-day "Prayer in the Park" and a children-and-family service at Long's Park through the day.

It will be capped by this evening's "Celebration of Prayer" with keynote speaker Beth Moore, the well-known Bible teacher, author and TV personality, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the park on Harrisburg Pike.

Luzar, of Conestoga, and See were at the park before today to coordinate the volunteer reading of the Bible, a 12-hour effort that ends at 5:30 this afternoon and requires many hands (actually, voices) to make it work.

And "even though we're coordinating it, we're reading, too, so we can get as much read as possible," Luzar said.

Formerly a 24-hour effort, the Bible-reading has been shortened to 12 hours, but Luzar still has a database in her computer with the names of some 250 possible volunteers.

The two women met one year at a National Day of Prayer "prayer walk," got to be friends, and, without the other realizing it, both went to county NDP chairperson Dona Fisher and volunteered to coordinate the Bible reading.

And when people read, Luzar explained, "we switch around" and they get to read different parts of the Bible, so nobody has to read, say, just the tedious chronology of the Gershonites and the Kohathites in the Old Testament.

Luzar was dressed in a bright-orange blouse for her part tonight with a 150-voice community choir (choir members were told to "wear something bright") that will perform at tonight's main rally.

It also will include music from well-known worship leader Travis Cottrell.


Staff writer David O'Connor can be reached at doconnor@LNPnews.com or 481-6033.