On Marathon Sunday, November 2, New Yorkers will gather for a “Marathon of Prayer & Praise” to support the runners at a church directly on the marathon route. Bethlehem Lutheran Church is hosting an inter-denominational service to pray for the runners as they safely continue their way through Brooklyn and the other boroughs.
The events start at 8:30 a.m. for an appropriately high-carb pancake breakfast in Bethlehem’s Fellowship Room. Activities continue at 9:30 when congregants from six different churches gather to cheer on the runners and sing along with The Young Acolytes Steel Drum Band and choir on the steps of the church, Fourth & Ovington avenues, or, as it’s better known, “Mile 3.5.” Activities conclude with a worship service inside at 11:30 a.m.
In addition to Bethlehem Lutheran Church, the unique event is co-sponsored by the Bay Ridge United Methodist Church, Bay Ridge United Church, Leif Ericson Day School, Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, Salem Lutheran Church, and Union Church of Bay Ridge. This is the fourth year various churches near the start of the marathon are gathering together on Marathon Sunday.
The Rev. Paul H. Knudsen, Pastor of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, will officiate at the Marathon of Prayer & Praise service.
Bethlehem Lutheran Church is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
