The First Baptist Church of Salisbury in North Carolina has just been chosen by the Tim Tebow Foundation as the venue of their "A Night to Shine" prom, an event dedicated to individuals with special needs.
The event will be held simultaneously in 100 different churches around the world on Feb. 12, 2016, WBTV reported. In Salisbury, the event will take place at the First Ministry Center.
"I'm just really excited because it's going to be bringing what we are already doing out to the community," said Mary Ann Cody of the Access Ministry at First Baptist. "It's going to really raise awareness about what we offer and about our passion for people with special needs."
Cody was beyond thrilled when she found out that their church has been chosen by the foundation led by former NFL player Tim Tebow to host "an unforgettable prom night experience, centred on God's love, for people with special needs, ages 16 and older."
"It was a very quiet, humbling moment, one of those things where I knew God was involved," Cody said. "It was completely unexpected and it kind of came out of nowhere and it was just one of those things 'okay Lord, you've got it, let's go,'"
"The ministry is definitely not limited to our church," she said. "It's definitely a community outreach event and so we would definitely reach out to have volunteers from outside of our church."
The goal of "A Night to Shine" prom is to make people with special needs feel like kings and queens in the eyes of God. They are treated to a red carpet entrance, with friendly "paparazzi" taking pictures of them as they enter the venue. Once inside, they can get free services at the hair and make-up stations, not to mention shoe shining stations. They are also given corsages and boutonnieres. They also have the option of either dancing or singing at a karaoke room.
Erik Dellenback, executive director of the TTF, said they hope to raise the bar of the event after its successful run this year. Around 15,000 volunteers helped the "Night to Shine" prom happen this year, and they made over 7,000 "kings and queens" happy. Next year, they hope to reach out to 20,000 "kings and queens."
"We are honoured to be able to work with so many churches across the county and around the world to impact the lives of people with special needs," he said. "After such an amazing response to the inaugural event held in 44 locations earlier this year, our prayer is that this event will one day change the face of Valentine's Day weekend from simply a celebration of love, to a celebration of God's love for people with special needs."
As the sponsor of "A Night to Shine" prom, the TTF will be providing each host church with a detailed instruction manual, a Prom Kit complete with decorations and gifts for the guests, financial support, as well as individualised staff guidance.
