Newsjournal of the Baptist State Convention of Michigan | September 2023 | Volume 67, Number 9
WARREN CHURCH TO HOST 'NIGHT TO SHINE' PROM
Melissa Kiger - Warren Woods Baptist Church
WARREN, MI — Warren Woods Baptist Church announced they will serve as one of the more than 200 churches around the world to host Night to Shine. Night to Shine is an unforgettable prom night experience, centered on God’s love, for people with special needs, ages 16 and older. This worldwide movement is already set to take place next year in 48 states across the nation and 7 countries around the world, and the numbers continue to grow. The event is sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation, simultaneously on Friday, February 12, 2016.
Every guest of Night to Shine will enter their prom on a red carpet complete with welcoming, friendly paparazzi. Once inside guests will receive VIP treatment including hair and makeup, shoe shining, corsages and boutonnieres, a karaoke room and, of course, dancing! The highlight of the night will come when every one of the Night to Shine guests is crowned as a king or queen of the prom. Larry Q. Allen, Senior Pastor at Warren Woods, says, “We believe God has called us to engage the world. Night to Shine offers us a great opportunity to engage one of the most neglected segments of our society.” Warren Wood’s Night to Shine Coordinator, Jaime Boyse adds, “We just feel like this is a population that doesn’t always feel welcome in the typical church environment. We want everyone to feel God’s love and feel like royalty.”
Warren Woods Baptist Church in Warren, MI. (Photo courtesy of WWBC)
“We are honored to be able to work with so many churches across the country and around the world to impact the lives of people with special needs,” said Erik Dellenback, executive director of the Tim Tebow Foundation. “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 sponsor of Night to Shine, the Tim Tebow Foundation will provide each host church with a detailed instruction manual, a Prom Kit complete with decorations and gifts for the guests, financial support and individualized staff guidance. During Night to Shine 2015, 44 hosts churches and 15,000 volunteers worked together to honor the more than 7,000 kings and queens of the prom. This year, the host churches are expected to see more than 20,000 people with special needs at prom all at one time around the world.
For more information on this worldwide movement and to support the continued growth of Night to Shine with a donation, visit: www.timtebowfoundation.org/index.php/night-to-shine/. For additional information on the Night to Shine hosted by Warren Woods Baptist Church, visit www.warrenwoods.org.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Melissa Kiger is a volunteer and the 'Night to Shine' coordinator for Warren Woods Baptist Church. She is a special education teacher at Fitzgerald Public School in Warren, MI and served as a Southern Baptist IMB Journeyman in Johannesburg, South Africa from 2001 to 2004.
