After two years away, Lee Hanks said Dayspring Baptist Church in Mobile was so thankful to have Night to Shine back at their church Feb. 10.
“It was amazing,” said Hanks, Dayspring’s connections pastor. “We know all individuals are created in the image of God, and everybody has value. Some statistics say more than 15% of the population are individuals with some sort of special need, and this gives us the opportunity to celebrate them.”
Night to Shine — an event sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation for people with special needs aged 14 and up — was held as a drive-thru event called a Shine-Thru for the past two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It returned this year in its original prom-style celebration, which started in 2014.
Dayspring was one of eight Alabama churches that were new or returned to the host list this year, raising the total from 10 in 2022 to 18 for this year’s event. The list included Thorington Road Baptist in Montgomery, Valley View Baptist in Tuscaloosa, Bethel Baptist in Dora and Agape Baptist in Scottsboro, all of which hosted drive-thru events during the pandemic.
It also included CrossPoint Church in Trussville, Valley Creek Baptist in Hueytown and Mount Pleasant Baptist in Blountsville.
Around the world, 600-plus host churches in 46 countries hosted Night to Shine 2023. Each Night to Shine event starts with a red carpet walk for each guest and includes a dance floor with a DJ or band as well as other ways to enjoy the evening, such as a limo ride, hair styling and makeup, karaoke and a photo booth. At the end of the evening, each guest is crowned king or queen.
‘Really excited’ to be back
Angela Washington, who coordinates Night to Shine for Bethel Baptist, said though her church loved the Shine-Thru events, they were “really excited” to be back in person.
“I think everybody was very thankful,” she said. “You could hear that all the way around from guests to parents to volunteers. There’s just not a replacement for being able to love on people in person.”
Washington said they had an outpouring of local support, from students volunteering to be buddies for the guests to businesses donating services and goods.
She said they also had one parent make the decision to follow Christ while at the event.
“That in itself made it all worth it,” Washington said.
Carrie Jones, who coordinates CrossPoint’s Night to Shine, said it was “neat to get to hear the parents talking and see them reconnect with each other and talk about how they’ve missed one another and how their adult children have missed the connections.”
CrossPoint, which took a break from hosting the event in 2021 and 2022, had its biggest crowd yet when it brought the event back this year — 140 guests compared to around 90 in 2020.
Jones, who works with students and adults with special needs every day at school or church, said one of her favorite parts of the event is watching the volunteers catch the vision.
“For our volunteers who have never worked with individuals with exceptional needs, sometimes they wonder if they are equipped to meet their needs,” she said. “I tell them God handles all that — just be a friend. And the volunteers leave with so much joy. It’s such a night of celebration and joy.”
Hanks said for Dayspring, the event was a chance to love people well, and it brought 200 guests and 400 volunteers through the church’s doors.
“Our mission is to give every man, woman and child as many opportunities as we can to hear and see the gospel,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to celebrate them and show the community we care.”
For more information about Night to Shine, visit timtebowfoundation.org/night-to-shine-2023.
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