By Erin Smith
Vertical Church and their Bladen County location are planning a special evening for those with special needs. The church will join more than 500 other churches around the world that will host “A Night to Shine 2019,” which is sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation.
The event is planned for Friday, February 8, from 6 until 9 p.m. at The Venue at White Lake. Night to Shine is an unforgettable prom night experience, centered on God’s love, for people with special needs ages 14 and older, hosted by local churches in all 50 states and across the globe all on one night. Vertical Church is excited to be a part of this worldwide movement that God is using as a catalyst to change how culture embraces people with special needs and to rally the church worldwide to stand up for those who are differently-abled.
“It is something we have really had a desire to do,” said Pastor Brandon Meadows.
Pastor Meadows said Vertical Church has quite a few physically handicapped kids attending in Elizabethtown and Lumberton. He said the church was originally planning to host the event in Lumberton but due to Hurricane Florence, they decided instead to host it in Bladen County.
Pastor Meadows said, this year, the Vertical Church had an opportunity to partner with the Tim Tebow Foundation to offer the Night to Shine event.
Pastor Meadows explained that everyone who attends the event will enter on a red carpet complete with a warm welcome from a friendly crowd and “paparazzi.” Once guests are inside the event, they will receive the royal treatment! This will include hair and makeup stations, shoe shining areas, limousine rides, corsages and boutonnieres, a catered dinner, karaoke, prom favors, and a dance floor. Pastor Meadows said all of this leads up to the moment when each guest is crowned king or queen of the prom.
“Everyone gets a crown and a tiara,” said Pastor Meadows.
He added that those who may be wondering about attire, beginning January 2019, there will be two drop-off locations for people who wish to donate dresses. They will be located at First Bank located on West Broad Street and Taylor Manufacturing located on Us 701 South. Drop off hours are Monday through Friday during normal business hours. Donations will be accepted January 2 through January 18. Pastor Meadows said he is also working on tuxedo rentals for the men, as well.
“I am blown away by how we are seeing God use the Church to step into this space as an advocate for people with special needs. It’s not about my foundation or the churches themselves, but about communities coming together to love and celebrate people with differences. Every town, every village, every state, every country needs a Night to Shine for their special needs community – a chance to be a part of something significant and life-changing…and to be blessed in the process,” said Tim Tebow, founder of the Tim Tebow Foundation.
Pastor Meadows said this is the fifth year for the Tim Tebow Foundation to offer the Night to Shine event but said it is the first year Vertical Church has been in a position to take part.
In 2015, when A Night to Shine kicked off for the first time, 44 host churches and 15,000 volunteers created a night to remember for more than 7,000 kings and queens of the prom. This past February, 537 host churches and 175,000 volunteers came together to celebrate 90,000 honored guests with special needs. Now in its fifth anniversary year, Night to Shine is expected to take place in over 700 locations this coming February.
For additional information on the Night to Shine hosted by Vertical Church in Bladen County, call 910-258-5852, or visit them at www.govertical.org
For more information on the worldwide movement of Night to Shine, sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation, visit: http://www.timtebowfoundation.org/index.php/night-to-shine/
About Vertical Church
www.GoVertical.org
ABOUT TIM TEBOW FOUNDATION
The Tim Tebow Foundation exists to bring Faith, Hope and Love to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour of need. That mission is being fulfilled every day through the foundation’s seven areas of outreach, including W15H, Timmy’s Playrooms, Orphan Care, Adoption Aid, the Tebow CURE Hospital, Team Tebow and Night to Shine. For more information
on the Tim Tebow Foundation, please visit www.timtebowfoundation.org.
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