Joy Prom 2010

This is a post about last year's event. Our church started the Joy Prom in April 2004 and hosted it for several years. Now we host it every other year and seek to partner with another church to host it every other year. We do this for the following reasons:

1. First, it allows for purposeful kingdom partnerships which allow greater community within local churches. Our desire is not that our specific church is seen as great but that God is seen as great.
2. Second, for us, the needs were much greater than one church could handle, so partnerships have allowed us to pool more resources, raise more awareness, and involve more people than any one church could do on its own.

I'll post more about Joy Prom in the future, but I wanted to provide a little context as an intro because I haven't posted about it here before.

Here's what Steve Wright, our pastor of family discipleship and a godly man who I am thankful to call a friend, wrote about last year's event.

This year we enjoyed the company of 500 friends with special needs at our Joy Prom. The idea for this event comes from Luke 14: “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

We had 1200 volunteers that worked tirelessly to make this a night to remember. These events are now held nationwide and have been a special blessing for many families. I thank the Lord for his grace and those who have received it who seek to be the hands and feet of Christ.

If you would like more information on how your church could host a Joy Prom event take a look at this manual for direction. I am grateful for a dear friend* that worked hard to put this manual together as a blessing to the Bride of Christ.

The picture above is one taken of my son escorting a young girl down the red carpet where we have 75-100 volunteers celebrating each arrival. The journey to biblical manhood is a long path but I am so encouraged by the steps he is taking along the way.

*Quick note from Shannon: I am not the friend who wrote this manual, but I can answer questions if you have any!