A Prom for Everyone
I hear them. No, not the voices in my head. The murmurs around me of those who don’t approve of the size of my church. You can tell they don’t want to offend me, but sometimes it still slips out. Once you have buildings the size of airport terminals, there’s definitely something unnatural about it. Sometimes these murmurs make me squirm a bit—am I supposed to feel badly? Would I be a better Christian if I went to a more reasonably sized church? Maybe one more the size of the one I grew up in. I agree that my church is not for everyone and that’s ok. But I haven’t gotten to the point yet why it’s a bad thing that this many Christians gather together under one roof each weekend. Heck, let’s face it, there’s always something going on at the church—whether it’s Thursday afternoon or Sunday morning. And I love that. I love being a part of something much much bigger than myself. When I start to squirm, I remind myself that where much has been entrusted, much is expected. My church has resources like crazy—people, money, connections, visibility, etc. And with those resources, much good is done.

One of the most amazing things my church provides, with God’s heart, is service to a large special needs community. Throughout the year, a “Jesus Party” is held each month. From the church’s website, “Jesus Parties are once-a-month events where those who are mentally and physically challenged can socialize, have fun and focus on God. ‘It's basically a 2 and a 1/2 hour party,’ says Brewster McLeod, Special Needs minister.'” The ultimate Jesus Party is held every November and is appropriately named the Jesus Prom. An insane amount of preparation, volunteers (about 700!) and donations each year make it possible for hundreds and hundreds of special needs adults from all over central Kentucky to put on a tux or a prom dress and, for at least one night, be treated like kings and queens.

On Tuesday night, instead of having our regular Life Group time at someone’s house, a few of us met up at the church. All this week, the attendees of the prom can come to the church and pick out the tuxedo or dress they are going to wear a few weeks from now. We worked in the girls area, helping each lady to pick out a dress in her favorite color, everyone in the room fawning over how great they each looked. During this process, I couldn’t help but think about my recent trips to go bridal gown shopping. I had the nagging conviction, “Every girl should get to do this at least once.”

My very first lady was named Sue. Just taking a guess, she was probably about 65 years old. She was very sweet. Quiet, but obviously happy to be there. I haven’t been around adults with special needs all that much, and felt nervous at first. How much was I supposed to help? Did she need help getting dressed? After all, I didn’t want to offend her. I took my cues from those working around me, and Sue and I were getting along fine in no time. She beamed as we all told her how pretty she looked. Sue picked out a gorgeous red satin dress, and we also spent some time together perusing the shawls, purses and even bracelets to find ones to match. We found some comfortable black shoes she could wear that would match her outfit better than her normal tan ones, but that she could still walk around in for the evening. As she put her orthopedic shoes back on, she spoke to me for the first time without prompting.

Sue: You won’t believe it, but this is my first prom.
Me: No! Well, it’s about time you got to go! You’re gonna have so much fun.
Sue: My mom wouldn’t let me go to my graduation prom. She said, “No! You can’t go!” But she can’t stop me from going to this prom.

At this point, I really was only able to nod my head. I was too busy trying to keep the tears from spilling out. It was most likely the 1950s when Sue was a teenager, and I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that back then those with special needs were probably not treated like valuable members of the community. It’s 50 years later, but here is Sue, feeling just like a teenager again. And this time, thanks to God’s love, she finally feels like she fits in.

The inspiration for the Jesus Prom is Luke 14:12–14: "Then Jesus said to his host, ‘When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’”
www.southlandchristian.org, keyword: jesusprom