North Henderson Baptist Church is looking forward to being a part of what arguably may be considered the biggest prom night in the world. The church is one of more than 700 locations across the globe that will be hosting “A Night to Shine” on Friday, Feb. 9 and the Rev. Eddie Nutt said prom attendees should expect to get “the absolute royal treatment.”

Sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation, “A Night to Shine” is in its 10^th year of providing a prom experience for individuals with special needs, Nutt said on Tuesday’s TownTalk – a segment of society often overlooked when it comes to fun stuff like proms and such.

The prom is for individuals 14 and older with special needs, Nutt explained. They’ll walk the red carpet, get a limo ride around the block and enjoy an evening filled with food, music and dancing – with photographers and videographers on hand to capture those special moments. The prom will begin at 6 p.m. and will end about 9 p.m.

And all this is “to show them the love of Christ,” Nutt said, “that they are loved and they do have value.”

The goal is to have 75 folks attend the prom, and Nutt said there will be a respite room for parents or other caregivers who may want to stay close while their loved ones enjoy a few hours of music and dancing.

Please register by Friday, Feb. 2 so organizers can plan to have enough food and nametags – not to mention crowns and tiaras.

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That’s part of the “royal treatment” Nutt referred to – each prom goer will get a crown or tiara to proclaim them kings and queens of the prom.

“They will get the absolute royal treatment – it’ll be an event that they’ll remember for the rest of their lives,” Nutt said.

Register on the church website www.nhbcnc.org or phone 252.438.8012. Find the registration here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdl_ZNpdQs-TSeAmAuu49azr-n5WhnejlHKKhrZRHBJhhNXTA/viewform

North Henderson Baptist Church is located at 1211 N. Garnett St. in Henderson.

Nutt has been pastor at North Henderson Baptist Church for about three years, but he’s been thinking about how to minister and reach out to individuals with special needs for more than 10 years.

Each time he’d pray about it, read up on it or talk to others at the Baptist State Convention, he said God would speak to him and say “not now.”

But over the past few months, “God has flipped the green light, indicating the time is now,” Nutt explained.

He got a nudge from a woman back in the summer who asked if her special-needs granddaughter could attend the church’s Vacation Bible School.

Her question, specifically, was: Would her granddaughter be welcomed?

That set the wheels in motion for not only the Night to Shine prom, but also a new ministry called Jesus’ Buddies. The half-hour service is at 9 a.m. on Sundays and is specifically designed for special needs youth and their families.

The program uses puppets and lots of visuals to help youngsters with learning challenges “grasp the message and understand the love of Christ,” Nutt said. How many pastors use a flannel board and moveable biblical figures to reinforce their message? Nutt does.

During Tuesday’s program, a caller had nothing but high praise for the Jesus’ Buddies service and said her grandchild is looking forward to attending the Night to Shine prom next month.

“What a blessing North Henderson Baptist and the congregation have been to me and my special needs granddaughter. Rev. Nutt and his wife and the congregation are so friendly…they are such a blessing.”