If you’re going to throw a party…. Guests were whisked from their cars for a high-energy red carpet walk complete with escorts and paparazzi. Once inside, participants chose from a variety of activities including “The Glitz and Glamour Room,” which offered shoe shines, a personal makeup artist and an array of jewelry selections, and “The Picture Room,” which produced top-quality pictures of guests and their escorts, courtesy of Dave Krehl Photography. The dance floor featured tunes such as “Carolina Girls” and “Celebration,” and in the banquet hall, ice sculptures surrounded a mouthwatering dessert buffet. When asked if he enjoyed the event, guest Adam Dunaway replied with an enthusiastic “Yeah!” as he pumped his arms in the air to the beat of the music, he said that his favorite part was the dancing.
The idea for the Joy Prom began with a question. Student pastor Greg King asked himself, “If we shut down the ministry doors tomorrow, would we have made a real difference for anyone?” He didn’t like the open-ended answer he came up with; so in response to his own question, King embarked on a mission to find an activity to reopen the church’s doors to the community. After learning about a church in Raleigh that held an annual prom for individuals with special needs, King proposed the idea to the events director at Carmel Baptist, Leslie Wilson, and their collaborative process began. The joy of prom More than 240 members volunteered as servers, makeup artists, shoe shiners and paparazzi and nine businesses donated more than $9,000 for the event. King’s excitement bubbled over as he explained, “I’ve been a minister for 10 years and I’ve never felt the electricity or excitement that I’ve felt tonight.” Wilson explained how the experience has affected the volunteers and participants. “It showed us all we are blessed with an amazing community. Just seeing the guests’ reactions and their faces as they walked down the red carpet, the excitement when they took their prom photos and the true happiness that radiated off the dance floor is beyond words. All we wanted was for guests and members alike to get a glimpse of God’s love,” he said. King, fueled by the success of the event, assured that the Joy Prom will be planned for next year as well.
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