ALLENTOWN (BRN) – For nearly five years, Riverbend Community Church of Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania has partnered with its community to present a “Night to Shine.”
Night to Shine is a nationally recognized event sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation that is committed to celebrating people with special needs. The event aims to provide a prom night experience for individuals with special needs in communities, such as the Lehigh Valley, across the country.
Prior to pandemic times, Riverbend Community Church held a traditional Night to Shine prom, but in order to keep everyone safe this year, the church partnered with Faith Church, another church in the Lehigh Valley community, and hosted the first ever “Shine-Thru Parade.”
“We also have been, this last year, taking a strategic step to partner with another church called Faith Church and that’s allowed us to do more Kingdom work together,” said Riverbend Community Church lead pastor Joe Velarde.
He continued: “So, we’re sharing in the load of the leadership [and] they’re leveraging their space – their building – which is a really nice facility. So, we’re seeing it really come together in really profound ways and really making a deep impact.”
The parade was held on Feb. 5 at Faith Church. The event gave special needs individuals in the Lehigh Valley community a chance to drive the red carpet, get their picture taken without leaving their car, and be celebrated by their community.
“You know, the Scriptures say, ‘More blessed to give than to receive,’ and we have found that not only are we blessed that we give, but we receive so much from these people that we’re serving. They teach us a lot about life and what matters most,” said Velarde.
Riverbend Community Church and Faith Church are already planning for next year’s Night to Shine event. To get involved with the event or to find out more about the Lehigh Valley Night to Shine visit https://www.nighttoshinelv.com.
2022 A Night to Shine Recap:
*Video provided by Riverbend Community Church.
