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January 2016
Spirituality
Discovery church to host prom for those with special needs Discovery Community Church is one of the more than 100 churches worldwide that will host Night to Shine, sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation, simultaneously on Friday, Feb. 12. Night to Shine is a prom night experience, centered on God’s love, for people with special needs, ages 16 and older. This worldwide movement is already set to take place next year in 41 states across the nation and seven countries around the world. Every guest of Night to Shine will enter their prom on a red carpet, complete with welcoming friendly paparazzi. Once inside, guests will receive VIP treatment including hair and makeup stations, shoe shining stations, corsages and boutonnieres, a karaoke room and of course, dancing! The highlight of the night will come when every one of the Night to Shine guests is crowned as a king or queen of the prom. “We are honored to be able to work with so many churches across the county and around the world to impact the lives of people with special needs,” said Erik Dellenback, executive director of the Tim Tebow Foundation. “After such an amazing response to the inaugural event held in 44 locations earlier this year, our prayer is that this event will one day change the face of Valentine’s Day weekend from simply a celebration of love, to a celebration of God’s love for people with special needs.” As sponsor of Night to Shine, the Tim Tebow Foundation will provide each host church with a detailed instruction manual, a Prom Kit complete with
Spiritual Reflections
Prayer reaffirms Divine consciousness Individuals with special needs, ages 16 years and older, may participate in Night to Shine, a prom night experience. Submitted photo
decorations and gifts for the guests, financial support and individualized staff guidance. During Night to Shine 2015, 44 hosts churches and 15,000 volunteers worked together to honor the more than 7,000 kings and queens of the prom. This year, the host churches are expected to see more than 20,000 people with special needs at prom all at one time around the world. For more information on this worldwide movement and to support the continued growth of Night to Shine with a donation, visit: http://www. timtebowfoundation.org/index.php/
night-to-shine/ For additional information on the Night to Shine hosted by Discovery Community Church, visit www.discoverycc.org. The Tim Tebow Foundation exists to bring faith, hope and love to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour of need. That mission is being fulfilled every day through the foundation’s seven areas of outreach, including W15H, Timmy’s Playrooms, orphan care, adoption aid, the Tebow CURE Hospital, Team Tebow and Night to Shine. For more information on the Tim Tebow Foundation, visit www. timtebowfoundation.org.
Gilbert, Chandler residents send holiday joy to children in need worldwide Thousands of children experiencing hardship in countries all over the world received Christmas gifts in December, thanks to the generous donations from the Gilbert and Chandler community. Residents packed empty shoeboxes with small items like toys, school supplies and hygiene items for Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse that sends gifts to children living in difficult situations around the world. Late last year, Gilbert and Chandler volunteers and residents contributed to the Southeast Phoenix Valley Operation Christmas Child Area Team collection of more than 12,000 shoebox gifts for the annual local project.
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For those who missed National Collection Week, you can still get involved. Through the Samaritan’s Purse website, you can virtually “pack” a shoebox, allowing anyone with a computer or mobile device to provide a tangible gift to a child a world away. At www.samaritanspurse.org/ buildonline, visitors can select a child’s age and gender, shop through an online selection of culturally relevant gifts, and finish by uploading a photo and writing a note of encouragement to the child who will receive it. After the shoeboxes are packed and sent by the Operation Christmas Child team, participants can discover where in the world their gifts
will be delivered. It is a convenient yet meaningful way to join in a project that brings hope to children in need. Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has delivered gift-filled shoeboxes to more than 124 million children in more than 150 countries and territories. In 2015, Operation Christmas Child hopes to deliver gifts to another 11 million children. For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, call (303) 745-9179 or visit www. samaritanspurse.org/occ.
When I pray, I draw upon the spiritual gift of creative imagination, affirming Divine consciousness. I affirm that divinity is all there is. I experience spiritual courage, pure joy, profound peace, laughter, wisdom and the spontaneity to enjoy life. It is often easier to recognize Divinity in others than to see our own unity with the Divine. But through prayer and connection with my Creator, I become more aware of these same Divine attributes in myself. God is, I am and we are one! How can I be filled with anything less than infinite intelligence, magnificence, power, and love? The Rev. Julianne Lewis, pastor Interfaith CommUNITY Spiritual Center Share your Spiritual Reflections The spiritual leaders of Gilbertarea churches, temples, mosques and other religious and spiritual gathering places are invited to contribute their Spiritual Reflections in essay format by sending their thoughts, enlightening insights and other writings of a spiritual nature to news@gilbertsunnews.com. Be certain to put “Spiritual Reflections submission” in the subject line. Include your first and last name, title and facility name, address, phone number and website. Spiritual Reflections are printed on a space-available basis, and submission does not guarantee print. The opinions represented in this column are those of the author and not that of the Gilbert Sun News.