Jesus Prom — A night out for those with special needs provides a safe social outlet

Story by MORGAN SIMMONS

All prom nights are special, but some are more special than others. Imagine a red carpet and black limousines, with couples hitting the dance floor beneath flashing lights. It’s a night where everyone is crowned a king or a queen and no one arrives without a date.

Welcome to Jesus Prom, a night for people with special needs hosted each spring by Glasgow’s Highland Hills Community Church. Now in its fourth year, the event is open to anyone with special needs or disabilities, young or old. The evening begins as the participants arrive and pair up with volunteers from the church and community who serve as their escorts. Then comes a catered dinner and, after that, a limousine ride around the block, followed by a red-carpet entrance back at the dance.

THE MAGIC OF JESUS PROM

Chad Lockhart, pastor of Highland Hills Community Church, says the magic of Jesus Prom has spread throughout the entire community. “It’s just so much fun,” Lockhart says. “Everything happens at the site. As the participants get out of their limousines, people are cheering and snapping photos like paparazzi. They’re treated like rock stars. Once they come down the red carpet, they dance the night away.”

In past years, Jesus Prom has taken place at Red Cross Elementary in Glasgow. This year’s event will be at Highland Hills Community Church, thanks to a recent expansion of the church, which had its beginnings in 2010 as a small Bible study in the basement of Chad and Amanda Lockhart’s home. The couple had attended Hillvue Heights Church in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and wanted to establish a similar ministry in Glasgow.

After a few weeks, the Sunday evening study sessions in the Lockharts’ basement were drawing over 60 people, and it was time to move. The couple began renting a larger space in town, and on March 6, 2011, Highland Hills Community Church was born. The church welcomes everyone regardless of race, age, socioeconomic status or religious background.

TRUE OUTREACH

“We try to be the type of church that reaches folks other churches can’t reach,” Lockhart says. “We believe Christ is a priority in our lives and that everything is built around him — not just putting him first, but putting him central. Our philosophy is that if we can equip people with the gospel of Christ, they can go into their communities and be agents of change.” Highland Hills Community Church draws about 300 congregants every Sunday. Over 350 people have been baptized in the church since 2011, and it continues to build its outreach by hosting community events throughout the year. In addition to Jesus Prom in the spring, the church holds a Summer Fest celebration at Ralphie’s Fun Center and a fall event that provides an oil change and a car wash free of charge to single mothers. “The last thing I see the Bible telling us to do is to huddle in the corner and wait for Jesus to come back,” Lockhart says. “We want to serve the community, not just by doing good works but also by sharing the gospel. That’s the most important thing.”

Hillvue Heights Church in Bowling Green is Highland Hills Community Church’s mother church. Hillvue Heights began hosting Jesus Prom years ago. Lockhart says he is not sure how the celebration originated. “It’s one of those

A SAFE EVENT

Jini Payne is a Glasgow mom with three daughters with special needs who have attended the local Jesus Prom from the start. Angel is 21, Katie is 22, and Amanda is 24. “They absolutely love it,” Payne says. “They get their hair done at home, although they have volunteers at the prom site who offer to do that. My daughter and daughter-in-law help, painting toenails and putting on lipstick. I don’t have to do anything but dress them and get them there. They get a crown, have their picture taken and get to enjoy a nice meal. If someone doesn’t have a date, they get paired up with someone. No one is left sitting around in the bleach- ers by themselves. At the end of the prom, when they’re rolling up the red carpet, my girls will still be out there, talking to their friends.”

Jesus Prom offers Payne’s daughters a rare opportunity to hang out with their friends with special needs in a safe and loving environment. “They can go there and not feel different,” she says. “Nobody is looking at them or giving them special treatment. It’s a good way for them to have the same activities as the rest of us, like going to a fancy wedding or an office Christmas party.”

Just as Jesus Prom provides a special night out for the participants, it also gives the parents a welcome respite from the constant demands of caring for their children with special needs. Payne calls it a rare night of peace.

“I can’t just leave the girls off at a concert or most events,” she says. “It’s a safety thing. With Jesus Prom, I know they’ll have people watching them, and they’ll be OK. It’s a night out for us. We get to spend a few hours knowing our daughters are happy and in good hands. At least for a little while, we get to come home and listen to the peace and quiet.”

Photos courtesy of Leslie Kidd Photography.