Central United Methodist Church will be among hundreds of churches worldwide, including seven in Mississippi, to host the Tim Tebow Foundation’s Night to Shine celebration event in February 2025.

Night to Shine is a prom event for people with special needs hosted annually by local churches on the Friday before Valentine’s Day. The event, open to anyone living with disabilities ages 14 and older, is free for attendees.

Central UMC is partnering with the Community Foundation of East Mississippi to bring Night to Shine to Meridian on Friday, Feb. 7, said Sabrina Williams, the church’s director of children and family ministries.

She said the church offers an adult special needs ministry and is actively involved in The SPOT, or Special Place For Others To Thrive, so hosting Night to Shine seemed like an ideal event for Central to host.

“I attended a Night to Shine event last year in Brookhaven, and it was just a magical night,” Williams said. “It was the coolest thing I have ever been to in my life.”

She said organizers hope to have between 75 and 100 guests, from ages 14 up to senior adults, from the East Mississippi area in attendance for the event.

Started in 2014 as a unique way to celebrate the Tim Tebow Foundation’s fifth anniversary, Night to Shine has spread to churches worldwide. According to the foundation’s Facebook account, more than 720 churches in 50 states and 56 countries hosted this year’s prom events, with more than 80,000 guests and 150,000 volunteers participating.

Each host church is responsible for planning and hosting their own event with support and resources from the foundation.

Williams said many of the host churches include some of the same activities in their events, including a red carpet entrance, limousine rides, makeup stations, karaoke, gifts, dancing, a special separate room for parents and caregivers, and a crowning ceremony where each guest is honored as a King or Queen.

“They will get to walk the red carpet when they arrive at the prom. They will get a boutonniere or a corsage. They will have their hair done and their make-up done. There will be dancing and a lot of other fun activities,” she said. “We are hoping to be able to use the trolley and have limousine services available.”

A dinner and event will be held separately during the prom for the caregivers, she added.

Other Mississippi locations for Night to Shine 2025 include Hillcrest Baptist Church in New Albany, Grace Bible Church of Oxford, North Greenwood Baptist Church in Greenwood, Easthaven Baptist Church in Brookhaven, Temple Baptist Church in Hattiesburg and Woolmarket Baptist Church in Biloxi.

Central will need lots of volunteers to help organize and host the prom event from planning and decorating to serving as a buddy for the night to doing hair and makeup to helping serve food to registering guests to providing security.

“Each guest is paired with a buddy for the night, so we will need volunteers to serve as buddies. We will also need volunteers to help with doing hair and makeup and to serve as the paparazzi, those playing the crowd on the red carpet,” Williams said.

A committee meeting will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday in the fellowship hall at Central United Methodist Church in downtown Meridian for anyone who is interested in volunteering or sponsoring the event.

Anyone who would be willing to volunteer for the event or would like to be a guest to Central’s Night to Shine, can find more information at the church website at centralunitedmethodistchurch.org/night-to-shine. Donations for the event can be made at Central UMC or by going to the Community Foundation of East Mississippi website and clicking on the Give Now tab and looking for the Night to Shine listing.