By Cynthia Grau/WJEZ News
“Night to Shine” sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation is coming to Pontiac, February 9, and volunteers and donations are being accepted through the end of the week in preparation for the big event.
Authentic Church in Pontiac will be the local sponsor of this worldwide event, and Pastor Shawn Jensen said it was an easy decision for the church to make, as, according to the foundation’s website, the night is an unforgettable prom night experience, centered on God’s love for people with special needs ages 14 and older.
“We open our doors all the time to the people in the special needs community already on Sunday and we just figured seeing all these other churches around the world that we thought, hey, why don’t we try something like this. Sure enough, we applied and they said they’d love us to be a host church as well as all the other churches doing that the same night. So that was just kind of our heart was just to say, hey, we’re not just here to be in our community – we’re here to be in our community and we’re just hoping relationships will be made from here that will go beyond just this night,” Jensen said.
People can visit the church at 902 W. Custer Avenue during regular business hours through Friday for guest registration, formal wear donations and to sign up to volunteer. They can also be reached by calling 815-419-2196. Online registration information is also available at facebook.com/authenticil.
