$3 Prom: The Why and How

 

Because we want teenagers to have an opportunity to see Jesus with skin on. We want teenagers to have a party that they can invite their friends to, even if they aren’t able to have a party at their own home. 

 

I loved going to parties as a teenager. We lived in a smaller townhome and every time my sister and I tried to have a party something would get broken or the neighbors would call the cops because we were being too loud. 

 

So why not give them a party that they don’t have to worry about getting in trouble for. Something safe, fun, clean, and ultimately leads to conversations that involve caring adults, other Christian teenagers, and learning tools that can help them as their growing up?

What we do:

• We talk about it for a couple of months in advance. 
• We decide on a cause that teens can rally around. $3 for something they care about is their entry to the prom (Keep in mind that we don’t really keep track. If a student doesn’t pay, they come in anyway.)
• We utilize social media. All the while we are tending an viral-ness. We want foster an “you invite your friends because you are actually excited about going to this thing” type of feel.
• We get them excited about dressing up in tacky stuff, thrift store items, promish items are recommended but there really aren’t rules to free or cheap. Just have fun with it. 
• (Note: I usually wear something ridiculous the week before to get them talking and thinking. I’ll give away my outfit to a lucky winner as a doorprize the week before and have a few other guys and girls outfits on hand to give away in advance.)
• We encourage the kids to ride together. There’s a red carpet feel. 
• We emphasize that you don’t need a date. 
• We ask a church member to be “the photographer” to do group prom pictures, set up a photo booth from iPhone/ instagram photos and provide props.
• We have cotton candy (renting a machine is cheap) and a “candy bar”. Just look up “candy bar” on pinterest and recruit your biggest DIY dude or diva to pull it off for you.
• We recruit a DJ that plays music during the walk-in. It’s good to pre-select some songs.
• We schedule a band that comes does some cover songs for us, clean main-stream stuff, and a few worship songs that wouldn’t be too heavy for teens who are new  worship.
• We have a short message, prayer, and one or two worship songs that a new student whose never been to church before can begin to understand and think about. 
• At the end of the program we give students an opportunity to get to know God, to be forgiven if they’d like to be, or to be set a part, to recommit their hearts, or to let us know if they’d like to be baptized.