WRITE OF CENTER
Several weeks ago, I was fortunate to attend an incredible event held at First Baptist Church of Boerne called Starlight Ball.
Starlight Ball began four years ago when Cathy Smith imagined creating a prom for Boerne area students and adults with special needs and developmental challenges.
The program has grown from 65 participants in the first year to 100 this year. Each attendee is matched with a volunteer buddy, many of whom attend the same school.
Starlight Ball consists of a variety of things, starting with a photo shoot of the attendee and their buddy, followed by a dinner, a limousine ride from the dining hall to the gym where the dance is held. Prior to entering the dance hall, participants walk up a red carpet as they are introduced to a wildly cheering crowd of admirers.
It takes about 100 volunteers to assist with the setup and delivery of the event with all expenses paid by FBC, which has created this event as one of its ministries.
Cathy shared with me the comment that one participant made, saying that this event literally changed her life. This echoes what a parent of a student told me – that this was a day where her child felt very special, and it meant the world to her that so many people would volunteer their time to make her happy.
Cathy also mentioned that the first Starlight Ball inspired one Boerne High School student, Maddie Gerbes, to form a club to support students with special needs.
Cathy summarized things by stating “What a testimony of what God can do to change people’s lives for the better.” I marveled as I watched the volunteers work and the participan ts enjoy themselves. me, this is a great example of Boerne at its best; people helping other people. We are truly blessed to live in a community where so many people are giving of their time and treasure to support others.
Sadly, however, there is a flip side to this coin: The worst of Boerne.
What I am referring to is the increasing tendency of various Facebook sites in our town that bring out the worst in people.
While the administrators of these sites may have started out with the best intentions in attempting to create community dialogue, they have descended into a snake pit of nastiness and meanness that is not reflective of our wonderful community.
Whether it be politics or any other topic, people say hurtful things online that I suspect they would not dare to share face to face. Folks that slander, present false information and display nothing but classless ignorance should look themselves in the mirror and ask, “Is what I am posting helpful to our community?”
Perhaps this is how these keyboard warriors get their kicks, but it is detrimental to our community to see such divisiveness. It’s behavior like that which leads some to say, “Boerne, gone forever.”
President Abraham Lincoln paraphrased Mark 3:25 in his famous “House Divided” speech where he stated, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” The phrase “Satan divides” reflects the idea that division is a tactic used by the devil to create chaos and discord among individuals and communities.
It’s way past time for these keyboard warriors to offer a heartfelt repentance of their actions. They do not represent the overwhelming majority of the good people of Boerne.
It has been attributed to the British statesman Sir Edmund Burke, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.”
The message to the good people of Boerne is simple: Rise up and denounce those who seek to divide us and unfairly castigate others, and lead by example the good life that each of us are called to lead.
We live in a great community comprised of wonderful people; let’s shake off the negativity to focus on all the things that make our community exceptional.
Rich Sena is a resident of Boerne and a member of the Republican party.
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