Banquet day is one of my favorite days of the year!" said Janelle Heying, executive director of Teen Central. "To see so many people gather together to hear about what God is doing through the people and ministry of Teen Central and to feel how many supporters love, pray for and deeply care about the future of the youth who we serve daily is a powerful and beautiful experience."

Teen Central's annual banquet will be held on Tuesday, March 10, at The Junction Center, 1875 Junction Road, Manheim. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m., and the event will run until 8:30 p.m. The meal will be served at 6:30 p.m.

Country Home Catering will provide a buffet dinner. Dessert will be provided by Amy's Mixing Bowl, which will offer a variety of homemade whoopie pies, and Kreider Farms, which will provide an ice cream sundae bar.

The banquet will feature guest speaker Kori Pennypacker, CEO of Bible2School. With more than 25 years of experience in children's ministry and leadership, Pennypacker believes in the power of building community relationships and the importance of spiritual training for youths.

"We are so excited to have Kori come and share with us this year," Heying said. "Teen Central and Bible2School have been ministry partners for quite a few years, and our ministry and mission have a lot of similarities especially as it relates to our hearts in reaching children and students with the love and Gospel of Jesus Christ. Kori is an amazing speaker that has a clear and abundant passion for sharing Christ through speaking."

New this year, "Powering Our Mission" will take the place of the event's full auction, although a few silent auction items will still be available to bid on.

"The goal of this new interactive addition to our banquet is to align attendees' hearts and giving interests with the needs of our ministry to make a deeper and more meaningful impact not only to their generosity, but in the lives of our youth," Heying explained. The initiative will take place through an interactive display throughout the night and will provide opportunities for people to give to the organization in specific, targeted ways.

While the banquet is free to attend and no giving is required, the event is Teen Central's biggest fundraiser of the year, Heying noted. Along with participating in the "Powering Our Mission" initiative, people are invited to sponsor a table of up to eight seats.

"This is a great way to invite new and old friends to join you for a night of hearing what God is doing at Teen Central," Heying said. "When people sponsor a table, we will also include their organization/business logo and other advertising information on our big screen throughout the night and in our banquet program."

A time of giving will also be held at the end of the evening.

"This gives attendees an opportunity to partner with the mission and vision of Teen Central in our town through their financial gifts," Heying remarked. "They will have had the opportunity to do this in specific ways through our 'Powering Our Mission' display, but for those looking to simply partner with our ministry, this is a great way to do so. All proceeds go directly into our ministry and to the youth that we serve."

Teen Central is a Manheim-based nonprofit organization serving students in grades five through 12 with free programming.

"Our goal is to provide spiritual development and quality life experiences for the youth of our community," Heying explained. "We do so by providing weekday programming, special events and other opportunities for youth to gather in and outside of our youth facility. It is our hope to provide positive activities, mentoring relationships and to promote social, intellectual, emotional and spiritual growth."

Teen Central provides life skills training; spiritual input sessions; activities such as sports, cooking, crafts, games and gardening; daily Bible studies; and snacks and meals.

"Our organization wouldn't be possible without our faithful and generous volunteers, staff and supporters," Heying said. "God is doing big things at Teen Central, and I have seen Him powerfully transform brokenness and beauty. I see young leaders being formed and encouraged, students thinking of others' needs before their own and genuine and kind youth discovering their gifts and using them to impact those around them."

Heying hopes anyone who is interested in supporting Teen Central will come to the banquet.

"Whether you know nothing about our organization and how we serve our community and are simply looking to learn more and get a glimpse of what we do, or you are a longtime supporter and encourager of the work happening inside and outside of our walls, it is a wonderful time to gather and hear stories of transformation from the past, present and dreams for the future of Teen Central," she said.

People may register for the banquet individually, in small groups or by table. To register, call 717-664-2990 or email info@teencentralmanheim.org. Registration is requested by Sunday, March 1.