FSU Navigators Valentine’s Day Banquet 2008
Saturday night was the second annual Valentine’s Day Banquet planned and hosted by the men in the Navigators ministry here at FSU. I have to admit that when the students first started planning this thing I thought it would be awfully difficult to top last year’s event. But I have to say that they did a great job making this year unique. I’m really proud of all of our guys. Let me take you through the evening.
The official start time was at 5:30, but there were guys setting up and cooking at the Wesley Foundation’s fellowship hall as early as 2:00 in the afternoon. My friends Jacob and Shaun were in charge of decorations and table settings, Zack and Lee were our master chefs, and Chris and Bryson headed up the activities. There’s something important to notice there: the staff men were not in charge of anything! Everything that happened was a result of the hard work of our students.
My favorite part of the whole evening was the beginning. All the men present sang an a cappella rendition of the song My Girl, though the lyrics were changed just a bit.
I’ve got sunshine
On a cloudy day
When it’s cold outside
I’ve got the month of MayWell, I guess you’d say
What can make me feel this way?
Nav girls (Nav girls, Nav girls)
Talkin’ ’bout Nav girls (Nav girls)I’ve got the best friends
In all FSU
They’re so good to me
And I’m sure they’ll be good to youWell, I guess you’d say
What can make me feel this way?
Nav girls (Nav girls, Nav girls)
Talkin’ ’bout Nav girls (Nav girls)We’re so glad you’re here
So please take a seat
We want to honor you
And give you food to eatWell, I guess you’d say
What can make me feel this way?
Nav girls (Nav girls, Nav girls)
Talkin’ ’bout Nav girls (Nav girls)
After singing we served dinner, which was pretty amazing. Lee and Zack know what they’re doing in the kitchen. Following dessert the men each spoke about a way these women encouraged us, which I know was special to them. The evening concluded with a few hours of dancing. Mark Pullen was kind enough to come out and give us some swing dance lessons. We danced until around 10:30, and I think most everyone there would have kept going through the night.
The men stuck around late to clean up all the dishes, the kitchen and the fellowship hall. I got home at around 12:30 AM. A long day, but well worth it.
This banquet is a bigger deal than just another party or Nav event. It is so important for men to realize that women deserve to be honored and edified for who they are. Chris and Bryson, who served as the evening’s emcees, each said that even though this was a Valentine’s Day banquet that the hope wasn’t that we as men would only take one day each year to act this way. I speak for all of the men involved when I say that we really do want to make this an attitude of our hearts that comes naturally in our day-to-day interaction with women.
Success and failure are relative terms, but if the goal was to honor and uplift the women we invited then as best as I can tell we accomplished that goal. I hope we do this again next year.