We Need Your Support!

† Banquet Weekend Volunteers are the hands and feet of Christ for our guests and team.

† Financially Supporting Your Community by online or mail-in donation.

† The Simple Weekend Schedule lets you know when to show up and support a Banquet Weekend.

Financially Supporting Your Bloomington/Normal Great Banquet Community

It has always been the spirit of our community that money is never an obstacle for someone who wishes to attend one of our Great Banquet weekends. To this end, we rely on the donations and support of our Community in order to host our Banquets. Your donation is tax deductible to the full extent of the law as the Bloomington Normal Great Banquet Community is registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) charity (click here to look us up). Please check with your tax advisor to determine to what extent your donation would be deductible for Federal and State tax purposes.
 
There are two [2] typical ways to donate: online via PayPal or via the mail to our PO Box. Each method is detailed next.

Donate via Bill Pay

Most checking accounts offer online bill pay. You can use your online bill to send a donation to your Bloomington Normal Great Banquet Community. Set up the Bloomington Normal Great Banquet Community as a new payee with the following information:

B/N Great Banquet Community
PO Box 707
Bloomington, IL 61702-0707
(for an account number or a notation, please give us your first and last names)

Once setup, simply go to your Bill Pay area of your online checking account and enter an amount whenever you want to make a donation.

Donate via PayPal

When you click on the button below, you will be taken to the PayPal site. If you have a PayPal account, you can login and complete your donation using it. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can still donate with a credit card. On the PayPal page, look for text similar to “Don't have a PayPal account? Use your credit card…” Then click on the link (likely called “Continue” in blue and underlined) and the page should expand to accept your information: credit card, name, address, home phone, and email address. You can then review and confirm your donation and – just like that – you've supported your Bloomington/Normal Great Banquet Community!
 
One thing about PayPal: There are costs associated with it whey you use a credit card. It is our most cost effective way to support online credit card donations. Still, we've been asked “How much extra should I give to cover the PayPal costs?” Well, that depends but the box below will tell you how much total to donate so that BNGB gets a certain amount. Try it and see. Then, when you go to PayPal to donate, you can enter the calculated amount in so that you cover the costs — and you get tax credit for the full amount!

I want BNGB to get: $ (to the nearest dollar, numbers only)

Click to Donate ($25.00 minimum, please):

Mail-In Donation

You can mail a personal check or money for any amount to our Post Office Box any time of the year. Please make your check or money order out to B/N Great Banquet and mail it to:

B/N Great Banquet Community
PO Box 707
Bloomington, IL 61702-0707

Remember: Whatever amount you donate is fully tax deductible to the full extent of the law and is greatly appreciated by your Bloomington/Normal Great Banquet Community! Thank you and may God bless you for your consideration.

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Banquet Weekend Volunteers

Sponsorship: It is a true joy to share a weekend with someone else. Contact Rob Wall, Community Registrar at 309-663-7630 for information or click here.
 
72 hour prayer Vigil: The backbone of the weekend! Contact Shelly Hanover at 309-826-6336 to get your name on the vigil and participate in this meaningful experience.
 
Meal Servers: It is called a “Great Banquet” for a reason! The central theme scripture of the weekend is about inviting people to a feast, a celebration. Due to this picture we are asking our meal servers to get a little creative and make meal time a little more festive. Please bring simple table decorations. It could be as simple as kid's toys, fresh flowers or fun placemats, tablecloths and candles. Whatever you come up with will be great. To sign up for a meal server time contact: Lynn Fletcher at 309-838-4602. To review or print the meal server guidelines, please click here. To review meal times and know when you should arrive to serve a meal, reference our Simple Weekend Schedule by clicking here.
 
Banners: In our Great Banquet community, banners are a big deal! Our guest see a BIG display of Christ's love with every one presented to them during a Banquet weekend. After they're used at our Banquet weekends, we send our banners on to other communities to show our support and, in return, new banners are sent to our community. Making banners is a great project for reunion groups, too!
 
Agape letters: There is nothing better than receiving a personal handwritten letter. General conference room letters are wonderful too!
 
Weekend Snack Table: Let’s shower our weekends with great homemade snacks while we give the team a break. It isn't called “Great Banquet” for nothing! Look for the sign up sheet at upcoming events, Dedications, or just bring some out to the basement of Pilchard Hall during any Banquet weekend.

Agape Gifts: Remember how surprised you were at those gifts at meals, in the conference room, and on your pillow? All those little gifts can make a big difference!

Set-up/Clean Up: People, this is where we need the most help from our community! Contact Randy Harmon at 309-825-2648 or Nick O'Neall at 309-724-8817 to volunteer to help the Wednesday before a Banquet or the Sunday night end of a Banquet.

Gut Bucket: "...because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake..." In 1 Corinthians, chapter 4, the Apostle Paul lays out the foundation of the Gut Bucket: a silly hat or outfit, a joke or two, a joyful noise that might be considered singing - all for the fun of the guests and to the glory of God! Arrive at the Dining Hall on Saturday evening between 7:15PM and 7:45PM for the 7:45PM Gut Bucket rehearsal...if you want to call it that! Contact Paul or Gina Dew at 309-378-3407 for any Gut Bucket questions.
 
Candlelight Worship: 8:30 PM, Saturday night in the Dining Hall. You know…pray, sing, message, communion & fellowship. Contact Bruce Tompkins at 309-663-8189 to help with setting up chairs & luminaries or passing out & collecting the flashlight candles.
 

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Simple Weekend Schedule

Below is an outline schedule of a typical Bloomington/Normal Great Banquet weekend held at East Bay Camp on Lake Bloomington. Any time and events that are in italics denote the participation and/or support of the Bloonnington/Normal Great Banquet Community. Also, please consider all times not in italics as approximate times because God is certainly in the weekend schedule but the schedule is not the “god” of the weekend!

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