What is a Purity Ball?

"As all the dads stood to read the covenent over their daughters, I felt the power of those words sink right into my heart. My father promised to lead a life of integrety and purity for me. He signed his name and I signed as a witness to his words. And as he escorted me to the dance floor I felt empowered by his promise to war for my heart through his life of purity, and I knew my life would never be the same again..."

The Father Daughter Purity Ball has become a national movement and is now in 48 states with inquiries from 17 countries. In the last year the Wilsons have been featured on CNN’s The Glenn Beck Show, NBC Today Show, ABC World News Tonight, Dr. Phil Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, the Tyra Banks Show that was also aired in Egypt, Fox21 News at Nine in depth story, KKTV News in Colorado Springs, CO., Fox16News Little Rock, Arkansas and other local and national news.

And media print in The New York Times, Marie Claire, Glamour, O Magazine (Oprah), The Economist magazine, USA Today, The Rocky Mountain News, The Denver Post, Citizen Magazine cover story, The Colorado Springs Gazette, Heartlink, Citizenlink, World magazine and Focus on the Family magazine as well as international newspapers and magazines. They have been interviewed on numerous radio programs in the US, Canada, Ireland, and the BBC in London. All media has occurred last year in 2007. The Father Daughter Purity Ball has been talked about and discussed on The View, The Tonight Show and other evening news shows.

The Father Daughter Purity Ball is a memorable ceremony for fathers to sign commitments to be responsible men of integrity in all areas of purity. The commitment also includes their vow to protect their daughters in their choices for purity. The daughters silently commit to live pure lives before God through the symbol of laying down a white rose at the cross. Because we cherish our daughters as regal princesses—for 1 Peter 3:4 says they are “precious in the sight of God”—we want to treat them as royalty.

One of the most memorable highlights of the ball is when the fathers stand in the middle of the ballroom and form a circle around their daughters standing all aglow in their lovely ball gowns. The fathers place their hands on their daughters, and together we pray for purity of mind, body, and soul for generations to come.

Dad dancing "How can you measure the value of your eleven year old looking up into your eyes (as you clumsily learn the fox-trot together) with innocent, uncontainable joy, saying, 'Daddy, I'm so excited!' wrote Wesley Tullis in a letter describing his grateful participation. 'I have been involved with the Father-Daughter Ball for two years with my daughters, Sarah and Anna. It is impossible to convey what I have seen in their sweet spirits, their delicate, forming souls, as their daddy takes them out for their first, big dance. Their whole being absorbs my loving attention, resulting in a radiant sense of self-worth and identity. Think of it from their perspective: My daddy thinks I'm beautiful in my own unique way. My daddy is treating me with respect and honor. My daddy has taken time to be silly, and even made a fool of himself, learning how to dance. My daddy really loves me!"

Excerpts from our book Celebrations of Faith published by Cook Communications, 2001; page 140-141aa