I work closely with a nonprofit that I wholeheartedly believe in called Redeemer Christian Foundation. This organization provides education for children living in poverty in South Asia and I have the pleasure of planning their events.

We’d been working on a big fundraiser locally in the Dallas area, originally set for May 1.

When I work with nonprofits, we always have a tight budget, but this is a true grassroots ministry so it was even tighter. We had just $2,250 to pull this off, but we were determined to make it work.

I love getting creative and breaking the mold, so we decided to hold a jazz age murder mystery party. We gathered a committee, booked a venue, planned the food and entertainment.

But then — as I’m sure you know — COVID-19 hit. We couldn’t continue as planned, but way back in April, the virus seemed so small and we rescheduled for October — no big deal.

But as the months went by, it became clear a large-scale event was not going to work. We couldn’t just give up or postpone. The school needed the money and the students were counting on us.

So we devised a backup plan: we’d host several small porch parties of 17 guests each (the number needed to run the murder mystery game) and share a little about Redeemer during the evening. With our current level of risk, we felt comfortable hosting a small group and knew our guests would still have a blast

We held our first small Pearls & Peril gathering recently and it was a HIT! Friends gathered in fellowship, eating, drinking, sleuthing, and supporting this amazing cause.

We transformed our friend’s house into a Prohibition-era speakeasy and followed the instructions in the kit Jazz Age Jeopardy, with our own touches.

Acting as the host, I narrated the evening as the events unfolded, hiding clues around the house and unmasking the killer at the end of the night.

We made all the food ourselves, setting out lots of small appetizers — I recommend 5-6 per guest if serving in lieu of a full meal.

We ended the night with a short video explaining our ministry and a call-to-action, explaining the current needs of the school and how our guests could make a difference in the lives of the children Redeemer serves.

If you’d like help planning an event like this for yourself, or if you would like to partner with Redeemer Christian Foundation to host your own Pearls & Peril, feel free to contact me here.