So, tonight was Halloween. We don’t really “celebrate” it, but we do make sure the kids get some candy and have a bit of fun dressing up. We visited the Baptist church up the hill from us and had a good time at their “fall carnival” (I could offer some thoughts on that, but that’s obviously not the point of this post).
Anyway, you all know this is just another excuse to post pictures of my kids, so I won’t waste any more time on text. Here’s the good stuff… 🙂
Here’s my little frog princess, Jenna…
Hey… it’s Tow Mater, live and in person! Okay, you’re right, it’s Jeffrey…
Here’s my kids together prior to leaving for the carnival…
John:
I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on (what our church calls) the “Fall Family Festival”. It’s held so the kids will have something to do as an alternative to “celebrating halloween”. It’s always seemed a little like teaching an “alternate carnal activity” to teens, to do while others teen couples are parked in a secluded spot somewhere.
I think you’re trying to get me in trouble, Bob. 🙂
Let’s see if I can put my thoughts together in a succinct manner without offending someone.
Okay, here goes.
Church sponsored halloween alternatives (fall festivals, harvest festivals, fall carnivals, fall family nights, or whatever we decide to call them) are nice ideas if we’re just looking for a safe “Christian” alternative to halloween. They’re fun for the kids (especially younger kids, for whom a more controlled environment is needed)… fun for the church… generally just good events.
However (there had to be a caveat)… let’s stop pretending they’re an effective evangelism tool! From what I’ve seen, we generally just end up with most of our church members hanging out together during the event, ignoring visitors (not purposely, but it happens). Imagine how visitors, especially those outside a relationship with Christ, might feel! A bit awkward about being there… maybe even a bit unwelcome?
I wonder… wouldn’t we better off doing something to meet the lost where they are? Would we honor Christ more by staying home on halloween, meeting the neighbors as they bring their kids around trick or treating? Couldn’t we even share the gospel somehow as people come to our doors?
I don’t know. I certainly haven’t made the most of the opportunities halloween presents… but I go through this “what if” thought process every year. Maybe we should all go through it well beforehand and act in accordance with God’s prompting… perhaps even abandoning our events that simply further our Christian sub-culture and immersing ourselves in activities that meet the lost where they are.
Anyway, not so succinctly put, I know…
John-
Pleasant Valley in Liberty did something really effective, I think. They printed up thousands of card stock, glossy cards with information about their children’s ministry (TeamKid, Upwards Basketball) and then handed them out, rubber banded to a candy bar, as their trick-or-treat candy. I really liked that idea!