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Many families are looking for safer alternatives to halloween.
How can Christians use this day to be salt and light and reach out to others? Start with these ideas for opening your hearts and your home to your neighbors.
As we are planning our events this October, I want again to encourage us all to make our choices prayerfully. Our decisions shouldn’t be based on what other people are or aren’t doing, but rather on how God is leading our families.
Many Christians find themselves either participating fully in halloween or abstaining totally. Is there a middle ground?
Some would argue that replacing halloween with an alternative still honors the pagan traditions. Some feel that an alternative means opportunity for evangelism.
Even though my opinion on our family’s participation in halloween is changing, I still feel that halloween alternatives can be an effective opportunity for relationship building and evangelism.
Many families, Christian or not, are sensitive to the input their young children are receiving. They might feel nervous about their kids trick-or-treating through the neighborhood with the big kids or leery of the decorations and pranks to which their kids might be exposed. Many families are looking for an alternative to the traditional halloween scene and welcome invitations to churches or Christian homes during this time. What a great opportunity for relationship building and conversation!
Alternatives that open your home and hearts to neighbors:
These alternative activities are a start to get you brainstorming. The ideas and list are far from comprehensive, but maybe one of these ideas will spark your creativity! Feel free to share your experiences or ideas in the comments below.
Ideas with your family in your neighborhood ::
Of course many of these ideas can overlap with the ideas for church, but the point is to be intentional about how you spend this day and this time. How can you be “set apart” while inviting others in?
- Pumpkin carving or pumpkin painting station — Invite the neighborhood children for an afternoon carving or painting a pumpkin. Serve coffee and cake for the adults and enjoy a more focused time of conversation with your neighbors and their families. This might simply be a time to initiate relationship and create shared experiences, or maybe you’re ready to go one step further and use the pumpkin parable with the kids during your time of pumpkin carving. If an afternoon doesn’t work, set up a pumpkin station during your neighborhood’s trick or treat time. Rather than a quick greeting, pumpkin painting will encourage the families to stick around for a little bit longer!
- Neighborhood Children’s Party — Invite kids and families from around the neighborhood for a children’s party! You could model it like a Backyard Bible Club, use it to launch a Good News Club, or to simply meet the families in the neighborhood so you can get to know them better. Serve some food, play some games, share the Gospel.
- Halloween Pit Stops: Set up a table or fire pit in your driveway or yard and serve hot dogs or fresh cookies, s’mores or hot cider. Rather than just dropping candy in a bucket and sending people on their way, engage your neighbors. Talk with them as you serve them. Get to know them. Begin {or continue} the relationship with them. They are coming to you! Don’t miss an opportunity to interact and encourage.
- Be a treater — Rather than knocking on everyone’s door and taking, why not be the “treat-er”? Put together little snack packs or treat bags, and rig people’s doorbells and bless them with candy instead of taking from them. We all know that the person handing out the candy usually doesn’t get much anyway. Change that for them! Consider including a Christian tract, Bible verse, or Bible in each treat bag. Even with those witnessing tools, though, the best witness is relationship. Focus on connecting and moving the relationship forward (in all the most genuine ways of course!).
- Park outreach — plan a performance (skit, talent show, concert, or comedian). Good sound is super important, so plan for that. Invite and schedule other believers to mingle and engage in conversation with participants – of course our prayer is that these meetings would be meaningful conversation initiated out of compassion not an agenda, meet needs (water bottles, hand warmers, etc.), invitation to something (Alpha course, Awana, Christmas musical, potluck dinner at home, etc)
- In the decorations — I read once about a woman who was an artist, and she and her family went all out to decorate their yard. So much so that their home was the hit of the neighborhood, drawing trick-or-treaters from surrounding areas. On the decorations in her yard, she painted Scripture and thought-provoking quotes – not in condemnation but in a way that would prompt some to consider their lives and their salvation. A cross, an empty tomb, a celebration that Life has triumphed over death.
- Hayride or tractor rides around the church or neighborhood — how FUN would this be?! What a great way to bring joy!
Ideas for your Church ::
Remember to keep your event focused on outreach and inviting in those who aren’t yet Christians. The goal isn’t to steal people from other churches or to duplicate – or even modify – what the world is doing.
- Fall carnival or harvest party — Our church used to have a hoe down each year, then moved to a carnival type event called “Light the Night.” These events were hugely effective in gathering people, and the ministry leaders were intentional about connecting and sharing the Gospel throughout the night.
- Giant game of flashlight tag — what a fun way to light up the night! Remember to mark off and communicate your boundaries ahead of time (keep in mind the ages of the kids and families).
- Trunks or treats — Trunks or treats is our new tradition at church. You can get all kinds of ideas for trunks over on Pinterest but some of my favorite are the ones that re-create or illustrate a piece of God’s Story!
- Night of prayer and fellowship — one of the best things we can do is to be on our knees seeking God on behalf of ourselves, our families, and our neighborhoods.
- Reformation Day Party — because Christians used to celebrate all of the Christian “saints” and heroes who came before us, Reformation Day parties are a big hit in churches. Pinterest has some great ideas for creating your own reformation day party.
Question for You:
What other ideas would you add to the list? How does your family open heart and home to neighbors on halloween?
Resources for You:
Books for Young Kids about halloween
The Truth about Haunted Houses
Halloween :: What is a Christian Family to Do?
When You’re Struggling to Become a Thankful Family
Scripture Memory for Kids :: 10 Verses about Gratitude
Thankfulness :: Books for Kids that Teach Gratitude
Thanksgiving Books for Kids
Halloween :: The Choice Our Christian Family Has Made
The Truth about Haunted Houses :: A Former Witchdoctor Recounts His Experience in a Haunted House
We have struggled with Halloween too. When they were really little, we would dress up in non scary costumes. Then we stopped, ours hearts conflicted, we would go to the movies…. Then after some back and forth, I realized we could be a light on a dark night. Our family decided to hand out candy and brochures on Operstion Christmas Child:) I have a big Vision, I can see this getting bigger and brighter! Halloween was one night I used to hate and now it’s one of my favorites! People are coming to MY house!!! Lots of them! I will spread the good news!!!
my first year of college, a group on campus went around the town and did “trick or can”. they had a plan, and they had different groups going to different areas of town. it was AWESOME. a GREAT way to take advantage of a night that people are already expecting company!
So what did they do when they got to people’s homes? Curious!! :)