Halloween

I personally can't find anythng redeeming about it. It has no christian meaning attached to it all.

 

Our Church has a city wide Fall Festival with game rooms and loads of candy. We advertise in the paper, on the radio and register every person who comes in the door. The registration takes church information, salvation information, etc. We hand out salvation brochures and church opportunities. The next week, we go through the list and if someone says they are Methodist but not in church, we deliver those to the Methodist church. In fact, last year the Methodist asked if they could volunteer at our church and help us with some rooms. Others are contacted within the week about their church or salvation needs.

We ASK that no child come in scarey costumes or anything satanic. All the games are fun and light natured. My class, for the last 3 years, did a fishing pond in a darkened room with 'frogs croaking' and the moon rising.... very cute. The child fished with a bamboo pole for a bag of candy. The adults dressed sort of like Tom Sawyer's with straw hats and freckles....

We also have hay rides, pony rides, moon walks, free food, free cakes, etc. No mention is made of Halloween but it is held on Oct. 31 to encourage those who would participate in an otherwise ugly holdiay to come and enjoy a positive fun fest.

Pastor walks the halls and greets everyone but searches for those he doesn't know to offer his hand in fellowship and invite people to church.

Diane

 

Celebrate? No. Participate? Yes. My costume this year is a Tigger suit I got on clearance from the Disney Store. BTW - my church will be doing something similar to Diane's church.

No. While it once had pagan roots, its commemoration is a secular tradition.

 

I celebrate Reformation Day.

 

Diane, our church does something similar, I think last year they changed what and how they were doing it. We always have a community wide chille supper. We have always asked that kids not come in satanic costumes too, but it never works. What do you when someone turns up in a satan cotume? Or something bloody and gorey? We just got tired of it and quit working in it.
Jihn, I'd like to see you dressed like tiger.

 

Donna, we let them in. I did see two adults who were dressed like ghouls and one child who looked 'bloody' last year but out of about 600 that's not bad. They REALLY stand out tho... and the adults were not with children. Most of the costumes were homemade and cute. One guy had a fake black eye and a big P on his shirt. He was a blackeyed Pea.

We really do see this as a ministry in our community. The children are given AWANA information and everyone gets contacted. We have a couple of drawings for bikes and gift certificates at Toys R Us.

Diane

 

Ah yes, the annual "Is Halloween Pagan/Satanic/Unchristian?" thread.

In my observation, I believe that Halloween as we have known it seems to be fading away. Last year, we didn't have a single child come to our door for trick or treating, and that appears to be the trend again this year, based on what other parents I know have said.

Kids these days prefer going to malls for their trick or treating, or attending church or community hall events. These are safe, fun, and fulfill the need for kids to let loose and have their semi-annual overdose of chocolate and other sugary treats (Easter being the other time). And why not? Let them have fun. Even I have fun! It also leaves more trick or treating candy in the bowl for me when kids don't come to the door

As for it being satanic and all that: if you don't worship Satan on this day, then don't worry about it.

One final thing, for me: October 31 is the day I left the Roman Catholic Institution by posting my statement of leaving on the door of the local cathedral, (a' la Martin Luther!). So it is a day of celebration for me.


mozier

 

Diane same here. Our big Baptist Church here does the Fall Festival thing. (We live in small town, so we just say the Big Baptist Church because it is the biggest church building...instead of saying 1st Baptist Church...hehehehehehe)

Sherrie

 

No and Yes.

Joseph Botwinick

 

No, nothing traditional halloween, it's a fall festival.

 

Black eyed pea, how cute
We always have a whole flood of awful costumes, even though our advertisment asks not to wear them. Maybe they don't know what it means.

 

We have some bales of hay outside and a couple of scarecrows but only harvest looking things. Typical Thanksgiving looking decor.

Diane

 

Our church celebrates the Reformation by having a reformation celebration...we have a guest speaker on the historical rewformation(to learn more about it) and then afterwards we have desserts and a few games for the children.

It has nothing to do with Halloween(no costumes,no carnival type things) and is not a evangelistic tool either...just a time for believers to come together and think on the reformation and what it means to our church. It is also a time for fellowship.

We have never done the Halloween thing...my children have never been trick or treating. We are not home for trick or treaters,so we jusy bypass the whole thing! We just don't like it.

Molly

 

At my church here in central Massachusetts, we have a church-wide hayride (long ride, lotsa marshmallows, lotsa hot dogs and Pastor roasting his annual firecooked donut) but nothing else.

Personally, I hand out tracts with the candy at home. Why keep the lights out? Beat the devil at his game and hand out tracts!! The most popular ones are Harry Potter and Lord Of The Rings - they go faaaaast. Hulk will probably be popular. Check your local favorite Christian store for these tracts!

 

Interesting... we can hand out tracts that use gimmicks, but do that with a bible cover (see similar thread) and it's a no no.