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Ask vehicle participants to decorate their cars according to a theme and suggest that they wear a costume that goes with it. They might go with a Halloween theme and fill their trunk with pumpkins. Other popular choices include decorating with children’s TV or movie characters or setting a scene, like the old west or a campsite. Here are 5 creative Christian Halloween ideasto help you make the most of this once-a-year ministry opportunity. Halloween is one of the few times a year when your neighbors and their kids will make a point to visit you at your house.
This is due mainly to the fact that people are more receptive when they're in a happy state of mind. As an event organizer, one of the biggest challenges would be finding the right... Joby’s comedy is full of the personification of our silliest characteristics as human beings. If you like laughing at the shortcomings of humanity, then Joby is the comedian to choose. He recollects life from a position of stupidity that rings at the heart of every person and nation. Kenny Conley, the founding author of childrensministryonline.com, is the Next Generation Pastor at MISSION Church in Gilbert, AZ. Kenny is a published author, speaker and hamburger aficionado.
Halloween Outreach Ideas to Liven up Your Event
If your children are older and you’re feeling brave, however, you can actually take your children to something called a Judgement House. The Christian alternative to haunted houses, Judgment Houses portray gruesome and graphic scenes and situations in an attempt to share the real evils of the world and to bring people to Christ. I like it b/c it’s not dependent on anyone to pull off an event. A little marketing and you’ve got a great event executed throughout your community without significant cost.
All are needed for the encouragement and inspiration they bring to our hearts. Let some of the members know in advance about your plans for a “Night of Miracles” Halloween fellowship. That way, they can think about their testimonies, plan, and prepare accordingly.
Halloween Outreach
Allow an hour for cars to set up before the festivities begin. Have someone on-site direct cars to parking spaces or assign each registered car a number and draw numbers in chalk on the parking lot ahead of time. If possible, leave an empty parking spot between vehicles to help space out the trick-or-treating crowd. I have personally seen many buses from many local churches bring hundreds and hundreds of lost young people in hopes that they would see the light. Whatever you choose to do at church for Halloween, take this opportunity to reach out to your churches neighborhood with love as you lift up the light of the world in our ever-darkening culture. I’ve done my share of Halloween outreach/alternatives.
Our urban campus is situated in a changing neighborhood which now reflects an ethnic population unlikely to attend our worship services. Knowing that, we still proceeded with the event in an effort to bear witness to Christ’s love for and commitment to those who live nearby. We were overwhelmed with the turnout, hosting 200 neighbors in a matter of hours. Our own congregation was energized by the community response, and of course, the neighborhood was tremendously grateful. After several years of offering this event at our suburban campus, last year we moved it to our urban campus where we felt there was greater community need.
Spiritual Sounding Board
We have put together a list of the best virtual entertainment. As far as we know, we did not receive any worship visitors as a result of Trunk or Treat. However, we are engaged with our community for the long haul and believe that events like this grease the wheels for evangelistic outreach, even if it does not result in our own congregation’s growth.
We then wait in anticipation , dressed in some funny attire, for kids to come by so we can give them candy, fuss over their costumes and generally love on them. When i was in college, we did an outreach event every year on Halloween. All the students came together to the chapel for some worship and then instructions. Students were organized by the floor they lived on. We would then be given a map of 5-7 streets to go visit. Just like the trick or treaters, we’d knock on doors and collect canned food for a local food bank.
Remember, even the simplest of activities can be so much more fun and inspiring with the right preparation. It doesn’t matter if you’re planning a fall fest for the first time or refreshing your plans from last year. These articles will help you make it the best event of the year!
Another popular event is a Family Fun Fall Festival. Consider hosting a hotdog feed or chili dinner. Fall themed “goodie bags” for each child could be prepared ahead of time and passed out to participants. If you are looking for a comedian to host memorable Halloween outreach events for churches, make sure to consider these professionals. Their experience is unmatched and will provide you with entertainment beyond your expectations. Halloween brings about some pretty interesting debates among churches.
Trunk or Treat is an alternative event we make available to our community on Halloween night. What a great idea to host a “trunk or treat” type of event for other holidays! Any opportunity to share about Jesus is one we should make time to do. For years as a church pastor I would personally use Halloween as an outreach opportunity. Our family would light the outside of our home brightly, shining a large spotlight on the garage that says, “Trick or Treaters Welcome Here”.
On the other hand, if a human relationship is based on love, the person who is loved will be attracted to the one by whom they are loved. The Judgement House version has been produced by smaller churches that wouldn’t necessarily be considered ‘megachurch’ size, i.e. approximately 400 on an average Sunday morning. I still prefer what we grew up with – Harvest Festivals – everyone dress up, play carnival games, and eat too many sweets.
Barrhead hosts a Pumpkin Walk that attracts 1000’s of people. Volunteers from Bethel Church help run the event. Rent an inflatable big screen and an FM broadcasting system.
Regardless of whether or not you believe Halloween should be celebrated as a Christian, we can all agree that kids come out in slews for this popular holiday. These kids are the churched and the unchurched. The way I see it, Halloween is another opportunity to share God with those who otherwise would not be available for you to share otherwise. If you have children or children in your congregation, you can use this festival as an opportunity for outreach. Here is a helpful list of practical ideas on how to turn your Halloween festivities into Godly and uplifting outreach opportunities.
We would challenge our families to take their kids trick or treating on Halloween, but not for candy. They’d trick or treat for canned food for families in need . They’d have cards to pass out explaining what it was for and stuff. After trick or treating for food for an hour or so, we’d invite everyone to come back to the campus to celebrate. We’d collect the canned food but also have all the inflatables, food and tons of candy for the kids.
