Plan now for Halloween

At Christmas, we will celebrate Jesus being a light to the nations and we will boldly invite every neighbour to hear the saving story of the one who came as a light into our world (John 1v9). Just a few months earlier, Halloween is the one time of the year when the children of those neighbours come knocking on our doors in the darkness wanting something from us. Will we turn off the lights, close the curtains and pretend we’re not at home?

A Halloween opportunity

It was September 2020, my family had been enduring the impact of Covid for six months and the prospect of being locked indoors was depressing. I (Nay) prayed, “God, you want us to be salt and light to our friends, but we can’t even leave the house.”

The answer He gave me was Halloween. It was the next event in the calendar, yet as a Christian, I had never taken part in Halloween. This wasn’t something that Christians did and surely I should keep as far away as possible?

I invited some friends around and suggested that we do something for our community at Halloween. Fast forward a few months and we were ready. We made up hundreds of small gift bags to give away. On the night itself we had 40 families that took part with a map to find each home. We spent the entire evening chatting with friends and neighbours and we gave away 600 gift bags. My family’s Halloween has never been the same since!

Halloween is an opportunity for us and our communities. We have identified three steps for helping Christians to engage well with their neighbours’ children at Halloween.

Three simple steps

Firstly, let’s be reassured by the truth that we are safe at Halloween. Jesus has defeated all dark forces that some associate with Halloween (Col.2v15). It is worth mentioning that few, if any, of the children knocking on our doors are aware of the darker background to Halloween. They come with smiles, and will remember who opens their door with a similar smile.

Secondly, let’s encourage Christian parents that this might be one of the few moments of the year when our children can live distinctively in front of our neighbours. Children can stuff bags of sweets with a playful tract (that both of our organisations offer) or stay in together to bless others instead of going out trick or treating.

After many years of approaching Halloween as an opportunity, I (Ed) have only once had one of my tracts pushed back through my letter box with a message scrawled on it telling me to keep my religion to myself. I suspect that some of my brothers and sisters around the world would have a gentle word with me if they saw me wondering if I had done the wrong thing. Let’s take the opportunity to learn how to be distinctive for Jesus.

Thirdly, let’s equip each other to connect with those who knock on our doors trick or treating. How can we shine with God’s goodness on our streets and perhaps engage with a church outreach event? In the links below you can find stories, ideas and resources for churches and families to make meaningful connections with their neighbours.

At Halloween, do your children feel afraid of what lies outside, or do they want to be like everyone else going trick or treating, or do they get excited by the opportunity? As with every aspect of parenting, Jesus has something to say: “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matt. 5v14).