We can sometimes shy away from Halloween, unsure of what to do. Do we ignore it completely? Do we have a moan about all the scary costumes in the shops and the pesky kids that come trick or treating? Or do we embrace the opportunity to engage with our community, show them God’s love and shine the light of Jesus?
Christchurch parish in Dorset have chosen the latter option, using Light Parties as a way to reach out to their community and to build relationships. In October 2018 Heidi Haagensen, the parish’s children and families worker, organised their first ever Light Party. She says:
‘The Light Party for us was very much the first step in starting to shine “light” on our community, and build relationships with local children and families, and to show that here in Christchurch, the Parish loves kids too! We have followed on with a successful holiday club during Easter and a couple of Stay and Play days for the summer holidays – all part of showing the community we are here, want to serve them etc. and having opportunities to share the love of Jesus in a new way!’
Heidi used Scripture Union’s free Light Party Pack to help her plan the event which saw around sixty children and forty parents, mostly non churchgoers, attend. ‘The feedback was really positive, and we certainly achieved our goal of starting to build relationships and showing that the church was active and welcoming.’
‘We are planning on doing it again this year. Being able to light up the church from the outside and have gazebos with lights outside inviting people in off the streets was a big highlight for me — being able to physically be light! And people shouldn’t be undeterred if other local churches do them on the same night – as many “beacons on light” we can get going on Halloween the better I think!!’
Could your church, community centre or even your house be a beacon of light this Halloween? Scripture Union’s free Light Party Pack takes the hassle out of planning your event by offering lots of ideas for games, crafts and activities as well as advice and ideas on how to share the good news of Jesus at Halloween.
Scripture Union’s Light Party campaign manager, Jennifer Babb, explains a bit more: ‘This year’s pack looks at Jesus being the light in our darkness. We all go through tricky, scary or dark times in life and we recognise that children and young people certainly aren’t immune from this. Halloween presents the perfect opportunity to contrast the light of Jesus against the darkness that is celebrated at this time of year and gives us the perfect opening to talk about the hope of the gospel. The Light Party Pack and accompanying online resources give you all you need to plan an event for children, young people or all ages together, whether that’s in your church, out in the community or in your own home.’
Let’s be beacons of light in our communities this Halloween.
Order or download you free Light Party Pack at www.lightparty.org.uk or by calling 01908 856000.
