Hallowe'en has been hijacked! What began in the middle of the 18th Century as a time to remember those that have gone to be with the Lord is now a major event in the UK. This probably has much to do with retailers promoting it because it is a commercial money maker, with UK consumers spending £481 million last year on it.

As Christians we may well be concerned by the nation's obsession with celebrating things of darkness. However, perhaps we could see October 31st as an opportunity (as many churches do) to engage with our community, and offer them a message of hope, rather than one of fear and death. After all, when do you find people from your local community leaving their homes with their children and walking round the streets? It is so hard even to engage with your neighbours, but Hallowe'en is the ideal time to connect with those around you and meet with them in a friendly and positive way.

How can a church engage with their community on Hallowe'en?

When I lived in Montreal, Canada Hallowe'en was a major festival. The Canadians know how to do it in style, and far more scarily than here. I'd never seen "dead bodies" hanging in trees, opened graves with blood on snow swept lawns, and spiders the size of tyres. The kids were terrified, which I think was the general idea. Trick or treating was the norm, and I wondered how I was going to avoid engaging in the activity as a foreigner trying to fit in with a new community.

My local English speaking church had already answered my question and every year ran a "Light Party" for all the kids at the church, and their friends. At the same time the adults were participating in a meal and then had a barn dance (which the kids could join in after their party). It was such fun. There was so much to do, and everyone had a great time, with plenty of "candy" to go home with, and not ending too late. It was a fantastic outreach as well.

This was 20 years ago, but the North Americans have always been ahead of us when it comes to Hallowe'en!

So what could your church do:

1. Hold a Light Party
   This has become a popular thing for many churches to do, embracing the opportunity of engaging with families outside their congregation. Light Parties are an alternative to "trick or treating", and are a great way to reach out to your community. And if you want to know more about holding a Light Party then Scripture Union has a superb free resource to help you with this. Alternatively, you could get together and plan something yourselves, depending on your resources.
2. Offer hot chocolate and treats outside your church
   If your church is based in an area that is a busy walkway then this is a perfect way to meet people as they are out and about "trick or treating". Why not offer hot chocolate, hot dogs, cakes, biscuits, sweets, and a treat for the children to take away? You could also include an invite to Alpha or Christianity Explored, or another out-reach event. We have one friend who has spent the past few weeks putting stickers onto bags of sweets that have scriptures on them so that kids can encounter encouragement from the bible! Normally people avoid going to church, but a table with warm drinks and treats would be a crowd puller! And it's safe.
3. Encourage your congregation to set up hot chocolate and treat stalls outside their houses!
   This is taking things one stage further, but I do think that Hallowe'en is the perfect excuse to meet your neighbours! Even as I write, Chris, one of our staff members is busy putting together everything that he needs to do this! What has he got:
   
   • A table and table cloth.
   • An Instant Pot that he can make several litres of hot chocolate in at one go. Alternatively a saucepan with hot chocolate in it will suffice.
   • Paper cups, plates, serviettes and a plastic bag for waste.
   • Invites to Alpha and the church.
   • A smile on his face.
   • Friends to help
   Providing a refreshment stop for busy parents to rest at is a real blessing, and he has found that his neighbours have been hoping that "Chris' Hot Chocolate Stop" would be an annual Hallowe'en event.

Why engaging with your community on Halloween is a good idea

For many years I shied away from Hallowe'en. As a Christian I've never enjoyed the idea of celebrating evil because I'm with St Paul when he says in Ephesians: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." However, I can now see that this is an opportunity like no other to engage with the community and reach out to them, providing them with a safe environment, whereas trick or treating doesn't meet parent's mantra of "don't take sweets from strangers".

Sadly the church can no longer sit around waiting for people to come to them, and by meeting the community where they're at on Hallowe'en we have the chance to be light in the darkness.

Ref: Global Data