'Halloween isn't for Christians' - or is it?

My view of Halloween was turned upside down after an evangelism training day at my church.

I do like Halloween - as an opportunity to be welcoming to my local community, showing kindness through giving the children who knock at my door their choice of sweet treat - but oddly, I never saw it as an opportunity to declare the light of Christ.

That was until I met the woman behind Passion for Evangelism (PfE) - an organisation committed to giving women an opportunity to expand their evangelistic creativity. I was taken by this lady's straightforward thinking. She spoke about how to "do evangelism where you are, with the people you already hang out with."

I was really struck by her testimony about using Halloween as an opportunity to engage with neighbours; for her, this meant running a whole street event! As a natural introvert, I’m not involved in many "group" activities, particularly outside the church - but I felt inspired...

How could I engage with my neighbours?

At the evangelism training day, two additional speakers - who run a church - shared that they wanted the dark exterior of their church to express the light of Christ. How did they achieve this? Well, they created a line of gazebo escape-room-themed spooky areas, coming out of the church and eventually leading to a representation of the light of Christ at the end. Why had I never thought about our ability, as churches, to bring the light of Christ out of our churches and into the streets, where everyone else is meeting?

I had been limited by the view that 'Halloween isn’t for Christians.'

My imagination had been sparked, and I thought: I can’t do a whole street thing, but I can start with my house. I could turn my house into an opportunity for my community to learn something of Christ’s love.

Implementing this outreach

I bought a Halloween outreach leaflet from 10ofthose - and from this, I took my theme. The pamphlet spoke of our fears and how Jesus is the light who takes away our fear because He is greater than the darkness.

I created some treat bags; one side said "I’m not afraid because…." and the other said "Jesus is the light."

I budgeted £2 per child - this included some sweets, a gift and an outreach leaflet. I also got in touch with the local church and asked if they would like to include their church leaflet. This was a great blessing; they prayed for the event and it linked to their mission outreach focus. Involving the local church was especially important for me; I attend the town-centre church, but live on the outskirts of the town, so by involving the local church, I could give the community access to nearby help they might need in understanding who Jesus is.

Then came a dilemma... How do I physically pass out the bags? Do I wait for a knock at the door? Should I stand in the driveway and hand out the bags myself? Or is it best to create an activity to engage with my neighbours?

I decided I loved the last idea, so I created a 'Spider Web Challenge' on my driveway.

The Spider Web Challenge

Here's how my Spider Web Challenge worked: the children needed to step through the low-level spider field (elastic 'force-field'), go under the giant spider web and then collect their treat bags hanging on the fence. Adding to the suspense was a sign I put up on my driveway, advertising an opening time of five o'clock, which I think added to the suspense!

It took one hour for all 60 bags to be collected!

The neighbours - most of whom I didn’t previously know - loved having an activity for the children to do; many parents and grandparents joined in, too.

The children and families were surprised by the generosity of the gift - the fact it was a bag of treats rather than a sole sweet. But they were most thrilled at the ability to do something with their children, rather than just knocking at the door - they had never seen anything else like it!

I dismantled the force-field, and, within the next hour, another 60 children came to my door! Thankfully, I had another 60 glow-in-the-dark bouncy balls left over which - instead of sweets - I was able to offer (and they were thrilled).

I met some wonderful people, including a lovely couple who brought their ten-month-old son out for his first Halloween; I didn’t see this as the time to speak to them directly about Jesus, but to give them the opportunity to learn about the difference He can make to their lives. You see, I was wearing a t-shirt with "Jesus is the light" on the back, so every time I helped the children through the web, all the parents saw was a message about Jesus. It was enough to reflect the love and goodness of Jesus as a first step in engaging with my community. They certainly knew where I lived if they wanted to know more.

And, I'm praying that - as I see them throughout the rest of the year - they will recognise me as "that lady with the spider web," and that will provide opportunities to chat.

On the 31st of October, my local community - ordinary, working-class families who are oftentimes struggling to make ends meet - have the opportunity to dress up and make positive memories with their children. The families in my local community seize this opportunity - and it's wonderful to see them prioritising time with their children.

I am thankful for the influence of PfE - for demonstrating to me how one person can make a huge difference by showing, to the people around them, that they live for and hope in Jesus.

What will be next year's adventure?

PfE women is an everyday evangelism series written by women in Passion for Evangelism - an organisation committed to empowering, equipping, and encouraging women to share the good news of Jesus.