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How do you handle Halloween?
- Thread starter Calminian
- Start date
Garrett20
Member
I’m an Assistant/Youth Pastor at a church that averages anywhere between 60-80 on Sunday mornings (our youth group averages around 20 on Wednesday nights). About 85% of my youth group are prone to getting into trouble so we decided to do a ‘Trunk-or-Treat’ festival every year on Halloween. It brings nearly 100+ families through our church property and gives us an opportunity to witness and love on some folks that need it. Not to mention it keeps our problem-prone teens out of trouble, and gives them something to occupy their time.
I even film ‘promo’ videos every year to help advertise in the community. My first year at my church the theme was The Twilight Zone... I have a video we made but not sure how to put it on here. All in great fun and it helps me mingle with our creative youth.
Yeah!... I recall that and it is nothing new... I remember they did that at my previous wife's church thirty years ago... My son must have been ten, he's now pushing forty... I believe the origin of Trunk or treat is the 1990's... Happy to hear its still around... Brother Glen
If I thought that would work. More like this.
Well it nice to see you have the skeleton crew... But I have one question, where is Red Skeleton?... Brother Glen
Well it nice to see you have the skeleton crew... But I have one question, where is Red Skeleton?... Brother Glen
LOL! My set up was similar to this (that's the photo that gave me the idea). I had my skeleton crew gathered around a fire pit with orange LED lights in it. They were roasting marshmallows (made of styrofoam). Kids in the neighborhood loved it.
Largely agree with what Calminian said in Post #11.
Almost all holidays have some pagan background in the distant past, which are largely-forgotten nor no longer applicable. same thing applies to symbols, as both the T-shaped cross & fish symbol had pagan origins, while now, both are takes as symbols of Christianity worldwide.
Almost all holidays have some pagan background in the distant past, which are largely-forgotten nor no longer applicable. same thing applies to symbols, as both the T-shaped cross & fish symbol had pagan origins, while now, both are takes as symbols of Christianity worldwide.
Exactly. Something can only be pagan if you give it a pagan meaning. Many don't like the practice of hijacking symbols, but I don't see the problem.
Studying this issue, I came across this interesting article on All Hallows Eve during the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Halloween was once so dangerous that some cities considered banning it.
"Violence and vandalism were once as traditional as candy and costumes"
I'm not sure where the tradition came from, I believe Irish immigrants, the article said. It was apparently pretty bad, often resulting in deaths of the pranked and pranksters. Trick or Treat was a tradition that corporations and communities came up with to replace the violent tradition. Modern Trick or Treat, seemed to be the tradition that effectively phased out the previous tradition. In a real sense, Trick or Treat saved Halloween and saved lives.
I mention this, as I've heard some say Trick or Treat is about magic spells and Samhain traditions. Looks like that's not true. In fact, I don't find any real connection between American Halloween and Samhain at all.
Halloween was once so dangerous that some cities considered banning it.
"Violence and vandalism were once as traditional as candy and costumes"
I'm not sure where the tradition came from, I believe Irish immigrants, the article said. It was apparently pretty bad, often resulting in deaths of the pranked and pranksters. Trick or Treat was a tradition that corporations and communities came up with to replace the violent tradition. Modern Trick or Treat, seemed to be the tradition that effectively phased out the previous tradition. In a real sense, Trick or Treat saved Halloween and saved lives.
I mention this, as I've heard some say Trick or Treat is about magic spells and Samhain traditions. Looks like that's not true. In fact, I don't find any real connection between American Halloween and Samhain at all.
How do I handle Halloween......eat the candy spit out the razor blades?
I do not observe it as a Christian holiday or really a secular holiday. When my son was young it was fun to take him through the neighborhood, to go to "trunk or treat" (my favorite), and to fall festivals at churches.
I've seen the world use it for genuine evil. But I've also seen churches become legalistic (we went to one that had fall fests, but if you dared to show up with candy in a pumpkin wrapper you were demonized). So I guess the ghouls come out on both sides.
Now I just stay home and watch Hocus Pocus.
I do not observe it as a Christian holiday or really a secular holiday. When my son was young it was fun to take him through the neighborhood, to go to "trunk or treat" (my favorite), and to fall festivals at churches.
I've seen the world use it for genuine evil. But I've also seen churches become legalistic (we went to one that had fall fests, but if you dared to show up with candy in a pumpkin wrapper you were demonized). So I guess the ghouls come out on both sides.
Now I just stay home and watch Hocus Pocus.
How do I handle Halloween......eat the candy spit out the razor blades?
I do not observe it as a Christian holiday or really a secular holiday. When my son was young it was fun to take him through the neighborhood, to go to "trunk or treat" (my favorite), and to fall festivals at churches.
I've seen the world use it for genuine evil. But I've also seen churches become legalistic (we went to one that had fall fests, but if you dared to show up with candy in a pumpkin wrapper you were demonized). So I guess the ghouls come out on both sides.
Now I just stay home and watch Hocus Pocus.
LOL! My kids haven't quite talked me into that show yet, but they love it.
I did the same for a while. We just figured it was a pagan holiday, and something we shouldn't observe.
An epiphany then hit me to hijack Halloween and use it to teach something biblical. We use it to study the Fall and Curse. Makes the most logical sense, given the symbolism. It just so happens to be all about death. Gravestones, skeletons and the like.
Then we use the faint light in Jack-o'-lanterns to symbolize the Gen. 3:15 prophecy, which is a prophesy about Christmas and Easter. It's a prophecy of a the coming Conquerer who will defeat death.
So, in essence, we use Halloween to study the Fall and prophecies about the Seed. We have an annual Candy theology talk Halloween night or the next day. It's actually become quite a Christian event for us. We discuss things you normally never discuss, but probably should.
Ironically, we've gone the opposite direction many Christians have, keeping the dark symbolism and using it.
About 5 years ago I went to a fall festival at a Church of Christ church. The pastor dressed up like Dracula, they had hayrides, a haunted house, provided hot dogs and fountain drinks, and were playing songs like the Monster Mash. They also had "trunk or treat". In other words, they reached out to the community in which they found themselves. Around the corner was my church (SBC church). We had a fall festival with absolutely no Halloween costumes allowed, no Halloween themed candy, no "trunk or treat" because that could not be controlled well, and no attendees except our own members.
That's the dilemma. Halloween symbols are well established and difficult to eliminate. And frankly, they're kind of cool. It's a fun holiday.
I would love to see the Church use it, hijack it in some creative way. Its symbolic meanings aren't very well known anyway. Most don't know who Stingy Jack is. Most aren't aware of the vandalism and violence trick r treat replaced. I can tell you for certain, most trick or treating families don't know what Samhain is.
I doubt, though, most Churches would go my route and use them to teach about the history of death and evil.
The city Rec Center has a trunk treat in the parking lot - we have participated in the past - by giving out candy
as well as Bible tracts. Dont know what will happen this year due to the virus. At the moment, the Rec center is closed
until 31 Dec. Since it is held outside - the Rec Center may sponsor it.
as well as Bible tracts. Dont know what will happen this year due to the virus. At the moment, the Rec center is closed
until 31 Dec. Since it is held outside - the Rec Center may sponsor it.
Oh man I loved the album. Used to sit in my room and listen. I believe it's available on iTunes.
Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House by Walt Disney Sound Effects Group