The Big Question: Halloween?

I get a lot of these questions this time of year: "What do you think about Halloween? Does the church have a position on it? Should we participate in Halloween or not? Should we let our kids dress up?"

The way I respond to these questions is simply by explaining to people what we do as a family. You can freely and gladly disagree with how we approach it because how we do it doesn't create any type of odd policy or standard to measure up to-it's just what we do.

First, a little background. When Adrianne and I first got married I remember us both thinking that we probably wouldn't participate in Halloween. We knew that would be hard if we eventually had kids, but at the time several of the Christians we had been around didn't participate in it and it seemed like the right thing to do then even though we both participated as kids. Then about a year later, I listened to some neighbors describe a house on Halloween night with all its lights turned off and big signs posted in the yard with Scriptures written on them along with other signs stating how evil Halloween was and how it should be boycotted. I began listening to the different comments people made about Christians and discovered how this particular family was making themselves amongst their neighbors practically unapproachable.

So, Adrianne and I began to wrestle through it. That's not what we wanted to do nor how we wanted to be perceived nor what we thought it looked like to follow Jesus. So we began to think, "Wow. That night there's going to be about 100 people coming to our house. Why wouldn't we want to take advantage of that opportunity, redeem it, and use it to get to know our neighbors."

So, we made a decision. We wanted people to LOVE coming to our house. Furthermore, we wanted to create an opportunity to talk to people and just get to know them. After all, tons of people were already coming-so let's leverage the opportunity. Not to pass out tracks or "evangelize" people. Just get to know them. So our first purchase was full-sized candy bars. We figured kids love candy and what better way to love kids in a big way on Halloween than full size candy bars. Secondly, we bought a bunch of hot dogs and hot chocolate packs. Usually parents stand at the sidewalk and don't come up to the front of the house. So, we wheeled our grill around to the driveway, set up a table for buns, ketchup, mustard, etc. and a pot of hot water for the hot chocolate with cups. We grillled out for about 2 hours...handing out free hot dogs and cocoa to anyone who wanted them.

Well, that night was SO MUCH FUN. At first, people were hesitant, perhaps wondering what the catch was...but before long, people started taking us up on it. That night we got to know a lot of people and over and over again we found people floored and amazed by the simple gesture of passing out hot dogs and hot chocolate. Pretty quickly, word started to spread throughout the neighborhood, and people began coming from several streets over to visit the "hot dog house."

However, the next year is when the big boom hit. People remembered and told their friends. It was busy but it was AWESOME!

So, that's what we do now every year. Adrianne was just on the phone with BJ's yesterday quoting prices on hot dogs in bulk. Our first year in NC we had about 150 people visit. Last year, about 400. I run into people in the neighborhood every now and then who stop me..."Oh you're the pastor at Crosspointe who passes out hot dogs on Halloween. That's so cool." I like that reputation much better than "lights out guy who yells at everyone about how evil Halloween is." Furthermore, it's given me several opportunities to have great conversations with people I'd otherwise maybe never get a chance to know. But the bottom line is...hundreds of people are coming to my house...and our family gets a great chance just to love on them...so that's what we try to do. No agenda. Just love. In the form of hot dogs and hot chocolate (and now lemonade because NC is usually much warmer than up north this time of year...plus in the interest of full disclosure we've backed off the full size candy bars cause it's just too expensive now with the size of crowds...but we do let kids grab huge hand fulls of candy.)

Now as for our kids. They LOVE it. We make a big deal about getting to love and serve people. They do dress up and Adrianne usually takes them to a few houses close by to trick or treat.

Now, let me also say, that we don't let our kids dress up as anything that promotes or glamorizes participation in things like violence, death, witchcraft, etc. I think wisdom should play a discerning role in what we teach our kids is fun and what should and shouldn't be emulated. Even if you think your child is old enough to not be affected by the severed heads or bloody knives or ghoulish masks...I'd encourage you to take the opportunity to help them see what that may communicate to younger kids who can't yet discern the difference.

Frankly, I think that for the vast majority of Americans, Halloween is all about free candy. Regardless of its origins, most today see it and participate in it as a fun, sugar induced, night out with neighbors where you "oooo and ahhh" at little kids coming to your door in a Fairly Princess or Elmo costume. Whatever may have originally been intended for evil, I see as a great opportunity for us to redeem it for good.

So, bottom line for me, I think you should feel free to choose whether you participate in Halloween or not...and do so guilt free. My encouragement would be that you exercise wisdom in both decisions. Either in what you wear...or in how you refrain. Don't become the neighbor that is unapproachable and stands back and condemns everyone else. Do it quietly and respectfully.

Still, I think it would be AWESOME that if in neighborhoods all across this area...Crosspointe people got creative in how they could love on people Halloween night. People sometimes ask almost apologetically if they can steal our idea. YES!! Please do. Use it. Modify it. Improve on it. Blow it out of the water. Hot dogs and hot chocolate isn't all that creative to begin with. But, it's simple enough to work for us. So, discuss it, dream about it, and if you come up with some good ideas...please share them and together let's love people unexpectedly well.

Comments

[Liz]

What a cool idea! I've noticed this debate can get pretty heated among Christians. I was always raised trick-or-treating and dressed up like a princess almost every year, so it's hard for me to see the harm in a little sugary fun. But, like you, I think people should have their own convictions and stand by them guilt-free. I also like how you and your family found a solution (instead of just complaining) and a creative way to express Christ's love to your neighbors. Very cool post.

[Liz]

What a cool idea! I've noticed this debate can get pretty heated among Christians. I was always raised trick-or-treating and dressed up like a princess almost every year, so it's hard for me to see the harm in a little sugary fun. But, like you, I think people should have their own convictions and stand by them guilt-free. I also like how you and your family found a solution (instead of just complaining) and a creative way to express Christ's love to your neighbors. Very cool post.

[stephen]

sinner.

[Dave]

I know you are Stephen, but what am I? Good call Jonathan!

[Sheryl]

Ditto, Jonathon. We have been hosting the annual Halloween-stuff-your-face-with-chili-and-carmel-apples-feed for our neighborhood before all of the kids go out trick-or-treating. What a great way to promote a healthy, loving neightborhood community!

[G Williams]

Loved the Halloween blog.

[Susan Kroll]

I love the idea!!! I think we will shamelessly copy you. Thanks so much for sharing.

[-jan]

We were part of a VERY conservative crowd once that only allowed kids at their Fall Festival who came dressed as Bible characters. My boys chose to go as Lazarus (dead...a la TP mummy) and the guy that got beat up in the Good Sam story. How do you argue with that? We didn't last very long there... Cool idea about the hotdogs!

[Jan Kempe]

NOTE on previous post: YOU as in "how do you argue with that?" isn't you personally...it's the bigger, generic, all-inclusive but nobody-in-particular you...Plus it's rhetorical...

I need a nap.

[Pin Pin]

It is always a hit! I think one hot dog stand on the street is enough. Thanks for sharing.

[tom.dp]

Do you ever feel like the slowest kid in class? I didn't understand why we didn't have a Harvest Festival at church, I mean we passed out candy but I still felt like the poor man's church without a festival. I get it now, how we (as a church) would have lost out on a powerful night of neighborhood outreach

[Joe Ballard]

Sounds good. We tape bible verses to the candy we give out.We also carve the cross or "Jesus" into at least one of the pumpkins on the porch. One of my favorites comes to mind " what you meant for evil God used for good" ( that's paraphrased of course) " Don't hide your light under a bushell etc..etc..You and your family are a great blessing to us even though you never gave me one single hot dog!

[Rich]

Ohmigosh, Jan, that's hilarious!! I can just see my boys doing that!

Great perspective, Jonathan, on Halloween and the opportunity it gives us to build bridges.

[becca]

I love this, so much. What an awesome approach in every sense.

[Cherilynne]

Can we come to YOUR neighborhood and love up on YOUR neighbors this year? Does that count?

[Ines]

Hey, you forgot the most important part! Directions to your house:))