Halloween is an opportunity to be MISSIONAL

October 31st is the one day every year where people come out of their homes and walk around their neighborhoods and interact with their neighbors. This is a pretty significant cultural thing. It literally never happens to this extent any other time during the year. As followers of Jesus, we need to consider what to do with this rare opportunity. How can we connect with those in our immediate sphere of influence? How do we share Jesus’ love with them at a time when they’re more open and receptive to relational connection than usual?

Be That House!

Everyone can think of “that” house in their neighborhood. The one that gets super decked out with décor or the one who gives out full size candy bars. It’s our hope that the homes represented by those in the Calvary family would be stand-outs in their neighborhood this year. Whether through extravagant décor or treats, or simply by going the extra mile to be warm and welcoming to parents and kids walking around on a cold autumn evening, you have an opportunity to make your house a light representing Christ to those in your neighborhood. 

Let’s Get Creative!

Here are some practical ideas of things you could do to Be That House:

• Set up a table in your driveway and serve hot cider or cocoa along with treats

• Have a bonfire and seating in your driveway for people to stop and warm themselves

• Do a trunk-or-treat style display in your driveway

• Set up a game or challenge in your driveway for kids to earn treats

• No trick-or-treaters in your neighborhood? Throw a get-together in your home for the neighborhood adults, or for your teens and their friends

• Have great treats – consider getting nut/allergen-free candy, or full-size candy bars

Think Beyond the Treats

As you are preparing to Be That House, here are some tips to remember:

• Be in prayer for the evening as you get ready and throughout the night

• Turn on your lights so there’s no doubt that you’re ready to welcome people

• Talk to people – introduce yourself and learn their names, learn where they live and work and play, find things you have in common

• Ask people if there’s anything you can be praying about for them, and maybe even offer to pray with them right then!

Do It Together!

At Calvary, our mission is helping people follow Jesus together. That’s why we’re encouraging you to Be That House in groups of 2-3 families. Of course if you’d rather do something with just your immediate family, that’s great, but we know from Scripture that there’s power in community. Consider partnering with someone from your Disciple U class or small group, someone who sits near you in the worship service, or someone you serve alongside. If you’re not sure who to partner with, let us know and we’ll help you get connected with someone. You can brainstorm together, help share the expenses and resources, and hold each other accountable. 

What happened to Trunk or Treat?

For the past 7 years, we’ve hosted a Trunk or Treat on the Calvary campus. We’ve worked together as a church family to refine and improve our execution of this event, and the creativity and passion we’ve seen from those participating has been exceptional. So why change?

The purpose of Trunk or Treat from the beginning was to extend love and generosity to our local community, with the hope of building relationships with people outside of the church as a first step to helping them begin a journey of following Jesus. The reality is that although we have had many people from the local community attend Trunk or Treat, we have not seen the types of relationships develop that we were hoping to see. Additionally, we’ve found this to be a similar trend in other area churches who have hosted Trunk or Treat events. In fact, we’re finding that churches that build on relationships with neighbors, co-workers, and in various activity groups seem to be having greater opportunities to share Jesus in an impactful way than through large events at a church building. 

This leads us to a reformulation of how to be missional at Halloween, and to the Be That House initiative. It may be a bit of a comfort zone stretch for some because we are going to them instead of bringing them to us, but it is our belief that these kinds of opportunities help us living into Jesus’ calling to be “sent ones”. We want to support you in this endeavor and are praying you will take this step with us. 

Let us know your plans! Click here to sign up as an established group or to connect with a group. We’re excited to see how God works through this special opportunity.