About Fall Festival
What Churches Are Doing
A quick Google reveals that many churches offer an annual Fall Festival. They offer it as an alternative to Halloween. The message?
“Come out of the darkness and into the light.”
Halloween Concerns?
- Some say Halloween supports the worship of evil.
- Others suggest it’s unsafe to eat the treats given by strangers.
- Many fear the strangers.
- Are these valid concerns? Just read your newspaper the day after.
Have we exchanged our fear of witches, goblins, and zombies for our fear of kidnappers, malevolent candy givers, and unsafe neighborhoods?
Our church’s Fall Festival doesn’t replace Halloween, it’s on a different night. Some believe that the light of the world still needs to be out there and not be hidden under the bowl of a church fun night.
Still, our Fall Festival has hundreds of community guests. And this year, we offered more than treats. We set up a “store” with all kinds of supplies like food items, bedding, cleaning supplies, school supplies, clothes, and much more, available for anyone, for free. Many visitors left with bags of needed items.
Me?
I love Fall Festival. We have bouncy houses, cotton candy and popcorn, and a great meal. There’s a petting zoo, an arcade with decent video games, and super-heroes walking around being super. It encourages fun costumes and discourages the imitation of evil. Families young and old interact and have great fun.

I’m grateful for my church staff who envision such events and produce a fantastic experience. Our Children’ Ministers, Youth Minister, and Media Director deserve a lot of gratitude.
My Favorite Part?
It was a family whose house had been flooded and destroyed by Harvey. They aren’t members of my church. I met them and then helped carry bags of needed items to their car.
Yes, their children left with bags of candy! They all left with bags of something.
I guess there are many ways to be the light of the world.