Every year, we head downtown for the big Halloween Trick or Treat event. There, we love on kids and families by providing interactive games, candy, and more. We LOVE it. Some people aren’t too sure why a church would participate in a Halloween event, so I thought I would publish these five reasons:
Making the Gospel Relevant
We believe we are called to this more than anything. Making the gospel “relevant” simply means to bring it right to where it applies to people the most. It means to make it alive and to connect it in a meaningful way to people. We do NOT want to be one of those “come to us” churches, we are a REACHING church, so we do whatever we can to step towards our community!
Doing Things Nobody Is Doing
When we first started doing this, NOBODY else was serving families downtown. In fact, this “event” was little more than a cruel joke. We just happened to discover that families from all over Gilmer County were descending on downtown Ellijay, and we just knew we wanted to get right into the middle of them with the love of Jesus!
What Every Parent Wants
We believe that every parent wants to be a better parent. That’s a big part of why we are “Orange.” Our Children’s Ministry philosophy is not about daycare… It is about resourcing and equipping parents to disciple their kids, and about us backing them up each weekend.
We Are The Light Of The World
Jesus is pretty clear that our role is to light the world… Why would he give us light, only for us to hide it under a basket, or keep it within the walls of a church building? Instead, he says “let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:14-16)
Jesus Went There
Okay, he may or may not have attended some downtown event, but he did hang with the common people. He partied with Levi and his fellow tax collectors, causing the religious people to complain that he would “eat and drink with such scum.” Jesus response was just classic: “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.” (Luke 5:29-32)
You should go there
It is really hard to get younger families to sign up for helping at this event… Most parents want to be able to spend Halloween trick or treating with their kids. Who can blame them? Maybe you can go there and be part of serving alongside us downtown this year. Would you hit the link and sign up to serve?