Dora the Explorer does it, SpongeBob SquarePants does it, the Power Rangers do it, even Inspector Poirot does it. They all celebrate Halloween.  According to McCrindle Research, 34% of Australians planned to celebrate Halloween in 2011 by trick-or-treating, getting dressed up and putting up decorations; and 64% planned to provide treats for door knockers. I wonder how many more there will be this year.

When I was a child, the only thing I knew about Halloween was that the Brady Bunch went trick-or-treating. It was something that families in America did. Growing up in Australia, Halloween was as foreign as snowmen at Christmas.

Like me, when my children were young the closest they got to Halloween was watching American sitcoms. But by the time my last child was in year five, Halloween had found a home in her school and the homes of the children she played with. There were invitations to parties and to walk the streets trick-or-treating, our school sent the children home with Halloween crafts and had a Halloween disco.

Even though my children have grown up and I no longer have to face the Halloween dilemma for our family I do wonder how churches should respond to Halloween. Should we ignore it? Embrace it? Or provide an alternative?

Ignore Halloween – I suspect that this is what many churches do. However, it may be more difficult for parents, children’s ministry leaders and SRE teachers as they respond to the questions that children ask.

Embrace Halloween - The fact that my email is filled with advertisements for resources that use Halloween as the basis for children’s ministry attests to the popularity in some churches of embracing Halloween.  Among other things, there are lesson plans for teaching about shining Jesus’ light to the world by carving a pumpkin jack-o-lantern, or for teaching about tithing (what else can you do with all the treats your children collect?), or for helping children discover that death is not scary for Christians. With a bit more of an internet search I also found a place where I can buy costume ideas for Halloween that “God would find appropriate”, and a recipe for Halloween Slime that teaches about the potter and clay.

Some families will also choose to participate in Halloween because they see it as a great opportunity to join in a family-based community event. I have also heard of families who choose not to go out on Halloween but give out lollies and children’s gospel tracts to trick-or-treaters who knock on their doors.

Provide an alternative to Halloween – Some churches like to provide an alternative family event that celebrates the light of Christ rather than the darkness of Halloween. At these events children can dress up and communities can come together without emphasising the scary or evil characters associated with Halloween. Events like these provide a great opportunity for churches to reach out to their community with the good news of the gospel.

Ignore, embrace or provide an alternative? What will your church do this year?

Feature photo: Kwan Cheung