I'm reminded of an image from the beginning of The Big Lebowski as a tumbleweed rolls through LA picking up debris. That's what I've been like for the past few weeks. Just when I think I'll have time for blogging, a gust of wind comes by and I move on to something else, picking another item up on my to do list.
Whew! Life is coming together on the Fear Not Festival. Halloween is such an icky time. Kidology.org just sent out a newsletter talking about finding common ground within the two viewpoints. My view is that Evil has had enough fun with this holiday and it's time to take it back. If we, as Christians, avoided everything that has been twisted into evil, we'd all sit in a padded room singing Kum Ba Yah.
I am certainly not the majority on this issue. In a meeting yesterday, I even had a member of the team tell me, almost in tears, that she is only helping me on this festival because she loves and supports me, but she feels it is "all wrong." This pains me because the last thing I want to do is to go against someone's convictions.
But what is so wrong? If anything, these kids (not just ours but the community's kids) are getting to step into an interactive story--interactive BIBLE stories. They will sit in the belly of a whale with Jonah (complete with open cans of tuna for smell effect!), in the lion's den with Daniel, in the palace with Esther, and learn that people, no HEROES in the Bible were scared, too, and God helped them through it! Little ones will watch Where's God When I'm S-Scared?, and what better lesson is that? Kids will sling "stones" at Goliath (bean bag toss) and the best part--kids will enter a cemetery, witness a stone rolling away, and an Angel telling the women not to be afraid because Jesus Christ has risen! And the best part is that they will experience it, not just hear about it.
What is so wrong? Yes, it was a pagan holiday, but so was every holiday originally. We Christians just took the pagan time periods and attributed them to our purposes. Isn't the important thing that we are reaching out to these kids with the message of how awesome God is?
5 comments:
I think your approach is creative and wholesome. Of the churches around here (ours included) that do Halloween alternatives, I haven't seen anything with a biblical focus as yours.
My own personal feeling on Halloween is a little controversial at my church. We do a huge event, but I don't want to be there. I want to be at my home passing out candy to all the neighborhood kids. It is such a great night to connect with neighbors. If my house is dark on
Halloween because I am at church, what message does that send to my unchurched neighbors?
I'm not sure how I'll resolve it this year!
That's why we're doing the festival on Friday the 27th and then on Tues the 31st, I'll be home to pass out candy and smiles!
What a fun and creative approach and you're still home to pass out candy and smiles! Very cool!
What a fun and creative approach and you're still home to pass out candy and smiles! Very cool!
I just found your blog through Dave's children's ministry blog. I totally agree with you. I videoed a rant just on this subject and they played it sunday morning and was well recieved. I was nervous because i let it all out. Glad to see there are other children's ministers out there feeling the same way. If your interested I have the rant on my blog, you'll just have to scroll a bit.
I love handing out candy. I love greeting the kids, pretending their costumes are scary or treating them like royalty or acting relieved there is a superhero on my doorstep because I just saw darth vader. It's so much fun.
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