Missional Halloween Hangouts

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Missional Halloween Hangouts

By: Brian McCurryCarved pumpkins, silly costumes, free candy, and pumpkin-spiced everything… 'tis the season!For several years now, a group of Fellowship families who live in our neighborhood have joined together to throw a "Halloween Hangout" for our neighbors.Regardless of what you may believe about Halloween and it’s origin as a celebration, we believe we have a unique opportunity to build relationships with our neighbors on this night.In fact, Brian Crenshaw, John Bryson, and I recorded a podcast episode on this very subject recently.

Think strategically about Halloween

Whether you have children or not, this is one of the few nights (maybe the only night) of the year when your neighbors are stopping by one another’s houses, ringing doorbells, and connecting relationally with one another.In our culture that is trending towards more and more interpersonal isolation, Halloween is an ideal night to be relationally strategic for the sake of the gospel.As a family on mission, we want to use this night when our community interacts and gathers to build relationships with our neighbors.

Here's some practical tips for throwing a Halloween Hangout:

• Create front yard space for people to connect - We pull out our fire pits into the driveway and bring our patio chairs from the back into the front yard.
• Have something for the kids to do - We show the classic TV movie, "It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" on an inflatable screen. A whole new generation of kiddos will sit and watch the whole show. We also hand out s’more kits which the kids can make and eat while they watch the movie.
• Have something for the adults to do too - Depending on the weather, we provide hot cider or lemonade, the fire pits, s’mores, and candy. Parents really do appreciate the pit stop to slow down, have conversations with other adults, and take a break from an active night.
• Soup for dinner with friends before the night starts - An offshoot of the festivities includes several families making a pot of soup to share and hosting a pre-trick-or-treating dinner for their neighbors. This is a great way to kick off the night together. The kids also love trick-or-treating with the big group of friends that gather early for dinner.
• Find common ground to make other connections after that night - Missionally speaking, we are purely looking to start or continue relationships on Halloween that extend through the year. That night is not the finish line for ministry, it is the starting line. This hangout gives us opportunities through the year to connect again relationally in our neighborhood, at our kids' schools, and around town.
• Repeat the tradition - Our Halloween Hangout has become a neighborhood tradition that everyone looks forward to year after year. We continually add families that help us even pull off the party because it’s such a fun night. The movie, the s’mores, the candy, and the friendships have become a tradition for lots of families.

What about you? Could you and some of your friends host your version of a Halloween Hangout this year?We’d love to see parties like this happening all over the city on Halloween night and at other strategic times during the year. (Wait 'til you hear about our Fourth of July Party!) Send us your stories and your pictures — we’d love to see you connecting with your friends and neighbors!Let’s seize the opportunities we have in front of us for the sake of the gospel.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]