From discos to light trails, bobbing apples and hot chocolate, our churches have marked All Hallows’ Eve with events and celebrations for their local communities.
All Saints, Maybush Parish
All Saints Church joined with venues across the Millbrook area of Southampton to provide a safe place for children and young people to enjoy the evening of 31st October. It was part of a wider initiative to support the local community and reduce anti-social behaviour. While some venues offered a disco and live music, the church provided a calm environment which was particularly helpful to younger children or those who struggle with noise and bright lights.
The church also partnered with the local family hub, Pickles Coppice. There were plenty of crafts to take part in, a Lego zone, as well as hot chocolate and biscuits.
It was the first visit to the church for some of the families and provided an opportunity for them to hear more about the services and community events at All Saints.
Revd Ali Alexander said, “This is my second time of doing it and last year we had over 200 people through the building and a lot of those are people who would never have stepped through the door in their lifetime. Some might have been christened or baptised here, some may have come with school many years ago, but they’ve enjoyed coming and seeing that the church is still here, and we’re reminding them that the church is open as a space to gather in, not just on Sundays but for other events during the week as well.”
St Thomas, Fair Oak
A light trail on the estate around St Thomas in Fair Oak attracted much attention, giving people a fun activity and a chance to welcome them into the church and enjoy refreshments.
Curate Revd Tom Young said, “We recognise that the community is out and about this evening, so we thought it’s a great opportunity to meet them, to love and serve them, to provide something a bit fun and to be a really positive contact for them.”
There were six stations dotted around the estate with a light and a tag to scan on their phone which gave a question. Once all questions were answered, they could head to the church with a key word and received a goodie bag. The Church was full of flashing lights and music to admire or to encourage a dance, and hot dogs and hot chocolate were on offer in the church extension.
Revd Tom continued, “Within the goodie bags there’s a card which has a blessing on it, reminding people that we’re here all year round to love and serve them, to build community and to help them explore faith. It has a link to our website if they want to know more. We recognise at the moment the Holy Spirit is drawing people in, so we hope we can be a positive influence that might help on that journey, as people feel like they’re being drawn by God to come to know him. So, let’s fling open our doors and say, ‘hey you’re welcome here’.”
Mum Emily, who took part in the trail with her husband Simon and son Rupert, said, “It’s nice to do something different, to make us think and interact with others. We’ve all enjoyed it tonight.”
St Mary’s Overton
For the last few years St. Mary’s Church in Overton has hosted a Light Party on All Hallows’ Eve as an opportunity for the community to come together, celebrate creativity, and enjoy a safe alternative to traditional Halloween events. Many children came dressed for the occasion with brightly coloured costumes.
The church and the church rooms were used to provide a variety of activities including sports, crafts, a disco, and games. Children could explore the different zones and choose their activities, with volunteers nearby to help.
Links with the local primary school had been used to promote the event on parent email and class WhatsApp groups along with local Facebook pages and posters around the village.
The church and its pillars were lit up with hundreds of bright lights and many of the games and crafts had the theme of light including hoopla with glow-stick rings and a light-up Ping-Pong planet game, creating lanterns and decorating biscuits. Understanding that sometimes all the excitement can be a little overwhelming, a quiet room was set aside for children who needed a short break from the action.
Food included pizza and sausages, carrot and cucumber sticks. The children left with a party bag with multicoloured pencils, star-shaped pads and reflective stars for their bags or jackets. There was an invitation to Christmas events and a leaflet explaining what Jesus meant when he said, “I am the Light of the World”.
Light party organiser and volunteer Ginnie Cates said, “What better gift could we offer local families, what better opportunity could we take in the community, what better way to fulfil Jesus’ calling to be the light of the world than to host a Light Party on a dark evening in October?”
St. Leonard’s, Sherfield On Loddon
St Leonard’s in Sherfield on Loddon opened its doors for a family film night on 25th October. The evening began with games and activities including apple bobbing before they created fruit kebabs and then settled in to watch the film. The church was decorated with lights, giant cobwebs, spiders, and pumpkins to create an Autumn theme.
It was part of the church’s outreach into the community which includes another Christmas family movie night in December.
PCC member John Moule said, “The evening was filled with laughter and excitement and seeing everyone’s smiles was heartwarming. The ‘knock down the ducks’ game also proved to be a favourite, and the children’s energy brought a vibrant buzz throughout the church. A particularly touching moment came when one of our regular Kids Church participants shared with all the other children that “this was their most favourite place.” This warmed our hearts and will hopefully encourage some of our new visitors to return. There is truly no better endorsement in God’s House.”
Basingstoke Churches
More than 400 people attended a Light Party organised by Basingstoke Churches during the two hour drop in. There were songs, games, crafts and food and plenty of lights and colour.
Joe Pavey, Worship and Production Pastor, said, “The light party is one of our favourite events of the year as we see it have such an impact on the South Ham community. South Ham loves Halloween and goes all in for it, so to offer an alternative to the darkness and invite folks into a building full of the light of Jesus is so important.”
North Hampshire Downs Benefice
A roving light party took place around the benefice of North Hampshire Downs. The party was taken out into the communities of Long Sutton and to the car park of Upton Grey village hall. The party’s theme was ‘Leave the Light On.’
Helen Chatfield, Children and Youth Outreach Pastor, explains, “We are a cluster of 12 churches, and our smaller villages sometimes miss out when it comes to light parties, so we decided to bring the light party to them! We crammed everything you need for a disco and light party into the back of the car, and travelled through some of the villages, playing games, dancing, handing out sweets and, of course, sharing with the children that, in this dark world where things go wrong and people can be sad or scared, Jesus is our light and even asks us to help him in sharing that light with others. At church, we will always leave the light on.”
Parents and churches worked together on the benefice wide project, with many children coming out to join the fun.
Sam, a parent, added, “We all had such a lovely time, and a great alternative to just trick or treating! Singing ‘Let my Light Shine’ outside with our glowsticks was so memorable for the kids.”
