Harvest Festival 2023

Tuesday, October 31 • 6:00pm-8:00pm

Join us for our Christian alternative to Halloween, with FREE games, food, and tons of candy! Costumes are strongly encouraged, but please refrain from wearing anything scary or offensive.

We are still looking for volunteers! If you are interested, please contact the church office.

 

Why doesn’t the church celebrate Hallowe’en?

Hallowe’en is and has become a celebration of evil, darkness, and death. Hallowe’en is a high day and “holy” day for witches, devil worshippers and the occult. Hallowe’en has the potential of leading people to dabble with “Demonic Spirits” like Satan, ghosts and reaching out to those who have already died. The Bible tells us plainly that we are not to be participants with demons (1 Corinthians 10:20 and 1 Timothy 4:1). As a church that follows Jesus Christ we don’t want to glorify the devil, darkness, and death but rather celebrate God, goodness, life and the light that Jesus Christ brings into the darkness of the world.

Where did Hallowe’en come from?

Hallowe’en has its ultimate origins in the Celtic (Irish, Scottish, Welsh) harvest festival called Samhain (pronounced so-wen). The Celts adopted the Druid beliefs and customs in pre-Christian days to celebrate the end of summer and the last day of the year. They imagined that the night was haunted by ghosts and witches and the spirits of the dead who were revisiting their earthly homes. Of course this is not what the Bible says. Scripture tells us that the dead are either in Heaven or Hell and they can’t and don’t come back to earth to visit.

How did the church get involved in these customs?

Christian missionaries sought to redefine many pagan celebrations to convert non-believers to Christianity. The early Catholic Church in A.D. 835 designated November 1st “All Saints Day” to recognize saints who did not have a special day named after them to try and replace the celebration of Samhain. However on October 31, 1517, famous church reformer Martin Luther posted his 95 thesis (back to basics document) on the chapel door of Wittenberg University in Germany protesting the false doctrines of the Catholic Church and the Protestant Reformation began.

So why do we celebrate Harvest Festival?

Halloween is a gigantic retail holiday, although it is not a state or a federal holiday. There is no way we can ignore it – it won’t go away! So we provide an alternative activity for our children and call it Harvest Festival. It reminds us of all the blessing God provides for us especially at the harvest time of year.  We hope that through this activity we can celebrate the goodness of God and that the Light of Jesus will overcome the darkness of Hallowe’en in the world. We hope to reach out to all who attend and take them one step closer to a relationship with God. In the Bible Ephesians 5:16 tells us to “make the most of every opportunity” to tell others about God. This is one of those opportunities. Please remember that participating in an alternative is not the same thing as celebrating the holiday. When we celebrate a holiday like Hallowe’en, we are publicly bringing some sort of honor to that day. When we participate in an alternative we are taking part in providing a Christian choice instead of Hallowe’en. The right alternative can be safe and fun for kids and yet still honor God. It is important that our kids do not feel they are missing out on and opportunity just because they are Christians. Ultimately Harvest Festival can be a great opportunity to “overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21.