Halloween

4 shiney stars

 

Like it or not, Halloween is an annual tradition that people celebrate every year.  It's a controversial topic - some argue it has no place in the church, others figure it's worth embracing the theme as it gives them the chance to speak to some of the issues Halloween inevitably raises up. 

For those that would like to feature it in their Youth Group calendar, we thought we'd consolidate a few ideas together.  Please add comments below on how your Youth Leadership team approach Halloween

  • Trick or Treat
    Come dressed up in costume and go trick or treating.  As you visit houses, hand out small cards with bible verses or stories promoting Christian values and beliefs
  • Prayer session
    Have a session praying against all the dark and evil forces in the world. 
  • Scary night
    For the more daring (and less conservative), have a horror night at a haunted house, local forest or the local cemetery.  Get everyone to dress up and tell spooky stories.  if you're going to a cemetery, at the start of the night, it is paramount you talk about what constitutes appropriate behavior and the importance of showing respect.
  • Pumpkin carving
    Needs no explanation really :)

Relevant bible verses

  • 2 Timothy 1:7
  • 1 Thes 5:5

Some other relevant articles:

 

 



Features
  • Night
Objectives
  • Discipleship / Bible
Space
  • Indoor
  • Large area
  • Outdoor
  • Small area
Age
  • Primary or Elementary School
  • Teens (Age 12-15)
  • Teens (Age 16-18)
  • Young Adults

Group Size
  • Small Groups (1-9 people)
  • Medium (10-29 people)
  • Large groups (30+)

Duration
  • Longer (30-60 mins)
Submit your vote:



Share

          

Comments

For Halloween each year we head out in the community and do Trick or Canning! We go out and collect canned goods for the community! We started this event 4 years ago and now the highschool and all area churches have joined the event!! What a witness to the community and the kids still end up getting loads of candy for their hard efforts! (lol)
You need to promote the event a month before halloween in the community! That night have drivers drive around collecting the canned goods from the kids trick or canning!
What a wonderful gift to give to your local food bank!
- Christiane (11 Feb 2010)

wow....EVERYONE knows what trick or treating is......u dont have 2 explain it......JK i LOVE trick or treating....(: and every year at gems we go around and collect food for johovah or something like that x]
- kayla (4 Aug 2010)

I don't think we should participate anything that includes Holloween. Give the background of Holloween a study, you will find out that it came from people worshiping Satan/devil. I think Jesus weeps when he sees his children carlessly following 'the celebration of Holloween'or trying to change it to 'christian' when it only represents the Devil.
- carlene (13 Aug 2010)

It's about getting the kids off of the Ouija Boards and into the Bible, has nothing to with celebrating Halloween.
- Cathy (17 Oct 2010)

I agree with Carlene. Teaching a YOUTH GROUP to go out and do a HAUNTED house, is completely ridiculous. You should be teaching the youth what Halloween is all about and that it is not just some dress up party. It is really about people doing evil things and you are only enabling people to do it, if you are out there supporting it.
- Melissa (21 Oct 2010)

LOL This may be one of the most ridiculous pages I've come across in regards to Youth oriented activities... Comments Included... Lighten up people! Plus, I dare someone to try the "Prayer Session" idea... see how that goes...LOL
- Mike (26 Oct 2010)

No matter what you are celebrating, it is whats in your heart that God looks at. You could celebrate Christmas or Easter and make it all about yourself and screw it up.
- cheryl (27 Oct 2010)

,@ Carlene they were not satanists those early Halloween people they just weren't Christians yet.
And they did not worship Satan, you have the druids of the old Celtic faith confused with modern satanists. You might as well not celebrat christmas because it falls near the winter solstice.



Halloween has a much deeper, and in some ways dark history, that has given birth to one of the most beloved holidays in the world.

Halloweens origins go all the way back to Ancient times with the Celtic festival of Samhain. This was the Celts version of a New Years Eve celebration honoring the end of summer and harvest time, and marking a period of cold, darkness, and death of winter. Celts believed that this end of the year time marked the time in which the barrier between the living and the dead became thin. On October 31st the spirits would come back from the dead and create havoc by damaging the crops with frost and causing a multitude of other troubles. The Roman church soon enacted a holiday to detour the worship of spirits, and so proclaimed November 1st as All Saints Day to honor the saints and martyrs of the church. This day was also known as All Hallows Eve. As the two religions began to mix much of the traditions of Samhain, such as dressing up in costumes and dancing around the fire, became one with All Hallows Eve to create Halloween.

Tradition has always been a part of Halloween from its very start. Its no wonder then that many of our traditions today came from this time period. An example of these traditions would be bobbing for apples. When Roman tradition mixed with Celtic tradition, so did their festivals. One festival near the time of Samhain was a day to honor the goddess of fruit trees, Pamona. Pamona is quite often symbolized as an apple, hence the modern day practice of bobbing for apples.

Trick or Treating is also a tradition of Halloween with early starts. Trick or Treating came from All Souls Day parades in early England. The poor citizens of England would line up on the sides of the street as the richer members of the community paraded by and threw them pastries called soul cakes. The starving citizens would accept these cakes in exchange for praying for the richer classs dead family members.

Another tradition of Halloween is dressing up in costumes. This is another tradition that started in early England where citizens, knowing that Hallows Eve was a time for the spirits of their ancestors to come back and taunt them, would dress up in masks and costumes to keep the spirits from recognizing them.

Halloween is a fun time of year for the entire family. Its incredibly rich with history and a tribute to the idea that cultures can intermingle and incorporate each others traditions to create a holiday that can be celebrated by all.


- Pam (30 Oct 2010)

It's funny to me how many people are against Halloween when most of our holidays started from pagan beliefs, including Christmas. It is what you make it. Yes, there are some bad people that celebrate the devil on Halloween. But, just because we let our kids dress up and participate in trick or treating does not mean we are celebrating the devil. We can have fun in the name of the Lord. God knows our heart.
- Marissa (31 Oct 2010)

Like some people have already stated above, trick or treating is NOT of God. When we open our hearts and our minds to things that aren't of God, we are opening up to satan, no matter how obvious or subtle that is.
If we spent that time praising God, reaching out into the community, doing mission work, or just spreading the love of Jesus Christ, people's lives will be changed and impacted.
We dont have many days here, and it is so much greater to know that we can spend our time doing God's work instead of the work of the enemy.
- Carla (10 Feb 2011)

we do things at my youth club for halloween. we don't take it seriously, and its just some fun. we never do haunted houses or anything and were not allowed to dress up as anything horror-related. i usually dress up as a character from a book or movie. one year, my friends and I dressed up as a student from one of the four houses in harry potter. there were 4 of us, so one from each house it was hilarious a great laugh.
- bekie (15 Feb 2011)

What we have always done is a Fall Fest. The entire church gets together, and celebrates God. They bring their friends, and instead of going out trick or treating in costumes, we have a hay ride and carol like it's christmas. We try to keep kids from celebrating all hallows eve, by making it a night filled with praising the lord, and telling the kids and adults of all hallows eve
- Miah (16 May 2011)

Cemeteries...really?
- (12 Jul 2012)

wow at the legalism. I got saved at 21. Of all the evil and wicked things I did, none of them had anything to do with halloween. In fact halloween was some of my most innocent times.
- WIll Cofield (30 Aug 2012)

We have a Hallelujah Fest @ our church. Trunk or treat ( people put candy in the trunks of their cars .On church grounds) kids go around & get candy from all of the cars.(safer) Cake walk, dress up as bible characters ,food ,games etc.... Because it is outreach in our community if they come dressed up as something else,that's ok. Talent show & prizes
- First Lady Moffett (11 Oct 2013)

We have Fall Festival and trunk or treat to give the kids in the community a safe and fun place to spend Oct 31. It is an opportunity to share the word with kids who don't normally come to church and it gives our church kids a night of Christian fun. Trunk a treat is the highlight because we decorate our trunks and pass out candy. They love running around the parking lot getting candy.
- Charlene (12 Oct 2014)

Some of the costumes the kids wear can be inappropriate.
Why not have a light party? Nothing wrong with celebrating something Godly on a day others use for other celebrations.
Those who come dressed up as monsters can be used in a short demonstration or play perhaps where Jesus transforms them or something.
- Troy (6 Nov 2017)

Post your own comment

Name:
Email or web site:
Anti-spam check
To prove you are human, what traffic light color means stop?(Hint: 3 letters, beginning with R)
Comments:
Note: comments may be edited and will not appear until approved


Icebreakers

9 Icebreakers that will leave your Group Buzzing

We've compiled a list of icebreakers which are fun and easy to run!



Team Building Activities

8 Fun and Effective Team Building Activities

Team Building Activities are a great way to strengthen relationships amongst your group. Here are 8 activities that will do just that!


Youth Group Names

Youth Group Names

Looking for a good name for your Youth Group? Check out our list of Youth Group Names.