It’s no accident that Reformation Day and Halloween fall on the same day. It was actually by design. The 31st of October was the night before All Saints Day and came to be known as All Hallows Eve—the origin of our Halloween. It was a time when people were particularly focused on remembering their loved ones who had died—and being worried about their loved one’s souls. Early on in the life of ...
Read More
In response to those Christian voices who decry and denounce the celebration of Halloween, my friend Rev. Marie Mainard O'Connell (minister and unapologetic celebrant) penned this ode a few years ago. She has graciously allowed me to post it here. I think it should be read aloud in the town square (if we still had such things) every year. In defense and praise of Halloween! Rally the hordes of children in masks! Man ...
Read More
Our Doubting Believer Community mission emphasis in September is Older Adults--in our churches, our families and our communities. Here's an easy-to-throw Halloween Party to use with, well, anyone, but it is especially geared toward older adults. You could do all of these activities or just one or two. Not everyone will be into it, but people who love Halloween never stop enjoying it. Guess the Weight Pumpkin Bring in a large pumpkin ...
Read MoreI live in a neighborhood that gets besieged at Halloween. We have sidewalks and streetlights that provide the perfect trick-or-treat set-up. Not only do we have a lot of kids in our neighborhood, but people truck in (or mini-van in) to our neighborhood. We've never been able to buy enough candy to outlast the stream of trick-or-treaters. There are some neighbors who resent the intrusion, but our family loves the ...
Read More