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Volunteering for Trunk 'N' Treat
If you are interested in volunteering for the Trunk 'N' Treat, you will
need the following:
- Decorated Car or Truck (with YOU decorated as well)
- A Flash Light
- Lots of Bags of Candy & Treats
- Arrive NO LATER than 4:45 PM
We also need:
- Friendly Greeters (Need a minimum of 10-15 people)
- Game Masters (Need a minimum of 15 people)
- Grill Masters
- Set Up (arrive @ 4PM) and Tear Down (7-8PM)
- Lots & Lots of Candy Donation or $$ To Buy It
- Rolls of Crepe Paper & Masking Tape
Background of Trunk 'N' Treat
Christians often ask us why we at Father's House Vineyard so freely
participate with such a dark and ungodly holiday as Halloween. Here's
our thoughts...
Over the years, Sandy & I have taken a variety of approaches to
Halloween....
In our earlier years of marriage, we saw it as a rather harmless holiday
and participated with it, letting our kids enjoy the fun of Trick or
Treating in our Evanston, IL neighborhood.
Then as our kids were a bit older we started reading articles and investigating
the origins of Halloween and saw how ungodly and dark the holiday was
becoming in America. Like many of our other Christian friends, we decided
to withdraw from it all. We'd pull our kids out of school on Halloween
day, and sit at home on Halloween night with our shades pulled and the
lights off, ignoring the doorbell. I remember one pastor suggested we
try handing out "God hates Halloween" tracts instead of candy, but we
just couldn't bring ourselves to that. After a year or two of trying
to explain to our kids why Halloween was so evil, a few parents at our
church decided to hold a "Harvest Party" on Halloween night. While it
provided a fun outlet for our kids, it still had the overwhelming flavor
of us Christians hunkering down inside our buildings, praying that all
that evil out there on Halloween night would not touch us.
Finally a few years back, after we started Father's House, the
Lord began to speak to our hearts about our attitude. While the world
was getting darker and darker out there and Halloween was becoming an
even bigger event in America than ever before, here we were as Christians
huddled behind our barricades, ignoring the fact that Jesus told us
to be a "LIGHT" IN the world, or a "SALT" IN our unsavory surroundings.
Finally Sandy & I decided that we could ignore it no longer.
Realizing Jesus said to GO into the darkness, we decided we could actually
USE this holiday to build relationships with the folks out there, rather
than ignore it. It's been so rewarding to see how our Trunk'N'Treat
outreaches are being used to plant positive seeds of faith, hope & love
in people's hearts. In 2006, our 4th annual TNT gave us an opportunity
to plant a seed of Christ's love in over 350 people who came onto our
property. We personally met dozens & dozens of kids, and lots of appreciative
parents personally told us how very blessed they were by what we doing
for them. It's amazing how a free hot dog and a bag of free candy can
melt a person's heart!
Now, when Sandy & I compare our old days of hunkering down in the house
on Oct. 31 or partying at a "Christian-only" Harvest party to the overwhelming
joys of meeting hundreds of friendly neighborhood folks in the love
of Christ, there is absolutely no comparison for us! While some may
see it as compromising with evil, we see it as one of our most effective
Christ-centered outreaches throughout the year!
We fully understand why some Christians want to avoid the darkness that
is attached to Halloween... indeed, don't get us wrong, it is
our least favorite holiday as well! But we encourage you to reconsider
your view of how we should respond as Christians and see how the Lord
might use YOU as a follower of Jesus to go head-to-head with the darkness,
letting His love be evident on such a dark night.
QUESTIONS? Contact us @ 390-9300 or
Email Us |
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