All Hallows' Eve

I know that the church frowns upon Hallowe'en and discourages doorstep trick or treating, but I would like to offer an alternative viewpoint.

At a recent Sunday service Mark asked the question, "What is sin?" and I suggested one answer is that it is what separates us from God. Looking at the story of Adam and Eve in the Good News Bible, I noticed that it wasn't so much the sin that separated them from God - it was fear. I thought about how Paul reached the unbelievers by meeting with them where they were at. How often do we get non-Christians knocking on our door in the hoping of receiving a gift? Can I suggest that as Christ's body, we shouldn't be turning those people away with nothing - that we take a loving look at those that come knocking and offer them something special?

How's this for a suggestion: we create some sort of 'token' along with an invitation to the inaugural meeting of the Beacon in the new sports hall at Kings - invite them to come along to that service where they will be able to redeem their token for a gift. (The gift could be a goody bag which includes a tract - plus information about Kids' Club, Kids' Church etc. - maybe the bags could be age appropriate). Then any church members that wish to take part, hand out these 'tokens' and invitations to the 4th November service to any trick or treaters knocking at the door on Wednesday night.

I realise we haven't got much time to organise something like this but feel that it is achievable nonetheless!

As I've been cataloguing books for the Beacon Library, I happen to have a Good News Bible that was amongst the books donated by Trish McQ, which she in turn had received from someone else. I picked it up this morning to re-read the verse where Adam and Eve first hide from God, and came across a bookmark which says: "God longs to do good things for us. So few experience His goodness because so few believe in it". I took this as encouragement that we should use our best endeavours to spread the word of God's goodness. This seems like a way to do it and to capitalise on the opportunity of having unbelievers coming to our very doorstep.