Planning Your Halloween/Fall Outreach Event
I.. Love.. Fall..
sweata weatha, apple cider, leaves changing colors, pumpkin spice everything..
I confess, pumpkin spice is not my thing, BUT Fall is hands down my favorite season.
It is also a great opportunity for your church to do outreach! The opportunities are endless. Gift cards to local coffee shops for moms, helping out at the school athletic games, Trunk or treats, and fall festivals!
Reaching the unchurched in your community..
A Fall Festival, Trunk-or-Treat, Hallelujah Night, or what ever your team decides to name it, is a crucial event children's ministries should be using to reach the unchurched in your city. And due to COVID-19 this is truer more than ever before. Parent's are on edge about the safety of the children going door to door receiving candy from strangers and getting too close to others who might be contagious.
Need Help?
Stand out above the other fall events in your area with a big attraction. Our speciality is partnering with the local church by bringing adventure filled activities! Rent our rockwall, eurobungee, inflatables or more!
OR..
Send me a message to help plan your next event! I have 10+ years experience organizing events big & small across a variety of audiences, with a speciality in kids ministry.
Here’s how to do it:
Decide what type of event is right for you
Things to consider
Activities
Connection to your ministry
Follow up
Not every ministry is onboard with celebrating Halloween or a Trunk or Treat and that is OKAY. But that shouldn't stop you from hosting some sort of outreach event. Fall Festivals with pumpkin painting, hay rides, and games is a great alternative to participating in a night filled with ghosts, goblins, and ghouls. Or you can have a little fun with word play and host a Hallelujah Night, HallowHim, etc. 1a. I do urge you to consider that Halloween is the one night children are out knocking on your door or visiting your trunk or treat opposed to the opposite (many parents prefer trunk or treats for safety, especially considering COVID-19).
Budget, volunteers, resources, location, competition. All of these are very important. How much money do you have to spend on this event? Can the costs be "shared" by volunteers providing their own candy and trunk decorations? Do you know a church member or community member that has a farm or park? Someone who can donate hay, drive a tractor, etc? 2a. I have seen many ministries use fall festivals as a very successful fundraiser, corn mazes, pay to paint pumpkins, concessions, and more. There is great outreach potential in both free and admission events, I encourage you to consider what your mission and goal is for the event.
#2 decides much of what you can accomplish here. There is a long long list of things you can do at these events. And a lot of them can be done for low to zero cost. COVID-19 has limited many of the fun activities you could be doing..
COVID-19 TIPS:
Host outside
Volunteers wear masks
Have hand sanitization stations
Maximize social distancing of activities and cars
Limit group sizes for activities that break social distancing (hay rides)
NO bobbing for apples, or activities that can't easily be sanitized
4. The whole point of this event is likely outreach in your community, therefore you need connection! Your church staff should be there smiling and talking with families. Consider an attractive and very simple invite post card to hand out with candy. If you can find it in the budget to raffle off something big and require their information to enter you now have their contact to reach out.
5. Was your event successful? You'll only know this if you have determined a measurable goal. Any connections you make, be sure to begin the relationship building!