Churches across our diocese marked the 31 October in a variety of ways this year, and all shared the light of Jesus with their communities.
Holy Trinity Frome hosted a’ Light Party’ which was attended by children from the local community as well as church going families. They created stained glass lanterns and friendship bracelets, enjoyed a glow in the dark dance party and heard about how Jesus the Light of the World takes the darkness of sin away. They then wrote prayers together and attached them to small LED lanterns – filling the window with a glorious light display which remained lit overnight and into the following week.
At Christ Church, Weston-super-Mare the team welcomed families to ‘LightFest’ – a family friendly alternative to the darker traditions surrounding Halloween. Everyone enjoyed playing games and making Lighthouses and Glass Jar Lanterns, then the delicious hot dog tea and interactive talk. Family Ministry Worker, Nicky Boardman explained, “LightFest was born out of conversations two of us parents were having with our children who were struggling with being invited to join in with trick or treating and Halloween parties. We felt there was a need for an alternative. It's a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Jesus, The Light of the World with our church family and community.”
In Taunton, All Saints Trull opened up their community centre café for some games and craft fun. Instead of celebrating scary things, they decorated the hall with lights and carved pumpkins. There was an amazing atmosphere as whole families came to meet their friends before going out in the village to trick or treat, while others came in from the cold later in the evening. An amazing team of volunteers hosted the evening and made all the guests feel very welcome!
In the neighbouring Orchard Grove housing development, the church team hosted a similar but more mobile ‘Pumpkin Pitstop’ sharing free sweets and treats and serving hot drinks from their coffee bike to all those who were out and about after dark.
Meanwhile at St Peters Milton and Mead Vale, trick or treating became treat or treating. St Peter’s Vicar, Caroline Deakin explains: “Our aim is to shine the light of Jesus out into our community. It’s an amazing opportunity to meet, love and serve the community that we live in and we are expectant to hear stories of transformed lives through it.”
Outside St Peter’s Church on the Milton estate, the team handed out treats, while inside they had autumn crafts and hot chocolate to warm up those who had gone out for the evening. On the Mead Vale estate treats and hot chocolate were handed out from the boot of a car! Between 5 and 7pm a total of 150 treats were given away.
Caroline added: “There are many stories but this one is awesome - we met a lady again who we had given a treat to last year. She had just moved England in 2024 when she was walking past the church and received a gift. She was delighted to tell us that since then she had learnt to read English and loved reading the booklet on Jesus that we had given her. We can’t wait to meet her again!”
The Go Team’s Andy Levett commented, “Different things work in different places and it’s great to see churches engaging with their communities, bringing light in what can be a very dark time of the year.”