Fall Festival
In order to reclaim Halloween as a Christian holiday, we celebrate a Fall Festival each year. Despite its commercial and "spooky" aspects, the origin of the name is "All Hallows' Eve," meaning the eve of All Saints Day. In some cultures that night is seen as a time when the boundaries between earth and heaven become thin and permeable, bringing us into closer contact with the spirits of the dead.
On the weekend before All Saints we have a special Children's Chapel, at which we tell the Bible story of the Dry Bones (Ezekiel37:1-14), a metaphor for the raising up of the depleted nation of Israel. The children usually come in costume and sing on that day, and after the service (or on Saturday afternoon the day before) the Youth Group puts on a celebration with a variety of games, face-painting and other festivities.
