It was certainly a night to remember! I loved every minute of Halloween. True, it had it’s issues: no trick-or-treaters to start with. And certainly there was extra food, like an oven-full of chicken wings. But there was also a night full of people doing life together! And that was worth it all. Here are a few highlights of the night.

  • Costumes were a breath of fresh air after several years of “fall festivals.” I actually enjoyed my vampires, Heath Ledger jokers and rocker fairies. I also thoroughly enjoyed the creativity. My favorite had to have been Amanda, whose rubiks cube took top prize.
  • We had kids from two church campuses mixed at the party. I’d like to see more informal events like these where the kid can meet and get to know each other.
  • Boys love fire. If nothing else, they could go do dangerous things with the torches and the fire pit. And S’mores…they make everything worthwhile.
  • The student ministries staff hung out with us during and after the party, and were — by far — the highlight of the evening. We loved sitting around the kitchen table and getting to know Mel and Shauno…two new staff members we hadn’t had a chance to connect with so far. Students popped in and out of conversations, and everyone got to seem a little more “real” to each other.
  • Parents dropped off, picked up, stopped in and got to know each other a little bit.
  • All ages mixed in that party, from first-graders to Moms. We can learn so much from each other by doing life with multi-generations.
  • The Halloween Party — while certainly a lot of work — seemed like a return to simpler times to me. It seemed to value the relationships that we have in and out of church. There is something about being in someone else’s home, or bringing people into yours, that initiates a deeper, more real relationship.
  • And last, this little life lesson learned: kids don’t eat chicken wings at a party.