A new initiative is wanting to help Christians spread the gospel on Halloween, encouraging them to not fear Halloween.
Light the Night is a new project which gives churches and families resources to proudly praise Jesus and welcome their neighbours and local communities to hear about God.
The initiative includes a range of ways to create window displays sharing a message of hope, to welcome visitors into their house or set up a prayer space and positive children’s activities at parks.
Nay Dawson, founder of Passion for Evangelism, is part of the team behind Light the Night alongside Andrew Bates, who created similar Light Beacons sites last year.
Dawson told Premier Christian News that she thought Christians should meet those around us on Halloween to tell them how God shapes their lives.
Dawson said: “Over half of the UK population engage and celebrate Halloween; is the Church ready to meet them?
“Most of us Christians, on Halloween, we close the curtains, switch the lights off and pretend we’re not home - but it’s the one night of the year that our community come knocking on our doors wanting something from us.
“We could reject Halloween completely and say that we don’t want to get involved, or we could look at what we can retain or reshape around Halloween.
“It’s great fun! We don’t need to be afraid. We know the light of the world; He lives within us by his Spirit, and for us as a family, it’s simply welcoming those into our neighbourhood.
“We have games; we theme it every year with food, I write Evangelistic stories about Halloween linked to Jesus - it means we’re known as a family who know Jesus, that know truth, that know light, and people come find us to chat about it through the year".
Dawson talked about how, after accidentally hosting a Halloween party, she has turned her Halloween parties into ones that shine the light of Jesus.
Meanwhile, in a statement, Bates explained that from his experience he thought the word and blessing of God was heard loudly on Halloween.
Bates said: “We’ve found that people are really receptive when we’re out on 31 October.
“It’s a great opportunity to connect with our local community, offer a warm welcome and show something of the love and hope of Jesus.
“I’d encourage Christians to get involved in whatever way works best for them and their community”.
Rachel Heffer, head of Mission at the Evangelical Alliance, urged Christians to not fear the evening of 31 October.
“Light the Night is a timely initiative”, Heffer said, “encouraging us as the UK Church to grab the opportunity to engage with Halloween not with fear, but with faith, hospitality and the love of Jesus”.