Halloween is a holiday that is looked upon with ambivalence from churches and Christian parents. With the associations to ghoulish decorations or references to demons that come with Halloween, conservative Christians seek for better alternatives for children. Other parents might not understand what's so bad about allowing their children to go around in the neighborhood with their friends to get some candy.
So what are some activities that Korean churches in the greater Los Angeles area are planning this Halloween? What do churches believe is the purpose of having these activities on Halloween?
Most churches are preparing variations of "Hallelujah Night" or "Holy Win" in a festival or carnival style with games, food, candy, and worship.
Some churches are planning quite large-scale activities, such as Grace Ministries International (GMI) in Fullerton, which is planning on having a petting zoo at their mini carnival. Berendo Street Baptist Church (BSBC), located in Los Angeles, is centering its festivities around the theme "Amazing Race" or "A-maz(e)-in-grace," and features a maze as one part of their stations.
Kumran United Methodist Church (KUMC) in Gardena is not only preparing festivities for the younger kids, but also for older junior and high school students as well. They're planning on having a Nintendo Wii available to attract the older crowd.
South Bay Jesus' Love Church in Gardena, which is expecting to have about 13 people attending including the teachers, is planning a more intimate time of fellowship by going out to Boiling Crab for dinner.
Though all of these churches believe that having church activities on Halloween is positive, different people seem to find different purposes to having such festivities.
Most people believe that it provides an alternative for children from celebrating a pagan holiday. GMI is planning on having a pastor share how Halloween is rooted in pagan traditions, relate this to the theme of death and darkness, and share the victory that comes with Jesus' resurrection after the cross.
Pastor Richard Shin from Glory Church of Jesus Christ (GCJC) in Los Angeles believes otherwise. He said, "Halloween was originally a day celebrated to remember saints, martyrs, and faithful believers, but today we have a very wrong understanding of the holiday. I hope that through Hallelujah Night our children will have the right perception of this day."
Pastor Sharon Suk from New Life Vision Church in Los Angeles said she wants to convey to the students that, by not celebrating Halloween the way that everyone else does, they are different and set apart from the world as Christians.
Some see it as a great opportunity for children to build good memories of church during their childhood, such as Pastor Mike Rix from Church Everyday.
"As a parent, I personally enjoy being able to take my kids to church for Halloween. I think it connects fun and church together, and builds positive memories of church for my kids," he explained.
Many seize Halloween as an evangelistic outreach opportunity. Many churches encourage their children to invite their own friends who might usually not want to come to church on Sundays, including Choong Hyun Church in Los Angeles and BSBC.
Some churches, including GMI, KUMC, and Global Mission Church in Diamond Bar, go even further to invite members of the community to join in the festivities, and to share the gospel with them. KUMC is planning on inviting community members for food"”provided by a taco truck that they'll be renting that night"”and even have translations during the gospel presentation, since most of their community members are Hispanic.
"People might think churches have to do activities so that kids don't go out trick or treating, but we have to think harder about the reason we're doing this," said Pastor Sam Lim from Choong Hyun Church. "It has to be gospel-centered."
Patrick Lee and Yongtae Kim contributed to this article.
