Pratical Ideas for Being Missional on Halloween

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Can you believe Halloween is only two weeks away? As many consider it the start of the holiday season I'm left wondering where 2014 went so quickly?

Halloween is one of the only nights of the year that people come out of their homes and interact with their neighbors willingly. It’s an open door to relationships and an opportunity we often miss when getting to know our neighbors. 

Why not make the most of this night with some fun and practical missional ideas? You can choose something really simple or more complex based on your neighborhood and abilities. Here are a few of my ideas:

• Have two drink dispensers on a table outside. Label one “For the Kids” and one “For the Adults.” Fill each container accordingly and add the contents to the label as well, (ie. lemonade or apple cider for the kids and cocktails for the adults). Stay outside to hand out your Halloween candy and offer drinks to each family that comes by. You’ll get an opportunity to have conversations and the parents will love you for giving them a treat on what can be a very long night.
  

• Host a cookout or potluck. Have neighbors bring something while you provide an affordable entrée like hotdogs or chili. Setup in your front yard (this is critical if you really hope to engage the whole neighborhood) and enjoy a relaxing night of making new friends.
  

• Partner with your friend to host a front yard party or block party. Think of your front yard as a mini fall festival. Have bales of hay or other seating and perhaps a fire pit for lingering. Setup some simple games for kids (ie. bobbing for apples in a kiddie pool). Provide a hot drink bar and of course candy. (This requires the most work and investment, but will pay off exponentially.)

For more ideas check out the free to being missional on Halloween from Verge here.

What ideas do you have for being missional on Halloween? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below.