St Peter's Farnborough hosted an incredible Light Trail over Halloween that saw the community come together and celebrate light in the face of darkness.
Light Parties are often a staple when it comes to sharing the good news of Jesus at Halloween, switching the focus from darkness to Light. For many, a light party in its usual from wasn't an option this year. Helen from St Peter's Farnborough decided to mix things up entirely and ran a Light Trail.
"We normally run a light party like many other churches on 31 October. Obviously this year we were forced to think outside the box and the Lord gave me this idea. I say it was the Lord and I know it was from Him so, to Him be the glory! I thought it would work well, but we were all blown away by how well it worked - I would even be as bold as saying it was the 'best' outreach we have ever done and certainly a massive step to reaching the 95!"
"Inspired by Scripture Union’s On the trail Treasure hunt resource, we applied to the local Council and Highways Agency for permission to set up gazebos covered in fairy lights in public areas around the parish – a few on driveways, grass verges at road junctions and allocated areas in the local park. These shelters were a reasonable distance apart and strategically placed to give as many people as possible the opportunity to join in."
"We served over 300 cups of hot chocolate!"
"Families were able to start at any location, and were given a goodie bag filled with glow sticks, chocolate and a map of the route. Then they worked their way around the gazebos and got a stamp for their map at each gazebo. When they had 3 stamps, they could come and claim a free hot chocolate from the church."
"In between the gazebos were pairs of people from the church who we called 'light marshals.' They held a stick with a sign on and fairy lights that said 'ask me for a challenge'. So children could get a challenge from them, then win a 'codeword' to put on their map when they had completed the challenge.
"The event far exceeded our expectations! And the sense of God's Presence at work was incredible. When I took a moment to look around and see families having fun on the trail and the estate completely covered with light it was such a special moment. A visual representation of light breaking through the darkness."
"We had prepared 200 goodie bags for the event - they all ran out within the first half an hour! We served over 300 cups of hot chocolate and the whole church got behind the event in style - dressing up in fairy light entangled costumes and standing out on the trail. Praise God, we really did feel like light within the community."
Praise God for an amazing idea and outreach opportunity. Please pray for Helen and St Peter's Farnborough as they continue to connect with their local community and share the good news of Jesus.
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