We've put on a Light Party at our church for many years, but this is the second year that we have joined with St Mary’s as we look to unite in our mission to reach families in the village. Light Parties are brilliant because they give our Church families a fun Halloween alternative, they enable us to connect with other families from the village and of course to celebrate Jesus being the Light of the World!

"It's a real privilege to be able to share the Gospel with the 95 in this way."

Before 2021 we used to run a more structured event where parents dropped off their children for an hour and half. Then in 2021, due to covid, we moved the event outdoors into our church garden and invited families to come all together. This worked so well that we decided to repeat the format this year with the addition of an under 5s tent (led by our Toddler Group Team) for younger siblings. 

Some of the families that came had some connection to church, through Toddler Groups or Messy Church etc., but about half of the families had no connection to us at all and had come because of local advertising (posters around the village, in village schools or through Facebook).

"We really like how Jesus focused the book is."

We ordered 40 copies of Jesus is the Light to give away, as that’s roughly how many children we had the previous year. But the week before we received so many sign ups that I soon realised we just wouldn’t have enough! Next year I’ll be ordering a lot more!

We wanted something more than a leaflet but that wouldn't be an expensive, long book and this was just the right price and length for children to pick up and read in one go! We love the eye catching, colourful illustrations and that there is space for the children to interact with the book through the colouring pages. And we really like how Jesus focused the book is and how it shares the Gospel in an accessible, easy to read way!