More about Halloween....

Wednesday 31st October 2012: Fun Night 6-8pm. On Halloween evening we will have an open church with various activities (face painting, crafts etc) for any children wandering past, including refreshments for the parents. However, other Christians argue that Halloween is a rare time of year when you actually get to meet your neighbours -taking the kids trick or treating, or opening your door to neighbour's children- and that Christians should use it as a "meet and greet" opportunity instead of remaining aloof from this community activity. They point out we will not be bolstering the kingdom of Satan by joining in, and we have nothing to be afraid of with Jesus on our side! Considering All Hallows Even and Day, although Anglican and Catholic churches still follow the "church calendar" that was developed in the six hundred years following the death and resurrection of Jesus, many non-denominational churches, such as Richmond Park Church, don't follow all the old church traditions, preferring to try and be more like the church as described in the New Testament. We believe in the Biblical definition of a "saint", that all Christians are saints, not because of anything great we've done, but because we have Jesus living in us. We don't believe that the church has the authority to declare some people saints, and therefore we don't celebrate "saints days". However, some Christians use the Biblical definition of all Christians being saints, and then choose to celebrate All Saints Day to remember the example and strengths of past Christians and thank the Lord for the work done through them. And another more generous interpretation of the traditional church's actions is that they were trying to proclaim the supremacy of the gospel over the superstitions of ghosts, but even if this is true, their attempts to "Christianise" Halloween failed because All Hallows Day and All Hallows Even continued the theme of focusing on the dead (not the risen Jesus) and it was easy for people who didn't want to give up the perceived mystery and excitement of Samhain to merge the old and the new, which the church encouraged by keeping the dressing up and parades. What all this means is that Richmond Park Church has never regarded Halloween, even in the guise of All Hallows Even and All Saints Day, to be a real Christian festival. However, as Halloween is a popular excuse for many to party, and we ourselves enjoy a good party, we see it as a great time to give children and families an opportunity to celebrate Jesus the light of the world rather than celebrate the darkness that the popularist Halloween represents. Wednesday 31st October 2012: Fun Night 6-8pm. On Halloween evening we will have an open church with various activities (face painting, crafts etc) for any children wandering past, including refreshments for the parents.