Archive content
This is a text-only version of an article first published on Tuesday, 10 December 2019. Information shown on this page may no longer be current.
CHURCHES responded to Hallowe'en with light parties and other alternative outreach events for children, many to be followed up with more family-friendly fun in the run-up to Christmas.
Torchy (the Revd Ben Kautzer) explores where to find a light when his batteries run out in Have a Light On (HALO) .
St Nicolas, Earley.
Emma Major, a Licensed Lay Minister from St Nicolas , in Earley, was part of a team that ran a "Have a Light On" holiday club over three afternoons for more than 30 primary age children.
Emma said: "HALO introduced Torchy, played by our curate the Revd Ben Kautzer, who was looking for help finding his way when his batteries ran out. "Luckily Jesus showed him the way and shone a light in the darkness.
This is the second year the club has run, having been designed and led by Miriam Barlow, a member of St Nicolas.
More than 30 children attended and HALO will be followed up by a Christmas party on 22 December.
"That marks the 70th anniversary of worship on our site and will be an afternoon of fun for children," said Emma.
"It is going to be amazing and they are all invited. "At St Paul's in Banbury, children's worker Jeannette Law and her team gave away more than 100 mugs of hot chocolate to trick or treaters outside the church. Jeannette said: "A team in church was making the chocolate and a bigger team was giving it away from our car park.
A lot of families were saying we should do this every year.
I went to a school event a couple of days later and people recognised me.
I am hoping they will link us giving away free hot chocolate with the good news of the love of Jesus. "A Let's Glow Crazy event was a sell-out with 50 children at St James', Gerrards Cross .
The week before families were challenged to carve pumpkins in designs avoiding anything too "hallowe'eny".
Stars, crosses, words and even a VW Campervan were among the creations.
Children entered the party through a UV tent with UV face painting, then ventured into the main room for t-shirt decorating with glow in the dark paint.
They ate sticky hot dogs and chips before a journey through a glow in the dark maze, and fun around a fire pit with toasted marshmallows.
They got to pop paint filled balloons over canvas before heading back inside for glow-in-the-dark games.
Andrew Howard, children's co-ordinator at St James', said: "We shared a short message about Jesus being the light of the world and how we can be lights for Jesus in the world.
We then had a time of worship and enjoyed praising God with our glow in the dark light sticks, glasses and other glow in the dark stuff.
It was a great night and a very popular alternative to the other options available to children at this time of the year. "Our hope and prayer is that the children went back into school being little lights for Jesus, sharing what a great time they had, so that even more of their friends would rather be celebrating the true light of the world next year. " ;