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Hallowe’en Reflection as Church Prepares to Host Alternative Celebration

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Hallowe'en is not always an easy subject for churches and families with children who are excited to join in with secular celebrations with their friends, but St David's Church, Tonyrefail, is again offering an alternative party called ‘Illuminate’. Here Robert Priddle, team leader for Pop Up Church in Tonyrefail, reflects on true meaning of Hallowe'en for Christians.

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Hallowe’en is now the third highest spending festival, behind Christmas and Easter. In 2017 retail sales surpassed £320m in the UK alone! Its growth has been fueled by the popularity of books and films such as Harry Potter and Twilight, which feature witches, wizards, and vampires. It can be a difficult and frightening time and in many churches there is a suspicion of the festival - some opt for ignoring it completely.However, Hallowe’en has a long history of being allied with Christianity. It is the Christian festival of All Hallows’ Eve, the eve of All Saints’ Day, which most people know little about. Taking some time to think about how best to mark this time of year can result in confident celebrations that draw guests into a deep, rich understanding of light, darkness, sin, salvation, death and new life.

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These considerations brought about our thoughts for Illuminate, along with inspiration taken from light parties promoted by Scripture Union. We wanted Halloween to have more positive associations.Illuminate was started by our community outreach project Pop Up Church in 2015 as an immersive and illuminating experience, giving people a fresh perspective on Hallowe’en. With the initial financial support from our Diocesan Youth department to purchase a sound system and lighting, amongst other items, we set about creating “the brightest party of the year!”Over the years we have run this event, it has gone from strength to strength. It has reached a wide number of families who have no other contact with the church. It is completely free and an opportunity for those in our community to see another side to church and to mark All Hallows’ Eve in a safe and welcoming environment.What better excuse for a party than Jesus, the Light of the World?It provides the church with chance to build positive relationships reflecting the light of Christ during a time of year which is often over-commercialised and can be foreboding. We have now even had the endorsement of the town council and police, while the feedback from families has been overwhelmingly positive.This year’s Illuminate takes place on Sunday 30th October between 5-8pm.What better excuse for a party than Jesus, the Light of the World? Jesus himself loved social occasions – the Gospels mention him attending a number of them. Ours is a message of joy and hope, which is a much better basis for a party than ghouls and ghosts!Find out more about the Illuminate and book here: Illuminate 2022 Tickets, Sun, Oct 30, 2022 at 5:00 PM | Eventbrite