A Note from Chris Adams: Dr. Deb Douglas, Director of Biblical Counseling at First Baptist Church, Bossier City, LA shares this week on a topic that not all moms will agree on. Deb presents a variety of suggestions for how to deal with this upcoming seasonal celebration.
Halloween has become a huge holiday! But Halloween brings spooky questions for moms. How do moms balance fun Halloween activities with the more scary aspects of the day? Is trick or treating safe in today’s world? What’s wrong with witches and ghosts anyway?
What do these questions have to do with women’s ministry? One important function of ministering to moms is giving a biblical perspective to moms so they can make educated decisions for their children. Another is giving moms ideas and options for celebrating.
- Encourage moms to take advantage of fall festival activities hosted by churches. This is a great time to invite friends and family to a church event. It gives a great first introduction to the church!
- Turn the day into an opportunity by having a children’s fall party. Invite neighborhood children or school friends. This is a great time to reach out to families you haven’t met yet. You can even include a Bible story time!
- Host a block party. Hot dogs, chili, and punch. Bring a chair, a bag of candy, and hang out with the neighbors! Getting to know the neighbors is a great first step in introducing them to Jesus.
- Think safety. Accompanying children to citywide or mall events is a must for safety. Make trick or treating fun and safe by dressing up and inviting other families (parents and children) to go as a group.
- Talk about boundaries. What is too scary for a child to dress up as? What age is appropriate and safe for spook houses?
- Search Pinterest for cute costumes for the entire family. There are even Bible character costume ideas!
- Know what the Bible says. Throughout Scripture, we are warned of the dangers of witchcraft and sorcery (Galatians 5:19-21). Keep a safe distance from anything that feels scary!
Halloween can be an opportunity to reach out to other moms. It’s also an opportunity to be a resource for moms as they seek answers in how to address Halloween and its spookiness.
Dr. Deb Douglas has served in women’s ministry for over 37 years. Now she spends her time working with Purchased Ministry, a ministry to women in the sex trade industry. Deb is also the Director of Biblical Counseling at First Baptist Church, Bossier City, LA. She was the first to graduate from New Orleans Baptist Theological seminary with a Masters degree focusing on women’s ministry and has earned a Doctor of Education in Ministry degree from NOBTS. She is “Pearl” to 3 sweet grand babies, “Mom” to Jared Douglas and Katie Chavis, and wife/sweetheart to Paul Douglas.
