On Halloween, our church held our first ever Trunk or Treat! My friend Melanie and I were in charge of organizing it and at first my biggest concern was, will anyone want to participate?
We decided to shoot for a 50 car minimum, with the knowledge that 5-10 vehicles would back out for one reason or another before go-time.
64 trunks later, my concern was gone and I was thankful!
Everyone pitched in and seemed very excited about it! Almost two dozen women volunteered to bring chili.
In just a couple weeks, we had people in charge of moon bounces, popcorn, the outdoor movie screen, parking/security, the kitchen, face painting, hayrides, and welcoming guests with gift bags!
Melanie and I bought a surplus of candy–just in case 300 pieces per car wasn’t enough. The last thing we wanted was for families to leave not receiving what they were told they’d get!
I spent years in childcare which ultimately is customer service and marketing. We don’t let customers go away unhappy.
We just don’t.
Everyone showed up and the laughing and friendly competition made my heart sing. I witnessed unity among believers and I’ll tell you, it’s a beautiful, beautiful thing. I can’t imagine how God felt as He witnessed his hands and feet getting along and loving each other–loving the community!
And then I got nervous. “What if no one shows up!” We put flyers out at our local Chick Fil A–they were so nice to stuff the bags and in house trays for us! We also had people put flyers at a local apartment complex. With a banner in our church yard, that surely was enough. After all, were we prepared enough for more than 300-400 kids?
The fire department showed up to judge the trunks! We had prizes for the top 4!
Then at 6:15, it was flooded and we didn’t even begin until 6:30. In about 10 minutes we’d given out 300 gift bags!
Candy started getting low and we pulled out the reserves and sent our Creative Arts pastor to Sam’s for more.
And then we ran low again! And out he and my husband went for another load of candy.
We never ran dry. About 2000 peeps later we finished with a half of a tub left. Families went away happy and safe. And I think everyone who participated had a great time.
I know I did. But I had a walkie talkie which is uber-cool so I was content. Ha! I love walkie talkies!
But what moved me most was how much people pitched in and helped run candy, clean up, pick up trash. They simply did what needed to be done even though it was late and it was getting chilly.
Because to me, that’s the love of Jesus. Always going the extra mile with a smile. I love the people in my church and their big hearts for Jesus! Here are some fun photos from our Trunk or Treat!
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| This is my great niece, Crimson. She wasn’t there, but how cute is she? Had to post! |
Wish I could have posted them all! 🙂
If you’re a church going person, what kind of things do you and your church family do for community outreach?
