12:22 AM PDT on Sunday, October 24, 2004

Churches that host family festivals as a Halloween alternative face a dilemma this year - what to do when a holiday that celebrates ghosts and goblins falls on their Sabbath.

A number of Inland churches have moved their harvest or hallelujah festivals to Saturday this year. Others have not.

Holding an alternative event on a day other than Halloween defeats the purpose, said the Rev. Michael Pierpoint, pastor of evangelism at Magnolia Avenue Baptist Church in Riverside.

The church's Ten-31 Trunk or Treat event where children collect candy from decorated car trunks drew more than 5,000 people last year.  [2003]

"Some Christians have a problem with Halloween, period," Pierpoint said by phone. "God is in the business of taking something someone intended for evil and making it good. ... Jesus being killed was meant for evil. His sacrifice set us all free from sin."

Steve Russo, a Christian radio talk-show host in Ontario, said Halloween has become a "darker" holiday in the last decade or so with more emphasis on Satanism and witchcraft. It's also become the second-most popular holiday for adults, he said by phone.

"I don't believe we should celebrate what Halloween has come to represent in our culture," he said. "I do believe very strongly we should participate in alternatives. Whatever we do, we should honor God in the process."

Churches that sponsor family festivals tend to focus on young children, he said, offering little for teens or adults.

"They're missing a huge opportunity for evangelism," Russo said.

Alternatives Abound

The Grove Community Church in Riverside moved its annual Trunk 'N Treat celebration to Saturday because Sunday typically is a family day, said Kerry Warren, the church's children's minister. The church also conducts a worship service at 6 p.m. Sundays, which would conflict with the Halloween alternative event, which is scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the church.

"We really want to keep this more family-oriented," Warren said.

Halloween is a good opportunity for sharing the Christian faith with people who don't attend church, said Susanne Ryan, youth pastor at The Dwelling Place Church in Hemet. The holiday isn't going away, she said.

"This is a good way to get kids into a safe environment," Ryan said by phone. "I do wish churches would tap into it."

This year the church changed its Halloween alternative event to focus on teens, she said. "Light the Night" will include local Christian bands, spiders and snakes, a rock-climbing wall and a wrecked car with an exhibit intended to discourage drunken driving.

"We used to do a Halloween night for kids that was really popular," she said. "We have a lot of youth now. There's really nothing in town for them. ... We're tapping into the youth who don't want to throw bean bags at clown faces."

At Desert Chapel, a Foursquare church in Palm Springs, Pastor Jon Evans said the church will host a harvest festival featuring a carnival, games and barbecue dinner. Kids are allowed to wear costumes, although scary ones are banned, he said.

"It's a great alternative to Halloween," Evans said, adding the church does not condone celebrating Halloween. "It's a pagan holiday. Why dress up in scary costumes and do weird things when you can have a positive alternative?"

At Calvary Chapel Palm Springs, located in Cathedral City, a barbecue-style potluck and children's pajama party are planned.

"We don't necessarily believe in what Halloween stands for," said Annicia Gerardo, a church secretary. "We want the kids to have fun in a Christ-centered way."

At Crestview Baptist Church in San Bernardino, a 15-year-old harvest festival that began as an alternative to trick-or-treating has evolved in recent years into the Verdemont Family Festival, said Tom Navarro, office manager.

"The themes are more Christian-based," he said by phone. "We want to keep this as a viable option for the parents who want their kids to have fun and collect candy but might not want to go to homes and go trick-or-treating."

The event includes a small petting zoo, a pantomimed skit about the life of Jesus Christ, games and food.

Halloween History

While some people trace the roots of Halloween to the ancient Druids, the observance began in the 800s when Pope Gregory III established All Saints' Day on Nov. 1 to honor the saints who did not have a day of their own. The night before was known as All Hallows' Eve or All Hallow e'en. Over time, pagan customs blended with the Christian holiday.

Some Protestant churches observe Oct. 31 as Reformation Day, honoring the day in 1517 when a monk named Martin Luther tacked his 95 theses criticizing papal abuses on the Wittenberg Church door, an act that helped launch the Protestant Reformation.

The practice of trick-or-treating in the United States began in about the 1930s, when civic leaders on the East Coast encouraged children to visit businesses and homes instead of vandalizing property, said Russo, the radio host.

Christian parents find it difficult to ignore a holiday that has gotten so popular, he said. There are alternatives, he said.

When trick-or-treaters come to the door, Christians could hand out "good" candy and a tract that describes Jesus Christ and the message of Christianity, Russo said.

"I will never compromise the message of the Gospel, but we need to be relevant and take advantage of every opportunity to share it," Russo said.

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