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?
LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!! Going the extra mile with a smile–Oh, He is all about unity! That word keeps coming up for me!
We're getting ready for our Christmas Gift. We adopt an elementary school for Christmas and give them all stockings. Every child receives a stocking, with THEIR name embroidered on it, filled with toys just for them. Each and every child in that school. As a church we shop, sew, stuff, and hand them out with big hugs and yeah, a few tears when you see how thankful they are. People just want to be loved, you know?
Oh my goodness! That looks SO fun!!!!
I wish our church did a little more outreach–but we're pretty small.
Oh, Jess, thank you so much for sharing! What a wonderful ministry your church provided! I love showing the love of Jesus in creative ways.
Our church held its 3rd annual fall CARnival. We had a petting zoo for the kiddos, lots of food, our praise band, games, candy, AND a huge classic car show that drew a lot of folks. There were prizes and it was all FREE. A great word in today's economy.
Happy Friday, gal!
I'm soooo glad you shared the pictures!! You should see me right now–I'm just a' grinnin! You always impress me with your volunteering spirit.
We need more Jess's in the world. Giving you a big, BIG virtual hug! You are awesome!!
Looks like so much fun! Our church goes all out for the Family Fun Night event on Halloween. Tons of candy, kids stuff, bouncy games, and this year there was a zipline. The choir always does the trunk or treat, so I usually go over there and sit with my dad for awhile to help. 🙂
Wow! What a cool event. Looks like everyone had oodles of fun. You done good, Jess. Real good!
IT WAS SO MUCH FUN! OUR FAMILY HAD A BLAST!
I just can't say enough about all your hard work, Jess! I was AWESOME! Thanks so much!
It looks like so much fun!!!
This looks like so much fun!! I LOVED the trunks – some of those were outstanding! So happy for your success, because I've been involved in activities and I know how much you hope and pray they go off well, especially when you're in charge and so many people are pitching in to help. Good job, Jess!! I'd love to know who the four prizes went to.
Love the little Raggedy Ann girl! And trunk or treat is a GREAT way to reach out to the community in a wholesome and safe way. Wish our church did it. Great pics!!
Wow! You sure know how to throw a party!
Looks like a SUPER day – and so exciting how successful it was!
That's awesome! How great your church did that. Sounds like it was a hugeous success. Safe trick-or-treating is definitely a good thing. 🙂