All the more phenomenal is the fact that Kidz Fest takes place every October on the last day of the month.

It started as an alternative to the occult-rooted practices that have dominated the Halloween traditions of the small town. The pastor and staff of Covenant Community Church wanted to give families an alternative, not only to trick-or-treating, but to the holiday itself. At Kidz Fest, the word Halloween isn't mentioned. Most of the kids there aren't dressed in costumes. And most of them don't even miss the holiday they knew before Kidz Fest came to town.

The idea of a Christian alternative to Halloween is nothing new. For years, churches have tried everything from fall festivals to Bible-themed costume parties to keep Christians away from festivities promoting ghouls and ghosts, grim reapers and the specter of death. What makes Kidz Fest unique is the fact that it's open to the public, provided as a mostly free service by the church, and there's no air of pretense. An information booth is set up near the church entrance with information about the church, and a video projector is set up displaying announcements and upcoming church events, but there's nothing to about the event that would make an unbeliever feel unwelcome or unwanted. The majority of those who attend Kidz Fest don't attend Covenant Community Church, and that's fine with the church staff. The church has won souls throught he event, as well as gaining members who were already Christians but disenfranchised with church and looking for a deeper relationship with God, but the real purpose all along has been to give something to a community where there has been little alternative to the culture of sex, drugs, and death that has dominated Halloween for decades. Even with its mission to provide an alternative to Halloween, trick-or-treaters are welcomed and encouraged to attend, costumes and all.

Some reading this, even Christians, may be asking why there is a need for a Christian alternative to Halloween. If Halloween was nothing more than a day to throw a sheet over your head and go door to door, begging for candy, then a valid argument could be made this it's just a harmless holiday for the kids and everybody who thinks otherwise is making a big fuss about nothing. But we all know it's more than that. On a subconscious level, there's something about All Saint's Eve that makes people act differently. In most communities, police and medical staff operate in a heightened state of tension. Why? Because people tend to act crazy on Halloween.

The small community in which Covenant Community Church exists has a long history of Halloween craziness. Kids throw rocks at massing cars on the nearby interstate. Teenagers get drunk and tear up school property. Adults get drunk and start fights and cause some nasty traffic accidents. These are the kind of things that you don't hear about happening very often any other time of the year, but Halloween is always different. That's the whole point of Kidz Fest-to provide an alternative to acts of destruction. Maybe it's nothing spiritual at all. Maybe the culture of Halloween lends itself to lower inhibitions. Maybe if Halloween were celebrated with carnival rides and festive music, there wouldn't be such a stigma on the day.

Of course, the biggest danger from Halloween comes not through mean-spirited pranks, but from the subtle indoctrination it provides into the ways of the occult. That's the ugliness hidden beneath the cute cartoonish ghosts and colorful animated scarecrows. How many occult-themed horror movies have featured Halloween as a backdrop to the demonic madness? How, as Christians, can we say a holiday is okay when we allow children to dress up as witches-as followers of a religion that sets itself in direct opposition with Christianity? In America, we consider Halloween to be the kick-off for the Holiday Season, a holiday season that sees us give thanks to God for His provisions and for His son, yet we kick this period of thanks off by posing (or allowing our children to pose) as enemies of God? As Christians, we would be offended if our children were dressing up as Muslims or Buddhists or even as KKK members or Nazis, because each of these things represents ideas that oppose true Christianity. Yet, we have no problem participating in a holiday of witches, evil spirits, and the celebration of death-all things opposed by the Word of God. Jesus even said to his disciples, "let the dead bury their dead," and since He came to conquer death, why do we celebrate a holiday that glorifies the very thing Christ came to conquer for us?

Covenant Community Church's goal is to turn Halloween into a holiday that celebrates life. That's the whole point of Kidz Fest. That's why there's a carnival-like atmosphere from the moment you step foot on the property. That's why there's music and food and something for the whole family to enjoy. That's why there's nobody standing at the gate, bashing people on the head with a Bible and demanding that they conform to the church's lifestyle in order to enter. Some involved like to think of Kidz Fest as an oasis, a refuge. Anybody driving by the church on that night will see the brightly colored rides, the crowd of people, and if they roll their windows down, they'll hear laughter and joy. The staff of Covenant Community Church wouldn't have it any other way.

© 2004 William G. Jones.  All Rights Reserved

If you would like to start a new Halloween tradition in your hometown as an alternative to the celebration of death, here are a few ideas for putting together your own Kidz Fest.

What you'll need: A good location, a lot of activities, and a whole lot of prayer.

Talk to pastors of local churches. Several churches working together will make the financial strain much easier to endure. If everyone involved knows that it's a non-denominational event, they're more likely to participate in some way. You don't have to rent carnival rides, but in order to make a celebration something the whole community will want to attend, you will need a variety of activities and events. Also keep in mind, the larger the scope, the more volunteers you'll need.

As for events, you're limited only by your imagination and by what God places on your heart. Some ideas for a Kidz Fest celebration might include a local talent show, a children's beauty pageant, an arts and crafts pavilion, a softball tournament, a hot dog eating contest, a car and bike show, or anything else your budget and local laws will allow.

If you don't have the resources to pull off a community-wide event like Kidz Fest, you can still offer an alternative celebration at your home, church, or local civic center for the children of your own church if you feel led. All it takes is a few friends, some popcorn, a few movies (Wal Mart regularly has family-friendly movies in a special $5.50 DVD bin-including some Christian movies such as Left Behind), and a desire to do something for the kids.