Reinventing Halloween

Are you itching to incite a church schism? Well, invite your congregation to a youth-led Halloween worship service. You'll have people from both Halloween camps lining up outside your office door. Camp #1 people believe any reference to Halloween -- even a picture of a jack-o'-lantern -- has no business in the church. Camp #2 people want to hijack Halloween by creating a "hell house" experience that will "scare the devil" out of young people in the community.

I know a youth minister who tried to undermine Halloween's traditional festivities while capitalizing on its popularity by planning a Bible Character Costume Party. One of her kids showed up as "the crazy naked man who ran among the tombs" (Luke 8:27-39). She quickly killed plans for a second annual Bible Character Costume Party.

Is there a balanced approach to recognizing Halloween? If we ignore it, we come off irrelevant or stiff. If we try to put our own Christian spin on it, we come off compromising or goofy. Somewhere between Druids tossing dried crops on a bonfire and little Pokémons knocking on your door scavenging for "fun size" Snickers candy bars, there's a core spiritual aspect to Halloween. It's called All Hallows' Eve -- and here's a plan for a churchwide, youth-led worship service that has nothing to do with Satan, vampires, or Good & Plenty candy.

It's traditional, yet surprisingly cool.

By combining traditions steeped in church practice and adding new twists that capitalize on Halloween's "cool" factor, your kids can lead church members into a service of remembrance and grief that will stir up deep emotions.

Did I mention you'll do the whole thing in a cemetery?

So when you tell your pastor what you'd like to do, I guarantee the first thing out of his mouth will be: "You want to do what, where?" But once you've explained the concept and gotten the thumbs-up, you'll need to find an actual cemetery for the service. I've done similar services at three churches, and I've never had a problem securing a cemetery. Your church likely has a connection with a local cemetery, but it's best to find an old one that has statues and mausoleums.

Set an appointment with the cemetery director a month before the service. Bring a business card and a letter of request on your church letterhead. Tell the director about your plans for the service, promise to leave the grounds exactly as you found them, and then invite him or her to the service.

Obviously, this is a nighttime service. So if you can't get a cemetery or even an outdoor memorial garden, you'll need to hold the service in a darkened sanctuary.

What's That Smell?

Once you've locked up the cemetery, you'll need supplies for the service...

Candles -- You'll need one for every youth group member. And you should gather a few lighters and flashlights just in case it's a windy night.

Boombox -- Music is vital to the service, so be sure you have fresh batteries.

Music -- The goal is to crossbreed the spooky with the serious. So don't go out and buy a Halloween classics CD and play the Beach Boys' "Monster Mash." Here are my time-tested choices...

• "Desert Rose" -- You'll find this little gem on Sting's 1999 album Brand New Day. It's a great opener and works even better as a processional.
• "Take Me to the River" -- Annie Lennox recorded a great cover of this Talking Heads song on her 1995 album Medusa. Use it for a processional or as an opener.
• "Flood" -- Jars of Clay recorded this hit song for their debut album; it fits well with the theme.
• "Toccata and Fugue in D" by Bach -- This dark and foreboding music works great as background to the Scripture readings. It's available on a variety of CDs including Essential Bach. Play the introduction before you begin the first reading.
• "This Time Around" -- This is a bluesy cut from Hanson's 2000 album of the same name. The brothers sing about death and dying. If you have a large contingent of junior highers planning the service, they'll love this one.
• "If You Want Me To" -- Ginny Owens recorded this slow, psalmlike piece on her 1999 album Without Condition.
• "When All Is Said and Done" -- You'll find this Geoff Moore & The Distance song on their Greatest Hits and Evolution CDs. It's an absolute must for a closer.

These are my best suggestions, but feel free to choose your own favorites or even arrange for live music during the service.

Sparklers -- Yes, I'm talking about those staples of Independence Day celebrations. You'll need one for every attendee.

Thurible -- This is a swinging incense burner used by liturgical churches for centuries. It will create a penetrating fragrance and a misty fog that adds to the atmosphere. If you don't have a thurible, borrow one from a nearby Catholic or Episcopal church. (Invite them to join you for the service!) Have a couple of your teenagers practice using the thurible prior to the service. But make sure they practice outside. Thuribles produce lots of smoke. And if you set off the sprinklers, this will be the last All Hallows' Eve service you do in your church.

That's in the Bible?

I've found three Scripture passages that deliver the "darkness" this service requires. They offer your youth group actors an opportunity to inject a little drama into the service. Each passage deals with the dead returning to life.

1 Samuel 28:3-25 -- In this passage Saul visits the witch of Endor. This reading works great if you separate it into parts. Have one teenager read the verse and three others read the words of the witch, Saul, and Samuel.

Job 4:12-21 -- Job describes a nightmare.

Ezekiel 37:1-14 -- This is the strange story of the valley of dry bones. If you have a junior Orson Welles in your group, let him take a crack at this one.

Psalms 13; 130; and 143 -- There are many psalms that fit well with the theme of this service, including these three. Ask your kids to revise them by breaking them down line by line. Then have your kids form a semicircle around the congregation, and have a different teenager read aloud each line during the service. This technique creates an enclosed feeling for congregation members. When you reach the last person in the semicircle, start over. For example...

Psalm 143

Reader: Hear me, God.
Reader: Hear my cries for relief.
Reader: Save me.
Reader: Don't judge me, Lord. Nobody is perfect.
Reader: There are those who wait for me.
Reader: They make me feel like I'm already in my coffin.
Reader: My soul is weak.
Reader: My heart is confused.
Reader: I read your Word.
Reader: I see your creation.
Reader: I am praying to you like a desert prays for rain.
Reader: Answer me, God.
Reader: Don't leave me down in this hole.
Reader: Let hope come with the rising of the sun.
Reader: You are my guide.
Reader: Show me the way.
Reader: I will trust you.
Reader: Silence my enemies.
Reader: I will give you my soul.
Reader: Destroy my foes.
Reader: I am your servant.
Reader: Amen.

Try a Sermon Substitute

Instead of a straight sermon, aim for deeper impact with an object lesson. This one's similar to a candlelight service, but it moves much more quickly and produces brighter light. Pass out a sparkler to each person. Gather your teenagers at the front. Light their sparklers first and send them out into the congregation to light others' sparklers. As each person receives the light, have them pass it to a neighbor. Soon after you light all the sparklers they'll be out again.

Then have a youth group member give a minisermon that goes something like this: "We're only on this earth for a short time. In comparison to the eternity we'll spend with God in heaven, our lives here are just an eye-blink. We're born, we burn brightly for a short time, then our light burns out. Our passion as Christians during our brief journey is to pass on the light to as many people as we can."

Finally, Here's How It All Works.

Have your congregation meet in the cemetery's parking lot. Even if "processionals" are foreign to your church, do one anyway. The idea is to re-create what was done in the early days of the church. So have people solemnly march into the cemetery in two side-by-side lines. Your chosen teenager should be at the front swinging the thurible. You should bring up the rear carrying the boom box that's playing your selected tune.

Follow this simple order of worship...

• Processional: "Desert Rose" by Sting or "Take Me to the River" by Annie Lennox
• Opening Prayer
• Scripture reading: 1 Samuel 28:3-25; Play "Toccata and Fugue in D" by Bach, Psalm 130
• Music: "Flood" by Jars of Clay or "If You Want Me To" by Ginny Owens
• Scripture reading: Job 4:12-21; Play "Toccata and Fugue in D" by Bach, Psalm 13
• Music: "This Time Around" by Hanson
• Scripture reading: Ezekiel 37:1-14; Play "Toccata and Fugue in D" by Bach, Psalm 143
• Object Lesson/Sermon
• Music: "When All Is Said and Done" by Geoff Moore & The Distance
• Closing Prayer

Though you may attract controversy with this service, I can tell you it's worth it. Once your adults and teenagers experience it, they'll want to do it every year.

Steven Case is a veteran youth minister and professional storyteller in Florida.