Hundreds of families took part in Light Parties across NZ last week. With fun, food, and gospel conversations, churches shared Jesus’ light in their neighbourhoods. We spoke to five CCCNZ churches about their highlights:
Pointing People to the Light
More than 25 years ago, Julie McKinnon (CCCNZ Children and Families) attended the Hillcrest Chapel Light Party with her daughter Kayla. Around 50 people came to celebrate Jesus instead of participating in Halloween. Since then, volunteers from Hillcrest have continued to reach out to their community with a family-friendly alternative to trick-or-treating.
This year, Julie and her family were among more than 25 volunteers who hosted over 500 people from their local community at the Shine Bright family fiesta.
Organiser Anita Parkinson said two things stood out:
“First, everybody who put their hand up to volunteer showed up and all got into the theme of Shine Bright by wearing yellow. It was a whole church effort as we handed out 300 goody bags, cooked 500 sausages, distributed 330 small bags of popcorn and a large number of beautifully decorated cupcakes, we made 270 ice-creams and gave out 25kgs of lollies.”
The second highlight was actively and intentionally sharing the good news about Jesus. There were opportunities for one-to-one conversations, a video gospel presentation, and families went home with a small torch printed with ‘Jesus, the Light of the World’.
“We have had so many people come back year after year and it is part of our ongoing relationship with the local school through Launchpad, our fortnightly kids club and youth group.”
A Light in the Darkness
Being a shining light in the North Shore community was a key goal for Birkenhead Community Church. Youth Pastor Alex Pope and Children and Families Coordinator Jess McConchie hosted a light party that welcomed families from the church and wider community.
“Young people and young families are out anyway on October 31 and the door-to-door trick-or-treating or other events are not always safe, so being a light in our community and sharing Jesus is something we wanted to do,” says Alex.
“It was only our second year running this event and we were stoked to have families from church alongside families from the wider community come along. We hosted a carnival themed event with face-painting, games and lots of fun.”
Reaching Out with God’s Light
In Kelston, the team from Kelston Community Church ran their own light party. Pastor Paul Long shares:
“Jonathan and Laura Wrigley did an amazing job organising and decorating. Young and old helped over three days. Officially, we registered the names of 148 children (not including adults). We had regular and new visitors, including a Muslim family and many Hindu families. Our focus has always been catering to the needs of our local Kelston community, though because of word of mouth and friendships, we had many non-Kelston residents join us.”
Carnival Fun in Cambridge
Raleigh Street Christian Centre hosted a carnival event with a petting zoo, balance bikes, a giant inflatable pirate ship slide, carnival games and more. Operations Manager Ruth Crampton says:
“We estimate 450 children attended and with parents and volunteers up to 750 people were here. Our Youth Pastor Aaron Hodgson shared a devotional during the evening and Nicola Johannes from Finlay Park did one of her sand art stories.”
Local photographer Michael Jeans captured the event.
Sharing the Light
Sharing the gospel clearly was important for Children’s Pastor Katrina Allred and the team at Grace Church in Richmond.
“We felt strongly that this is a light party, not just a community event. We wanted to share the light, so the gospel needs to be clear.”
The team communicated the gospel in several ways throughout the evening:
Take-home packs for 300 families, including gospel tracts for adults and kids, a colouring book with Bible verses, information about Christmas services and lollies
A gospel talk from the outdoor stage, with Debora Dos Santos engaging families in bright colours
A bracelet-making table, with each bead representing a part of the gospel and volunteers talking through the story as people created their bracelets
Seeing the community engage was a highlight for Katrina.
“This is the third time we have run this event and we have seen it grow from 100 people to over 600 this year. We invited other community groups to join in, including a local dance company who sent kids to perform, coming along with all their families. The day after the event, a local radio station host was talking on air about how they had attended. They said they are not Christian, but this was the most amazing event to attend. So that was lovely to have that feedback.”
“For me, my favourite part was watching our church family come together to volunteer and play their part. It was great observing that serving community we are building and seeing them contribute. Everyone from youth and young adults, people from Pinnacle House (a ministry serving those with disabilities), and the oldest couple in our church who came to sit and be part of the action.”
