Ever wish you could do more to meet people in your neighborhood? Do you have trouble connecting with neighbors or getting to the point where you can talk with them about Jesus or the Gospel? What better time than on Tuesday, Oct 31 when families walk right up to your house!

Light The Night is about being intentional when it comes to meeting neighbors and demonstrating the Gospel in words and actions. It’s easy, fun, and a great way to be a Difference Maker in your community!

How does Light The Night work?

Light The Night is simple yet impactful. Essentially, you are hosting a fun way to do trick-or-treating at your house! We want your family to “Light The Night” with the Gospel in your neighborhood by sharing the light of Christ on Halloween.

Goal — Connect with people in your neighborhood to build relationships, demonstrating the Gospel in words and actions.

Strategy — Intentionally engage your neighborhood and community through food and fun. Use the accessibility of neighbors and guests in your community that occurs naturally on Halloween in order to engage in spiritual conversations, personal testimony sharing, and invitations to church.

Guidelines — Here are a few simple guidelines for those who choose to participate in the "Light The Night" outreach:

• Pray! Pray for your community, neighborhood, children, parents, and strangers that you will interact with.
• Smile and hand out genuine compliments with the candy. You want your neighbors to know that yours is a household that cares for the community. A kind word will go a long way. Don't forget to smile!
• Include a church invite card or gospel tract as you pass out candy. You can pick these up at your campus on Sunday, Oct 15, 22, and 29.
• Build relationships. Don’t be afraid to ask parents how you can pray for them.
• Keep any activities that you do in well-lit and visible areas of your front yard.

What does it actually look like?

Two options:

1. Greet from your door — As trick-or-treaters knock on your door, hand them candy, a church invite card, and a gospel tract. Greet people with a smile. Compliment the children. Invite them to church. If families are willing to engage in conversation, ask families how you can pray for them and see where the conversation goes!
2. Plan an outdoor house party — Host a fun hangout in your front yard. Provide a space for people to stop, visit, play yard games, and eat. Trick-or-treaters are always hungry, and water and “real” food is always appreciated! Mobilize your entire family to welcome your front-yard guests, and be intentional about spiritual conversations and invitations to church.

What you do with Light The Night is 100% up to you! The goal is to connect with neighbors and take the first step towards sharing Jesus with them. You can Light The Night on your own, with your family, or with other friends and other families in your area. It's all up to you!

Ready to Light The Night?

STEP 1: Make a Plan — Download the Light The Night Resource Guide below and choose a potential idea to connect with your neighbors and neighborhood.

STEP 2: Register! — We would love to know if your family is participating and what you plan to do. We will pray for you by name!

STEP 3: Gather Materials — Pick up church invite cards and Gospel tracts from your campus on Sundays, October 15, 22, or 29.

STEP 4: Engage Families — Start friendly conversations, ask people how you can pray for them, invite people to join you at church, and share who Jesus is and what he has done in your life.

Helpful Resources

• IDEAS: Download the resource guide for Light The Night ideas.
• EVANGELISM: Check out these simple evangelism tools that will equip you to share your faith.

FAQ

Here are some frequently asked questions that can help you prepare for a great evening in your neighborhood.

Is it important that I register?

• YES! It allows us to know how many families are involved in Light The Night and ensures that we keep you updated about new resources and other important announcements.

How do we decide what to do?

• Consider the amount of time and resources you have to dedicate to Light The Night. Then, look through the ideas and choose something that sounds fun. If you're having fun, there's a good chance your neighbors will want to join you!

Do we need to choose an activity from the website?

• No! You can choose any activity that you believe will allow you to connect with neighbors. The activities on the website and Resource Guide are only meant to give you ideas. What you do is up to you.

Can we do Light The Night with Christian neighbors who don't attend Houston's First?

• Absolutely! Light The Night is bigger than one church. Feel free to join with neighbors from other churches and other denominations to make an impact in your neighborhood.

Should we share about our Light The Night experience?

• We would love to hear your Light The Night story! Post lots of pictures on social media! Be sure to tag your campus and use the hashtag #HFBCLightTheNight. You can also share your stories and snapshots with us using this form.

How should we involve the entire family in Light The Night?

• This depends on the age of your children. Just being present at an event like this can be a tremendous discipleship experience for a child. This is a great opportunity for them to learn and see what you believe is important. For younger kids, have them help you decorate or put stickers on candy. Older kids can be given bigger jobs like managing a yard gameor passing out candy. Prepare your kids to be involved in gospel conversations as well.
• How? Help them know that at some point, someone will ask "Why are you doing this?" Be ready with a good answer!
  

Our family doesn't really have any evangelism training. What can we do for Light The Night?

• Just be yourselves! If your neighbors are like most people, they just want to know that Christians are real people. Enjoy the things you like to do as a family and invite your neighbors to join you. Be natural, have fun, and get to know people. You can visit the Evangelism Resources page for simple tools for sharing your faith.

If we do invite our neighbors to church, where should we invite them?

• Consider inviting them to an upcoming event or to join you for a Sunday worship service. Help them break the ice by meeting them in the parking lot and together. The upcoming Christmas holidays are a great season to invite guests!

Questions about Light The Night?

Contact us at Missions@HoustonsFirst.org