But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9 NKJV

This year for Halloween, why not plan to reach out and share the gospel instead of participating in the celebrations? Why not be a light on this day of darkness?

The last few years on Halloween we have enjoyed going from house to house, handing out tracts to trick-or-treaters and home-stayers. People are more likely to open their doors to knockers on this night and they are very receptive. A lot of them are surprised that instead of taking something from them, we have something to give!

Here is what we do, along with some pictures, to give you an idea of what you can do.

Pray. There’s all sorts of things to pray about for this. How much should we plan to do? What materials should we use? Where should we go? Who else could join us?

Select good tracts. We carefully read each kind of tract before we use it to make sure the gospel is very clear and not distorted in any way. For this outreach we like to put together little bags of 3-4 interesting tracts. We use sandwich bags—they are inexpensive and see-through, which is great when you are handing it to someone so they can see what’s in it. Also last year we bought Creation Cards and taped candy on them to hand out to kids.

Then we pray before we go. Serving the Lord involves spiritual warfare.  We need God’s help and blessing.

As we walk up to people’s houses, it’s nice to have something to say. When they come to the door with their bowl of candy (or if they’re sitting outside with it because they are just so into the occasion), a great thing to say is something like, “Hi! Actually, I have something for you!” Or as we’re walking past trick-or-treaters we might say, “Here is something for you!” or, “Did you get one of these?” If they did, great; if not, that question sparks their curiosity and now they might actually want one!

It’s easy to come back from doing something like this and say, “We handed out x amount of tracts tonight!” And there’s nothing wrong with that, but ultimately it’s not about the number of tracts handed out—it’s about the number of people we were able to reach. People with souls who are destined to an eternity in only one of two places. We want to see them in heaven. And maybe other Christians who received a tract will be encouraged to share their faith with others, too.

So that’s what we do, and we have had some friends join us as well. And there are so many other ways to take advantage of this opportunity to reach out with the gospel. Our encouragement to you is: see what God would have you do to shine the light on this day where darkness is celebrated.

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16 NKJV