Room 1 - Halloween

Post date: Feb 18, 2010 5:3:43 AM

At first glance, this room appears to be decked out for a typical Halloween

party for children and adults.  All the symbols of the season are present.  There are streamers, pumpkins, tables decked with orange and black, candy, ...  There are the other kinds of symbols as well - skeletons, ghosts, witches and devils.  But isn't this a church?  What do black cats and tombstones have to do with a church Halloween party?When we look closer, we see that these displays are more than just decorations.  There are Biblical interpretations of the symbols.  A skeleton leans against a tombstone next to an empty, web-covered chest in the cemetery.  The sign reads "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal."  An adjacent sign discusses the Christian practice of burial and the fact that we look forward to a physical resurrection.   The tombstones have messages like "READY FOR RESURRECTION" and "RESTING IN JESUS." The ghosts. witches and even the bloody, amputated foot have discussions that tie to biblical teachings. 

There are also flip-up jokes scattered about the walls.  One area explains the use of jokes and humor.  Another area has "Fact-or-Fiction" questions about the origins of All-Saints and Halloween.  We will later find that these Fact-or-Fiction displays are in all of the rooms.  The questions flip up to reveal the answers. 

A display on vandalism has a tree that has been TP'd. It sits next to the grim reaper, who also has a biblical interpretation.  They are located near the Charlie Brown Great Pumpkin movie area, which has a group of child-sized seats gathered around it.

But what is Halloween really about?