Fall Festival 2014: Why We Do This

I spent bulk of last year’s Fall Festival squeezing through the claustrophobia-inducing mob of people and slopping through puddles of mud. While frantically scanning the endless sea of painted faces for my children, I thought to myself, “Is this even worth it anymore?”

And then the complaints of the children for whom this event was designed floated through the crowd and met my ears:

“My shoes are ruined.”
“It’s too crowded.”

“I don’t know half of these people.”

As I realized that those comments were coming from my own children and their friends – not the community and the neighbors – my heart sank. But part of me couldn’t blame them. In the days and weeks after the event, your pastor and his wife had some serious conversations about The Fall Festival. Had it run its course? Had the time come to kill this event? Because that’s what leaders do. They evaluate. They pray. They recalibrate.

Months after the Fall Festival, as Aaron and I led a Starting Point group (the new believers life group), we sat on the edge of our seats, nearly in tears, as one woman from the community shared her story with us. She had been bringing her children to the Fall Festival for four years and had never set foot within the doors of our church. Every year she came, she said that she could feel the love that generated from our church because of the thought and effort that went into planning such an event. She said that most churches plan elaborate events like that for their own people, but loving their neighbors enough to go to the extremes that we do – then open it up to strangers for FREE? Well, that was unheard of and spoke volumes to her about the love of Christ that Freedom was showing.

That year she and her children began attending our church. That settled it for us. What is the cost of one soul? Is it 26,000 pieces of candy? Is it a little mud? Is it the hours spent serving in the cold rain?

Last night, the weather was, yet again, not ideal. But we learned from the foibles of last year’s event. Obviously we couldn’t control the weather, so we put the tent up before the rain came and thus were able to utilize the entirety of its area (no flooded cordoned-off areas). So it wasn’t shoulder-to-shoulder crowded. And we put down plywood in the areas that receive the most foot traffic. We invested in new games, attractions, and more candy. There were more tables to sit at and more concessions. The overall feel of the Festival was electric. It seemed new and exciting again.

But better logistics aside, I walked away from last night with three observations.

The first was my own observation. Kids were running around having a blast. They connected with new friends. It was awesome to see my daughter connect with a young lady who is new to Freedom. There was energy and life. Families made memories to last a lifetime.

The second observation came from a friend. Her eyes surveyed the perimeter of the tent where all the team members were serving. “Look at all of the people who are serving here tonight. It’s such a different group.” I allowed my eyes to follow hers. A large number of the Festival workers this year were either A) brand to new to working the Festival, B) brand new to Freedom, or C) under the age of 20! That was so exciting to me because it became very apparent that people are finding ways to discover their S.H.A.P.E. (see previous blog posts!) And they’re doing so at younger ages! I love to see the next generation stepping into their gifts and abilities.

And the third was from my father. He doesn’t attend our church – or any church, for that matter. He shows up to things that his grandkids participate in.

Last night, as we sat at one of the concession tables, he scanned the crowd and then said, “You know what I think is really cool about this event? I see the same people from the neighborhood here year after year. Like that family right there (pointing)...I’ve recognized them from the past four or five Festivals…”

His words reminded me of the story from the woman in our Starting Point class. Maybe one of those families he recognized from years gone by will soon walk through the doors of Freedom Christian, and will become an integral part of what is happening here and in our neighborhood. And then they’ll step into their S.H.A.P.E. by serving at future Fall Festivals.

And then more and more will come to know Jesus because of a giant tent, 26,000 pieces of candy, some carnival games, and the hard work of some amazing people.

Written by: Jaime Hlavin

Edited by: Tamara Sturdivant