Halloween Traditions of the Salvation Army

The Salvation Army's many community traditions include festive Halloweens.

The Salvation Army began in 1865, when Rev. William Booth's ministry began reaching hundreds of destitute people in a poverty-stricken area of London. The organization now has locations around the world. In addition to its church services, it offers many community programs, including holiday celebrations. These Halloween celebrations provide Christian alternatives for children and families who wish to enjoy the holiday in a safe, non-secular way. Does this Spark an idea?

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Halloween Traditions
- The Salvation Army enjoys hosting safe, fun Halloween celebrations for children.
  
  William Booth encouraged people to sing Christian lyrics to the popular music of the age. He saw this as a way to make Christian education accessible to non-Christians. While they were singing happily in church -- learning about God -- they weren't in the pub, drinking to excess.
International Celebrations
- Today, the organization hosts Halloween celebrations at many of its locations. In 2009 and 2010, locations in Tyler, Texas, Terre Haute, Indiana and Newfoundland, Canada each hosted Halloween carnivals offering children a safe Halloween celebration with music, snacks, games and costume contests. In fact, many people comb Salvation Army thrift stores to assemble their Halloween costumes.
Halloween Fundraisers
- In 2009, the Hall Apple Farm in Lockport, New York hosted a free two-day Halloween festival for the purpose of raising funds for its local Salvation Army. The festival offered children sweets and apple cider, a haunted house tour and a haunted maze. Prizes were awarded for the best costumes and children sat on bales of hay -- while the farmer’s father told ghost stories.
Support for the Organization
- At many Salvation Army Halloween parties, children decorate pumpkins and compete in best costume contests.
  
  The farmer who hosted the fundraiser at Hall Apple Farm, Adam Updegraph, had recently visited the Lockport Salvation Army and witnessed the organization helping a large number of homeless families. The extra money raised by the event was appreciated by the organization, which daily serves lunch to 150 people and runs a food pantry and a social services office.