DAMASCUS, Md. – Trunk or Treat started in the 1990s as a trick-or-treating alternative/supplement. Now many churches take advantage of the enormously popular activity by itself or in conjunction with fall festivals. Kids and adults alike enjoy the fun of decorating cars, some elaborately, giving out, and, of course, getting candy. They’re fun and give churches a chance to meet their neighbors. But do they make an impact? Is all that time, effort, and money spent on candy worth it?
It was in Andrea Schneider’s life.
Schneider placed her faith in Christ as a child, but she wasn’t attending church. After some past hurt, she was hesitant to seek another church. That changed one year ago when Schneider and her daughter Maryanne (who will turn 5 on Halloween) attended Tri-County Baptist Church’s Trunk or Treat. Because it was in a shopping center parking lot, Schneider said the event didn’t feel “churchy” and wasn’t intimidating.
She loved the cheerful vibe, the fun games and the car displays. “What really stood out to me was the live music. They were playing songs that I remember singing years ago,” she said.
The other highlight was seeing a costumed bear playing the drums. That, she said, was a surprise and made her smile.
“I knew I must learn more about this bear,” Schneider said with a laugh. “I was surprised to hear the bear was the church’s pastor (T.J. Johnson) with six children. I thought, wow, this man seems so relaxed and joyful!”
She said that after talking with a church volunteer she was “thrilled to hear about a nearby church with happy members and children my daughter could interact with.”
Schneider’s family is new to the area and knows few people.
“I was sad, anxious, and lonely, without a church to attend regularly anymore,” she said. After the Trunk or Treat, Schneider said she felt God leading her to Tri-County Baptist Church, and she joined shortly afterward.
“I found peace and joy in my heart; thanks be to God!” she said. “I have a refuge to call my own.”
Schneider was baptized in September and recently began serving with Sunday Night BLAST, a children’s ministry for school-aged children.
Schneider and Maryanne will attend this year’s Trunk or Treat in the Safeway Parking lot on Main Street in Damascus. Tri-County is partnering with First Baptist Church of Damascus. They’ll work together and share a banner.
Pastor Johnson said, “Halloween is one of the few community-oriented holidays we have when the whole community comes out and participates together … person to person, with the intention of interacting.”
He recalls his first Trunk or Treat at Tri-County. “I was amazed! We’re a small church of 80-90 people, and we must have had 300-400 people show up. It is an incredible opportunity.”
