Fall Fellowship

My childhood memories of Halloween in a small, Central Texas town during the late 1950’s and early 1960’s are of fun and foolery. I do not have a clear recollection of costumes worn, but I do remember working our neighborhood for candy with my siblings and my cousins. Sweets were a rare treat in our household, so bringing home a bag of full of confectionery delights was like winning the lottery. All of us children were on a “sugar high” for several days.

As a teenager, Halloween was more about “Tricking” than it was about “Treating.” My job prevented me from getting into too much trouble. Yet, I do recall a few toilet paper and egg runs in neighborhoods where some of our least favorite educators lived. As a matter of fact, I recall seeing blue lights in my rear view mirror on one such occasion. The officer advised a carload of Dairy Queen employees, enjoying a nice drive after getting off of work, that we didn’t have any business being in that area late at night.

Times have changed drastically since those simpler and safer times of life. Today, we have to be guarded about where we take our children and to whom we open our doors. Most churches, and many other organizations, now provide alternatives to “Trick-or-Treating.” Parents who do allow their children to go out on Halloween, usually take them only to people they know.

I am grateful to those who helped and to all who participated in our “Fall Fellowship” on Sunday. We had a great attendance and a wonderful time being together. Our children had fun dressing in their costumes and going door-to-door in the Education Building to get their treats. The well-deserved winner of this year’s “Chili Contest” was Mrs. Lana Perkins. We also had plenty of other delicious dishes from which to choose. I can hardly wait to do it again next year.

Serving in love,

Bro. Jim