On Thursday, Oct. 31, All Nations Church of Lake View Terrace held FAM JAM (Family and Me, Jesus and Me), its annual alternative-to-Halloween celebration. Pastor Su Park, the main event organizer, declared this year’s event an even greater success than the previous Halloween events.
Pastor Park said, “We wanted to provide a safe and nurturing environment for families who wanted to spend Halloween doing something other than trick-or-treating. We also invited many of our predominantly Caucasian and Hispanic neighbors and it looks like many of them have showed up.”
Children of all ages, their parents, and neighbors who lived in the vicinity of All Nations Church were invited to this year’s event. Inviting neighbors of All Nations Church was paramount in fostering a positive relationship between the church and the community. The crowd of nearly two hundred people enjoyed the night’s festivities.
The festivities began at 5:00 pm at the cafeteria with a dinner of spaghetti, rolls, and grapes. At 6 o’clock, children participated in praises, skits, and contests. Event organizers made sure that parents had fun as well, including a few of the adults in the contests. After Pastor Park delivered a short message about the importance of patience, the anxious children were finally dismissed to the gym.
The gym was transformed into a carnival, complete with two bounce houses, a plethora of games and prizes, and the usual carnival snacks such as popcorn and cotton candy. One of the more popular games was one in which the prize was a small goldfish.
From start to finish, staff members and volunteers worked to ensure that everyone had a good time.
Mr. Jim Choi, a staff member, said, “It was hard work, but it was worth the effort. I’m glad that children will be going home happy tonight.”
