“We had a little party,” jokes Scott Peterson, pastor of children’s ministries. “I’m wiped out.”
The numbers are staggering. Attendance at the event was more than double the 1,200 people who weekly attend services. The church first sponsored the event 13 years ago, when roughly 500 people attended, says Peterson.
The church gave away 2,000 pounds of candy and 600 toothbrushes (dentists donated the toothbrushes). The congregation also awarded nearly 600 cakes as prizes in the cakewalk. “The kitchen just reeked of frosting,” Peterson says.
The church puts 400 volunteers to work. Eight people help organize. And they meet only a handful of times throughout the year. “Everybody has been doing it for so long, and they know their jobs,” Peterson says.
The Fun Fest replaced a Halloween alternative event that the church had held for years, but which attracted only 40 or 50 people. That required too much work for too little attendance, Peterson says. Ultimately, he says, “We decided if we are going to do something, we would do it in a big way.”
The event is held inside and outside the church. Inside the church, kids go from room to room and play various games. “Most of them involve throwing something,” Peterson says, laughing.
The games also include a large Operation Ole, based on the old game in which participants try to remove comical ailments. “There are even big metal tongs, and the game buzzes,” Peterson says.
Outside, kids can play in any of the 10 inflatable bounce houses or games. The kids can play on the inflatables all night with the purchase of a $5 bracelet. Redwood also sells concessions that include nachos and pulled pork.
Money from the concessions pays for the event. The church budgets $10,000. Last year, it wound up just $49 in the hole, Peterson says.
The church does not distribute literature or have any prominently displayed, Peterson says. “Our purpose is to serve the community,” Peterson says.
Although the church does not directly evangelize, many of the visitors return to attend a service. “In the newcomers’ class, some of the people even say that the first time they ever attended a church was at the Fun Fest,” Peterson says.
The event has grown only by word of mouth, Peterson says. “We don’t do any advertising.” Many visitors don’t even know of the event until they are on the nearby highway and see that it is being held.
