Big Party brings family fun to Oct. 31
For the past number of years, Elim Church has offered something special to families who have concerns about their children being out at night on Halloween. They call it the Big Party.
“We’re inviting the community to a warm and safe event on Oct. 31,” Elim children’s ministry pastor Rob Clark said. “We don’t call it an alternative or a substitute for Halloween, but simply a big party for families and kids. You can come as you are, or come in costume. Everyone is welcome.”
This is the sixth year Elim has put on a Big Party. The idea came out of wanting to find ways to connect with people without overscheduling them.
“Since kids are already out on Halloween, we thought why not offer them a warm and safe place to be with lots of fun things to do?” Clark said. “Parents are being more careful about where their kids are these days. They know this is a safe place and that they can trust us with their children.”
The Big Party follows a carnival theme and is loaded with lots of kid-friendly activities including bouncy castles, an 18-foot slide, a nine-metre inflatable climbing wall and the Adrenalin Rush II, an inflatable bouncy obstacle course.
One section of the church will have fun opportunities specifically for children five and under.
“They can have bouncy fun with The Incredibles, a bouncy castle and a bouncy train,” Clark said.
In addition, the Big Party offers an array of carnival games such as the parachute Prance, the Scoot (with scooters), Beanie Bowling, Football Throw and Hockey Shootout.
There are quieter activities, too. Children can do art with their parents and there will also be a storytelling room.
Outside, children can enjoy a petting zoo and pony rides. Everything else, including a reptile zoo, is inside the church.
“We use the whole building — the gym, the auditorium and the atrium,” Clark said. “We can accommodate a lot of people, but no matter how many come, the space won’t feel crowded.”
There will be plenty of free candy at all the stations (so the kids won’t miss out on their traditional candy fix), plus popcorn and candy floss. There’s free coffee, tea and water for the adults, and other beverage options are available for purchase.
Clark says the Big Party is a family party aimed at children 12 and under, “though we often have teens come and they loved it.” It’s a come-and-go event. Doors open at 5:30 and close at 7:30 p.m. Entry is through the front doors on the east side of the building (look for the inflatable orange pumpkin). Guests will be issued a map that enables them to visit all of the venues as many times as they want.
The Big Party is entirely volunteer-driven. Clark says the event involves at least 80 people from the church working at 24 different stations.
“The party is financed entirely by the Elim congregation because we want to get to know our community, and we want to give something back to the community,” Angela McDonald, assistant children’s ministry pastor at Elim, said. “The Big Party is a very effective event. The kids have so much fun. The children who have attended before always want to come again.”
“In years to come, we believe this party event we do will be seen as a very good gift to the community,” Clark added. “We’ve had people start going to church because they came to the Big Party and liked what they experienced. They can’t believe we pour so much effort and energy into an event specifically for the community.
“The truth is, we all have a lot of fun putting it on and look forward to doing it every year. It’s a joy to watch kids having fun.”
Elim Church is at 419 Slimmon Rd. For more information, email rob@elimchurch.ca.