The Christian Leaders Network of Kings County is issuing this statement to voice our concern about the community event known as Witches Night Out. The event is billed as a family friendly event that brings the community together for “shopping, dancing, and drinking.”1 But the Christian community believes the event is not family friendly and has instead gained a reputation as a night of over-indulgence.
We want to voice our concern about encouraging minors to be present at an event where alcohol is being served. We understand that the special one-day license for storefront businesses to serve alcohol has not been obtained from the Alcohol Control Board this year, and we believe permits to serve alcohol should not be awarded if the event continues to be billed as being “family-friendly.” Further, as a group of pastors and Christian Leaders, we believe celebrating witches is a terrible idea. Even a superficial investigation into the most well known form of witchcraft, Wicca, quickly reveals a worldview that believes in a horned god, casting spells, and worshiping nature. Christ-followers should avoid identifying with these occult practices.2
We applaud Main Street Downtown for seeking to bring much needed revenue to local downtown business in a family-friendly way, but we would love to see a different kind of event happen. One that the Christian community would be able to support. Here are a few recommendations:
- Change the theme to Fall Family Night Out.
- Offer activities directed to families and their children. Examples might include: pie eating contests, family games with candy as prizes, family friendly music and entertainment, etc.
- Use the event to highlight the world-class agriculture that is produced during the month of October. This could include bringing in hay bales, corn stalks, and potentially even setting up a small maze for families to enjoy.
- Encourage businesses to invest in a gift bag that focuses on autumn festivities.
- Talk to local groups that put on fall festivals and see if they would like to join with this one instead of being in competition with it.
- Do this early in the month so that it does not coincide with Halloween.
Our goal in writing this statement is not to force Witches Night Out to come to an end. Our goal is to show the community that we can do better. Our community deserves an event that does not need a warning label about alcohol or the occult.
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