Recap: Halloween Outreach 2026

Another joyful Halloween outreach at Kasin’s place is in the books, where we gladly shared tracts, books, the Bible, and of course—plenty of candy—with kids, parents, and teens walking the streets on the southside of Ankeny, IA. With hearty hot chili in our gullets and a warm fire by our side, we were energized and excited for an amazing night!

New Addition

From the distance, it didn’t look much different from previous years, but we have a new addition to the area to make it more inviting: The Open Air Campaigner (OAC) Flipcharts by Tract Planet! These flip charts are 36×24 inches in size and are printed on 13 mil vinyl, which are weather resistant and durable. The top of each page has two grommets for mounting on the stand. Shipping was free and took about three weeks to receive.

With the light Kasin put on it, the writing really popped off the chart. Several times, people stopped in their cars and solved the riddles right there, without even needing to step out or squint to see. I was pretty impressed with the level of detail in the charts.

I was not impressed at all with the stand though, especially since the value of the stand was supposed to be $100. But this is what I got, the Art Supply 66″ High Boardroom Aluminum flipchart Easel, worth $39.99 on Amazon. The quality of the stand was complete garbage. Made of very thin aluminum, it would never have been able to hold the amount of weignt from the six flipcharts.

I eventually had to act quickly and spent $60 of my own money, not to mention an entire day to re-engineer a mounting bracket of my own. The only thing that was usable was the tripod itself and the mounting bracket in the back, which I had to cut off and rivet to another piece of stronger 1.5″ aluminum angle iron.

I also had to add a piece of 1″ aluminum bar to the front to create pressure on the top of the charts so that it was easier to flip back. All pieces were attached to the aluminum angle iron using 1.5 in 5/8 in bolts and wingnuts. If you do this, and make your own, get at least 2″ long bolts for easier installation.

Personally, I strongly suggest that you invest in your own easel, and just order the flip charts themselves. I am sure they make better ones out there for the money, and would last longer than what you get from Tract Planet.

I also ordered 600 Halloween tracts as well from Tract Planet:

• Kid Friendly Trick or Treat (Children’s Halloween)
• Kid Friendly Headless Horseman Million-dollar Bill
• Grim Reaper Adult

I chose the Grim Reaper Cards for the adults because I could easily use them throughout the year, and not just on Halloween. Plus, they made for a great clue to the riddle on the flipchart. I may end up getting the Creepy Cash Million-dollar Bill instead for the adults next year, but we’ll see how I do. The only difference between the adult tracts and the kid tracts are that the kid ones remove the seventh commandment—adultery, and replaces it with the fifth commandment of obeying your parents. This eliminates any awkward questions about sexual sin.

More About the Night

Even with a slight chance of rain in the forecast, I set up my canopy in the driveway so it could be moved in seconds if needed, and it felt like we were not just prepared, but ready for a great day.

It was difficult to tie people down and get them to really have a conversation since the city of Ankeny only allowed 2 hours for the little beggars to be out walking the streets. The flipcharts were useful to draw a crowd, but not enough to keep them and engage in conversation. But we gave out many tracts and impressed upon reading the tracts and clicking the QR code with their phones to get the full experience.

Many children and teens came through our area on the way to the Ankeny Presbyterian Church’s “Trunk-or-Treat.” As a church, you would think that they would use this amazing opportunity to share the gospel with the lost, but, if you know anything about the PCUSA church, it needs the gospel preached to them most of all. I took a walk down there just to see what a “Trunk-or-treat” looks like. I’m sure some of them have some great ideas in other parts of the country, but I just wasn’t impressed.

Some Thoughts About Next Year

At the end of the night I had some thoughts about next year’s Halloween outreach and how we could change it or make it better.

I love the table with the light showing through the green tablecloth. It really brings people over to see what we have. But, the problem is with having tracts on top, it’s difficult to see them through the “eclipse effect”. I’m going to suggest we have black felt or circle on the table top with a flame-looking lamp to see better.

I even thought about making a large “crystal ball” in the center and when you touch it, it can “predict” your future, saying something like:

• There is a 100% chance you will die someday.
• I have read your palm and know you are not a good person.
• Place your hand on the crystal ball. If it turns blue—you are a good person. If it turns red—your not.

My wife bought me this Star Wars “force ghost” Jedi costume I wore for a Star Wars costume party earlier this year (not Halloween related). I contemplated wearing it during the outreach, but didn’t want to seem like I was participating in the holiday itself, any more than giving candy and tracts out.

I considered it, but I didn’t want to risk becoming a stumbling block to anyone by wearing it, knowing what I stand for. I asked a few of my Christian friends what they thought, and they didn’t seem to mind, but if it might cause someone to struggle, the juice just isn’t worth the squeeze.

Many years ago I saw a guy open air preaching in a city during Halloween standing next to a friend in a Grim Reaper costume that must have been 10 ft tall! It was a crazy representation that death is always looming about, and the visual was amazing. Somewhat when Ray Comfort had mock funerals to share the gospel and a guy in a casket being raised from the dead. I’m always looking for new ideas and unique ways to share the gospel.

Next stop and to finish this year: Marshalltown Holiday Stroll on November 21st. Can’t wait.