What Would You Do? Fall 2023

Wednesday, October 25th, 2023

What would you do? It’s Trunk or Treat time at your small church and you are busy lining up cars in anticipation of children in costumes walking around and playing games with congregation members. Most of the cars are registered for the event, but someone you don’t recognize lines up their car at the end of the line. The car is decorated, and a couple gets out and prepares to hand out candy. You ask around, but no one seems to know them. What do you do?

When it comes to safety and security, you cannot be too careful. While this may be an oversight by the couple to sign up or they may be new to the congregation and didn’t know they had to register for the event, it’s still a good idea to be cautious. Approach the couple and get more information from them. Are they new to the church? How did they hear about the event?

Even if everything seems legitimate, have them register for the event. This way, you have their information for the future and there is transparency to the situation. If they are unwilling to share information, that would be a red flag and they should be asked to leave the event. As always, stay vigilant. Remind your staff and volunteers to always be watching, and if they see something, say something.