Mother and Son Lead Reformation Day Celebration as Faith-Based Alternative to Halloween

A mother and son duo at the Raleigh Church, Tenn., turned Halloween night into a celebration of faith and history by leading a Reformation Day program that offered children a Christ-centered alternative to Halloween traditions. Meghan Smith and her 16-year-old son, Jackson Smith, organized and led the interactive event, which drew more than 40 attendees.

For the Smith family, the inspiration to celebrate Reformation Day began at home. Jackson recalls that when he was younger, he sometimes felt left out during Halloween because their family chose not to participate. Then in 2022 Jackson read The Great Controversy and learned about Martin Luther.

“I looked up what day Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the door, and I had to blink twice when I saw it was October 31,” Jackson said.  “I just ran to tell my dad. It felt like God was showing us something special.”

This year, their personal tradition grew into a full church event supported by six additional volunteers, including fellow member Aneesha Williams, who helped initiate the program.

The Reformation-themed program featured multiple hands-on stations that taught children about the life and faith of Martin Luther and other reformers. Activities included pinning “95 Theses” on a church door, building Lego fortresses based on Psalm 46, searching for rubber ducks labeled with the Five Solas, and playing a reformer-themed “Cake Walk.” Jackson also produced a stop-motion Lego film depicting Luther’s life, which was shown during the event.

Meghan said their goal was to educate and to inspire.

“We wanted to provide awareness of our church’s history, how it came about and how we received our doctrines,” Meghan said. “It was wonderful to see both kids and adults learning together and having fun.”

Both mother and son said they hope the event inspires other churches to follow suit.

“It’s really about the kids,” Jackson said. “They need to know their faith and history, and they need to see that learning about God’s work in the past can be fun.”