November 16, 2016
 
This Week’s Storyteller is…
 
Robert Weatherall, First Spring Hill
TREATIN', NO TRICKIN' was a Serving Others Selflessly (SOS) project of the youth ministry at First United Methodist Church of Spring Hill in which they hosted their first Truckin' Trick or Treat on Halloween evening, driving around Spring Hill and Brooksville in the church bus, handing out treats and bottles of cold water to children and adults---and a couple of dogs too!

Labels with the church's information were placed on the bottles of water and each bag of treats had information labels on the outside and invitational information about the children's ministry and the youth ministry on the inside.

The invitation read: “Be safe and have fun tonight! Then join us next Sunday for amazing worship services, helpful classes and exciting programs for EVERYONE in your family. You are certainly invited and welcomed here!”

The bus was driven around town from 4 to 9 p.m., handing out treats and water as children and their families were encountered along the way. Over 300 bags of candy/treats and nearly 200 bottles of water were handed out.
 
The inside—and some of the outside—of the church bus was decorated with colored mini-lights of purple and orange, with scarecrows and pumpkins on the inside of the bus. Christian songs, as well as songs like "Monster Mash" and "Ghost Busters," were played on the bus's stereo system. Some teens wore costumes; the driver did not (safety and all that, ya know...!).
 
The teens had a great time and have already begun talking about doing it again in 2017. It is a great way to get the message of God's church and Christ into the hands (and sometimes, the paws) of those in the community. The teens "took church to them."
 
 
Up Next…
 
Mary Broske, First UMC Gainesville
How the Walk to Emmaus Clarified My Calling    
“I have learned that no matter our age or experience, anyone can always become a better disciple for Jesus Christ...I have sensed an ever-stronger calling for some time.”
 
This testimony was originally posted in November 2013.