Amid the swarm of gangsters, superheroes, bunnies and presidents who congregate for the Athens Halloween Block Party, a collection of people gathers to share the word of their savior.
The sign-wielding, cross-bearing folks vary by creed and location, but their overall purpose is sharing the gospel, said Dan Bough, a member of a church in the Cincinnati area, who has been attending the Halloween Block Party since 1989.
“I met a gentleman here in ’89 from another church in Columbus and through that, we sort of became friends,” he said. “It’s kept on rolling.”
Bough said they don’t come down to condemn, only to start conversations and be a messenger.
Student reception differs throughout the evening, said Mike Sare, a member of The River Community Church in Delaware, Ohio, who has attended the block party for about six years.
“(The reception) is not usually the best,” Sare said. “But at the same time, there are quite a few individuals who come up to us and are impacted by it, and that makes it worth it for us.”
Some students choose to react by yelling obscenities, holding their own signs or taking pictures.
Diego Hanson, a visiting sophomore from San Francisco, took a photo with a sign and said that the group was crazy for being there.
Hanson called a sign that read, “How long does it take to stone a whore?” immoral.
“I think it gives them the exact reaction they wanted,” he said. “I don’t approve.”
Some students, however, approach the group in a friendlier manner.
Stephen Spreng, a freshman studying studio art and an atheist, spoke with some members for about 45 minutes after spotting a friend talking to them.
“They’re not trying to be shocking or anything,” Spreng said. “I guess they’re just trying to convey that everyone is going to be accepted no matter what they do.”
The signs might provoke heated discourse, but Spreng said there is no lasting effect on students overall.
“They haven’t convinced me of anything,” he said. “But everyone is entitled to their opinions.”
“The group that shows up every year has become part of the Halloween celebration,” said Jonathan Holmberg, chairman of the Clean and Safe Halloween Committee.
“If they don’t show up, I’d be disappointed,” he said.
The only complaint Holmberg said he has had about the group visiting was when they began shouting through a loudspeaker last Halloween.
“(When) there is this group that has no connection to the city, and they’re saying things that are not insightful,” he said. “They were just asking to get punched.”
ao007510@ohiou.edu
