By Susan Shinn

For The Salisbury Post

Since Life Church and the J.F. Hurley Y are neighbors, the two organizations decided to team up for a Fall Festival.

The event is set for 6-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, at the Y, 828 Jake Alexander Blvd. West. The Y is providing the space in the main gym, and Life Church is providing the games, the volunteers and, most importantly, the candy and prizes.

There will be Trunk or Treat on the outdoor track and The Hot Dog Shack will provide a free hotdog for each attendee. There will also be a hayride through the parking lot.

“It will be nice to have the space in the gym, and it will be nice to be outside, too,” says Cindy Schreier, Life Church’s children’s director.

Life Church members have been busy assembling carnival-style games such as football toss and ball toss and ping-pong toss and Angry Birds and mini golf and bean bag toss and fishing — they’ve been mining Pinterest for lots of good ideas.

Schreier says it will take about 75 volunteers to make the night a success. That includes a number of Catawba College students who attend services there.

Putting on a fall festival, says Chris Shelton, Life Church’s senior pastor, is a lot like putting on Vacation Bible School. A lot of different churches do it.

“We recognize that a lot of these events are going on in town,” he says, “but we thought it would be more of a benefit to our neighbors to partner together with the Y. We think folks might be more comfortable coming to the Y than coming to church.”

“The YMCA hopes to provide a safe and fun-filled fall celebration to its community in partnership with Life Church,” says Richard Reinholz, the Y’s executive director. “Life Church is an excellent partner as our missions focus on serving others in a Christian environment.”

The church is still collecting candy for Trunk or Treat. You may drop off candy at the church, located at 710 Jake Alexander Blvd. West — right beside the Y.

Freelance writer Susan Shinn lives in Salisbury.