As the Feast draws closer, we all anticipate this highlight of the year. Festival Site Coordinators all over the world have been hard at work since last year’s Feast to prepare for this annual foretaste of the peace and harmony that will permeate planet Earth after Christ’s return. One of the tasks of each coordinator is to plan activities for the brethren at the site he oversees. Have you ever wondered what goes into activity planning? It may sound like a simple task, but a lot of thought goes into it—long before brethren walk through the door on Opening Night. So, perhaps it’s worthwhile to ask, “Why do we have Feast activities at all?”
The focus of the Feast of Tabernacles is on worshipping God. Biblical prophecy tells us that after Christ returns, “Everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles” (Zechariah 14:16). When we go to the Feast, we spend eight days reflecting and meditating on God’s power, mercy, and wonderful plan of salvation. We are surrounded by an environment meant to help us focus on how God will soon change the entire world. We are reminded that God the Father will set up His Kingdom on earth, ruled in person by Jesus Christ. That is a powerful truth to contemplate! We gain a deeper appreciation for God’s plan as we gather to worship Him with sincere praise and thankfulness.
Not only are we worshipping God at the Feast—we are also immersing ourselves in an active learning environment. God expects us to save our second tithe faithfully throughout the year so that we can eat before Him, “that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always” (Deuteronomy 14:23). Notice that the focus is on learning.
The Feast is, in one sense, an educational exercise. We attend daily services to listen, learn, read the Bible, and sing hymns together. We learn the value and experience the joy of serving one another. Everything is done “decently and in order,” organized to avoid chaos or confusion, as we spend eight days in an environment that teaches us how God’s government works (1 Corinthians 14:33, 40).
As we worship our Father and learn more about His way of life, we grow as a spiritual family. We grow in bonds of brotherhood. We gather together—young, old, parents, children, single, married, from all races and all backgrounds—in a commanded assembly. As Moses instructed the Israelites, “Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the Lord your God and carefully observe all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 31:12). We share meals together and get to know one another. We are told, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared” (Nehemiah 8:10). We are at the Feast to fellowship and grow together.
Which brings us back to the point of this article. What is the purpose of Church-organized Feast activities? This may sound like a simple question, but on deeper examination it requires some careful thought.
From a big-picture perspective, Church-sponsored activities at the Feast are meant to do the following things:
- Support our worship of God the Father and His Son, our Elder Brother
- Create an environment that encourages further education in God’s way of life
- Strengthen the Church, the Body of Christ, by building bonds of brotherhood together
These guiding principles create a framework of “best practices” as we organize activities for our brethren. As we plan activities, asking how an activity supports these priorities is an important first step toward success.
God’s Way Is Fun
Let’s understand: God’s way is good. And, quite often, it really is a lot of fun. And it is important that our young people—and, indeed, all of us—see and understand this important truth. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). God’s way is the abundant life! While we need to learn this lesson all year long, the Feast does represent a very special time to see this truth all the more clearly.
But, as Mr. Gerald Weston often points out, there is much more than fun behind God’s way. God’s way supports His laws and biblical principles so that what is “fun today is fun tomorrow.” There are no regrets afterwards. The fruits are good. And activities that reflect God’s way help us prepare a little bit more for the coming Kingdom of God—which is precisely why we are at the Feast in the first place.
The Church makes judgment calls about activities that will involve all or most of those attending each site. But we must each make personal judgment calls about the individual or family activities we will plan or take part in during the Feast. We must be careful to make those judgments based on God’s word, using His Spirit and asking for His wisdom. Doing this is part of the Christian growth process (Hebrews 5:14).
The Church must be extremely careful before putting its “stamp of approval” on events involving the majority of attendees at a Feast site. So, for the remainder of this article, we’ll consider a series of questions to be asked and answered as we organize Feast activities.
Do the Activities Uphold the Values We Profess?
If we are not careful, an activity intended to uphold our Christian values may actually end up undermining those values. For instance, consider the use of alcohol. Over the years, some have misunderstood the instructions in Deuteronomy 14:26 and have therefore run into trouble. God tells us, “And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires.” Those are God’s words. But do those words mean that getting drunk at the Feast is fine? Of course not; drunkards will not inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:10).
This understanding carries over into how we plan Feast events. Must every activity include alcohol? The answer is an obvious “No.” If we are of age, enjoying alcohol in moderation at the Feast is perfectly fine—but it is not the central focus of why we are there. And we must also recognize that we live in a world where too many are tempted to overindulge in alcoholic beverages. So, in the United States, the Festival Office has set a general policy that the Church will not serve alcohol at Church-organized functions.
Consider that, from a legal and organizational perspective, those who plan an activity with alcohol are taking on the responsibility of how that alcohol is used—or potentially misused—during or even after the event. This is one reason why, when alcohol is available at a banquet or similar Feast event, it is provided by an outside vendor who is appropriately licensed to serve alcohol to those who pay the vendor directly. This puts the legal responsibility and liability in the hands of those who have been duly certified and trained for that purpose.
As in so many things, the key is moderation. The Feast gives us a foretaste of God’s Kingdom. Drunkenness will certainly not be part of God’s Kingdom—and Christ will not participate in getting His subjects drunk.
This principle applies to other aspects of the Feast, like recreational activities the Church organizes for the brethren. Some have asked why we do not organize large group “paintball” or “laser tag” events at local venues. Often, they enjoy the activity as a family and believe an organized churchwide event would be fun. The Church chooses not to sponsor or organize such activities because they would be hard to reconcile with what we are trying to picture during the Feast: a time when “nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:4). Like many choices, engaging in such activities on a private basis is a personal decision to be made within one’s own family—though, of course, we are always responsible for our attitudes and should seek to “do all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17). But when it comes to activities the Church sponsors and encourages all Feast-goers to consider attending and participating in together, weighing such considerations is a vital task Church leadership takes seriously.
Even in activities that the Church does sponsor, seeking to “do all” in Christ’s name should guide our personal choices. For example, at Feast sites that have beach activities, the Church teaches that swimwear should be modest and in good taste. We are guided by the two great commandments—to love God and love our neighbor (Matthew 22:37–39; Mark 12:29–31). Accordingly, following our Church policy, ladies’ beachwear at the Feast should be a modest one-piece or a modest tankini (covering the mid-section), and men’s beachwear should not involve Speedo-type suits (except in countries where pool facility rules require them). The Church encourages fathers and husbands to take seriously their responsibility to be leaders in their families—to teach and guide regarding what is appropriate and what is not (Ezekiel 22:26).
What about dances? Some years ago, one man running a Feast dance told me that his practice was to, about halfway through the dance, “crank up the music” so the younger people could have more fun—the livelier, louder music surely helped usher the elderly on their way out. I’m sure you can see the principles this approach breaks. Isn’t the Feast about the old and young celebrating together? If we structure our dances to chase off the elderly, how is that supporting our reason for being at the Feast? We read of the future time when “the virgin [will] rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old, together” (Jeremiah 31:13). Dances can teach valuable social graces in a fun and enjoyable way, if they are conducted in a manner that supports true values. Loud music and dim lights are not only a challenge for the elderly—they also make fellowshipping around the dance floor difficult for people of any age. Such atmospheres imitate the “club” atmosphere of the world, intended to lower inhibitions and encourage inappropriate behavior, including lewd and suggestive dance styles that are inappropriate regardless of the time, place, or atmosphere.
These are just a few examples of how the Festival Office strives to apply biblical principles in relation to group activities at the Feast. We don’t want to create a list of “thou shalts” and “thou shalt nots.” Rather, we strive to apply wisdom in judging which group activities support our goals at the Feast and which do not.
Do the Activities Unify the Body or Separate Brethren?
Another consideration regarding Feast activities is whether they are unifying or not. Some activities, such as going to a theme park, are fine when enjoyed as a family activity, or by a group of families on their own time. But is a trip to a theme park likely to be the optimal type of Church-organized activity at the Feast? Think of what usually happens when a group goes to a theme park: Before too long, the larger group splits up according to who wants to go on this ride or who wants to go to that show. You wind up spending your time not in a group activity, but with only a handful of people. That’s not really building unity and pulling the brethren together.
Instead, the focus of most of our Feast activities is to bring larger groups of people together, especially those who may not know each other. Good examples can be picnics (when weather permits them) or group gatherings in a rented “all-purpose” room where the whole congregation can move among a variety of activities in which all can share. Feast Coordinators have successfully organized game nights featuring games like bingo, bunko, or Bible charades, or fun shows where young and old can participate together. Another favorite group activity is a “progressive fellowship meal” where multiple hosts provide different courses of a meal as the guests travel from one host home to another—meeting new people each time.
Depending on the venue and the geographic location, the rising costs of goods and services can present varying challenges at the Feast. Even so, our Coordinators try very hard to keep prices reasonable to encourage as many people as possible to participate in most activities. Feast sites are often blessed with generous donations by brethren who are doing better financially. If you are in that category and would like to offer a donation so those who have less can participate, the Festival Office greatly appreciates such generosity. You can make arrangements with your Festival Coordinator, or you can even make an anonymous donation. Those who do so are making it possible for those who have less to participate in the more expensive activities.
Some activities vary among Feast sites, depending on demographic patterns of those who attend. If there are many teens or young adults at a Feast site, the Coordinator may choose to hold a mixer for them, usually early in the Feast so they can meet one another. In some cases, a Deacons/Elders Luncheon and a Seniors Luncheon are done separately, and in other cases the two events may be combined. Sometimes the Seniors Luncheon includes others who serve by performing music or by joining the seniors for conversation and fellowship. At other times, the seniors may be honored by having something special take place during another, more general group activity or banquet.
Yet, while there are some exceptions, the Festival Office tries to keep these types of activities to a minimum. If we aren’t careful, we might quickly find that nearly every activity at the Feast is for some limited, segmented demographic group in which others are not included—and woe to you if you don’t fit into any of those groups. Instead, years of experience have shown that it is much more uplifting to structure the bulk of Feast activities so as to bring the whole Church family together. God loves family, He created family, and He is making us one family. We are all preparing to bear His name, as the Apostle Paul wrote: “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named” (Ephesians 3:14–15).
So, as a general practice, Festival Coordinators try not to segment and subdivide the congregation by means of Feast activities. Instead, they strive to serve everyone well, and most of the time this means we have activities that include the whole Church family.
Are the Activities Simply “Filler?”
Our Feast Coordinators also strive to leave some “white space,” unplanned time, on the activity schedule. Doing so makes sure that our whole Feast is not taken up rushing from one activity to another, so much so that we come to the end of the Last Great Day exhausted. A little extra “down time” during the Feast gives everyone more time to be with their own families, to fellowship with those who may be at the Feast alone, and to meditate on what they are learning at the Feast.
With this in mind, we all need to be careful about committing to local attractions or excursions that may make undue demands on our time during the Feast. Some may be tempted to miss services to make it easier to enjoy a special activity in the community where we are keeping the Feast, but we should never give in to that temptation. In rare and special cases when a special activity is best shared by all, a Coordinator may move the time of services to accommodate a special need, but we must always remember that we are at the Feast to worship God first. Amusements are of secondary interest.
Years ago, I heard a talk given by Mr. Jonathan McNair on leadership—on what the responsibilities of a pastor are and are not. One concept he brought out was, “The pastor is not a cruise ship director!” The job of a pastor is not to fill the social calendar of those he serves. Yet, if we’re not careful, we can fall into thinking that our social calendar should be filled at the Feast—and that it is our Festival Coordinator’s responsibility to keep us entertained, non-stop, in order to make sure we have a great time.
Can we see how wrong that is? None of us would likely word it exactly that way, but let’s be honest with ourselves: When choosing a Feast site, how much of “What is there to do there?” enters into our thought process? No, there is nothing wrong with enjoying the surroundings and taking in the various local attractions when we attend the Feast—God wants us to celebrate! But when we stop and think about it, do we see that we might, without even recognizing it at first, be slipping into a Laodicean mindset about attending the Feast?
We are living at the end of this age—when the Laodicean spirit is predominant in the Church at large. So, it shouldn’t be surprising if many of us are affected and infected by that spirit more than we should be. To have a Laodicean mindset, when it comes to the Feast, is to be overly concerned and wrapped up in the physical aspects of our experience. Notice what Jesus Christ said:
Because you say, “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing”—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed… Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me (Revelation 3:17–20).
Are we so keen on “having a good time” at the Feast that we forget to answer the knock at the door to let Jesus Christ dine with us? Ultimately, it is He and the Father with whom we predominantly fellowship at the Feast (see Deuteronomy 14:23–26). If They are not involved in our fellowshipping, we’re going to be off-base and will leave the Feast unfulfilled, however packed our schedule might be. As the Apostle John wrote, “That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3). If we forget that—and forget the ultimate purpose of activities—we’re going to miss the whole point of being at the Feast of Tabernacles.
We go to the Feast to fulfill God’s command: “You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days, when you have gathered from your threshing floor and from your winepress…. Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to the Lord your God in the place which the Lord chooses, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands” (Deuteronomy 16:13, 15). And God has certainly blessed us immensely—by forgiving our sins, by lifting Satan’s veil of deception from our eyes, and by calling us into His Church. God has blessed us richly, beyond imagination, to have a part in His Work in the end-time and to have the destiny of being firstfruits in His Family forever.
Activities at the Feast can be “hands-on” opportunities for all members to see how God’s theoretical principles can be put to work in practical ways. Activities are also opportunities to have fun, and there’s nothing wrong with having fun within the bounds of God’s good law. Well-designed activities at the Feast give the members an opportunity to fellowship together and build bonds with others in the Body of Christ, without making anyone feel unwanted or unwelcome. And activities at the Feast can teach us that there are viable alternatives to this world’s often-destructive forms of entertainment—a lesson that is especially important for our young people, but one that the not-so-young among us need to learn, as well.
When we go to the Feast this year, let’s make sure we have the right perspective regarding group activities. Let’s understand their purpose. And let’s let them be a vehicle through which we build stronger bonds of brotherhood, learn together, and worship God as we prepare to rule in the Millennium that the Feast pictures.