The idea for All Saints Museum didn’t come in a single instant. It was born from several events over multiple years that has developed with time.
Nevertheless, there is one critical moment that stands out above most others.
About 10 years ago my children were much younger, and I was coaching one of their recreational soccer teams. It was fall-time, and I thought it would be a great team experience if I held a Halloween Party for the kids and their families – but not just any Halloween Party… I wanted to convert my garage into a haunted house! I got to work with the plans, drawing up sketches, taking measurements, putting together ideas. With few funds, little materials, but a whole lot of creativity, the 20 x 20 garage space was turned into a wonderland of amusement. There were steps and stairs, a slide down into a bottom-less pit illusion, with a house of mirrors, an electric chair, and doorways to nowhere. We had pneumatic lines to add spooky puffs of air in unsuspecting places, and strobe lights, candles, with motion detectors and black lights to add special effects. My brother-in-law is a tech expert, and he helped put together all the pneumatics, infrared cameras, electric chair prop, with a computer and TV monitors so that the parents could see what was going on from outside! The parents were blown away by the haunted house. And needless to say, those kids still talk about it to this day. It was a-maze-ing!
I learned some things from this experience. I learned that kids minds are already a land-mine of imagination ready to explode at the slightest trigger. It only takes a little bit of mystery, some seeds of anticipation, and some hints of expectation, and the kids eyes are wide and their hearts pounding They love adventure and the unknown – some more than others of course.
I also learned that God was speaking to my heart in all of this. I had built things before, like the deck I built in my first house, among other diy projects. I love rolling up my sleeves, getting my hands dirty, and creating things. We are, as you know, made in the image and likeness of God – who is the Supreme Creator. So, naturally it is in us to want to make stuff. I was blessed by my father, who taught me how to use tools. He taught me the honor and joy in hard work.
But it wasn’t until this haunted house that I understood how such gifts, when stewarded properly, can really and truly bring people together and put smiles on children’s faces. I saw this and I felt like there was a holy market for such entertainment and joy…