Limeville United Methodist Church (UMC) will offer an afternoon of family fun at its annual Kid Carnival on Saturday, Sept. 11, from 4 to 6 p.m. Activities will include face painting, sand art, children's games and a puppet show.

All events will take place outdoors in a grassy area behind the church, and there will be no charge for any of the activities. "We will have a bounce house, a barrel train ride and seven carnival-type games," said church member Rachael Woodring, a member of the carnival's organizing committee. Congregation members will also present a puppet show at 4:30 and 5:30 p.m.

Woodring noted that since the event is outdoors, no masks will be required. In addition, all children must be accompanied by an adult.

"We will have a big prize table that the kids can choose from, and there will be prize bags to go, so every kid will go home with a goodie bag," said Woodring. Information about the church and its services and outreach activities will be included in the bag.

Food items will also be offered. "Everyone will get a hot dog, a baked good, a snow cone, popcorn and cotton candy," Woodring explained, noting that additional quantities of food can be purchased.

The carnival is just one community outreach offered by Limeville UMC. It also holds an annual Christmas program for families "Santa comes in and talks about the real reason for Christmas, and there are baked goods, ornament-making, crafts and the puppet show," said Woodring. The church also presents an annual Easter egg hunt.

The programs are not church fundraisers; the activities are held to serve local families and introduce them to the church. "It's an outreach to the community to get people involved in our church and to spread God's Word," Woodring said.

The Sunday service at Limeville UMC is held at 10:15 a.m. Sunday school is offered prior to the service at 9 a.m. All services are livestreamed on Facebook.

The church also offers a "Blessings" store, which offers free clothing to people in need. The store is open by appointment only.

The church recently renovated its Sunday school wing, where it will begin to offer support groups in the fall, as well as chair yoga.

Limeville UMC is located at 5783 Limeville Road, Gap. For more information about the church, call 717-442-4010 or visit http://www.facebook.com/LimevilleUMC or http://www.limevillechurch.org. To learn more about the carnival, contact Woodring at rwoodring15@yahoo.com or visit the Facebook page, click on "Events" and choose "Kids Carnival at Limeville."