Encounter Church will host its annual Harvest Party from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, at the Southern End Community Association's park, 299 Park Ave., Quarryville. The free community celebration will include live music and a variety of activities for children and adults to enjoy, and it will be attended by several local ministries and nonprofit organizations.

Attendees may participate in activities such as face painting, pumpkin painting and various carnival rides. Harvest Party will also feature a mechanical bull for guests to ride. Live music, offered by worship teams from Encounter Church and Wesley Church, will start at 2 p.m.

This year, Encounter Church has partnered with other local churches and community service organizations such as Wesley Church, Solid Rock Youth Ministries, new Hope Community Life Ministry, Align Life Ministries and Solanco Neighborhood Ministries to organize the event. Blessings of Hope, a nonprofit that seeks to combat food insecurity throughout Lancaster County, will give out free boxes of food to attendees of Harvest Party. There will be no requirements to receive a box of food.

This is the fifth year Encounter Church has organized Harvest Party. The community event is the brainchild of Annamarie Dixon, who has served as the church's children's ministry director for the last seven years. Dixon moved from Baltimore to Quarryville in 2016, but she became involved with community outreach a few years prior. Dixon found her calling in children's ministries after she visited Baltimore city with faith-based outreach group Convoy of Hope. "I volunteered for the kids' area, and I dressed up as a giant alligator," Dixon said. "It was one of those moments I realized what I wanted to do with my life."

Dixon and her husband decided to move to Quarryville after visiting Raeanne Nixon, Dixon's close friend and the executive director of Solid Rock Youth Ministries. Dixon became an active member of Encounter Church, and she served as a volunteer for one year before the church offered her a position as the children's ministry director. "When I became director, the Harvest Party was the first thing I wanted to do," said Dixon. "I wanted to let the town know that we believe they're important and offer a fun day for the community."

The first Harvest Party was a small gathering that Encounter Church hosted on its own, but the event has steadily grown to include new activities and partnerships with several local organizations. "The Lord keeps growing it, and more and more people are catching the vision," Dixon said.

Encounter Church will continue its community outreach efforts on Thursday, Oct. 31, when it will set up stations throughout Quarryville to offer hot chocolate, goodie bags, Bibles and craft activities to trick-or-treaters.

For more information about Encounter Church, visit https://encounterchurchpa.churchcenter.com.