Hearts will be warmed by fellowship and tummies will be warmed by comfort food when Ruhl's United Methodist Church holds a potpie dinner. The dinner will take place on Saturday, Oct. 23, at the church, located at 4810 Elizabethtown Road, Manheim. Dinner will be available from 4 to 7 p.m. or until sold out.

"It's going to be a sit-down dinner in our fellowship hall," said Gail Ruhl, who is a coordinator of the church's Mission Outreach Team. "We will also have meals available to go if people want to do that, or they can purchase potpie in quart containers to take home."

Along with potpie, the meal will include green beans, coleslaw, applesauce, a homemade dessert and a beverage. There are separate prices for adults and for children. Children age 5 and under may eat for free.

Proceeds from the dinner will support a mission trip that church members will take in June of 2022. "We are still planning the destination," Ruhl noted, adding that they are looking for destinations that may need extra volunteers due to devastation from extreme weather events. "We're definitely going. We're just not sure where yet."

Ruhl and her husband have been the coordinators of the Mission Outreach Team for 13 years. Over the years, they have taken multigenerational groups throughout much of the United States. "We've gone as far out as Oklahoma, and the farthest south we've gone is Lumberton, North Carolina," she remarked. "We've been to Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky and Maryland." The group was unable to take a trip in 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic.

Ruhl said the potpie dinner provides the church not only with an opportunity to serve good food, but also with the chance to connect with the community.

"We make really great potpie," she stated. "Just come and enjoy the food, visit with friends and family, socialize and enjoy the fellowship. You can talk to people at our church about the church or inquire about our mission trips. It's a very family-oriented dinner. We love when families come and bring their kiddos. It's a nice, relaxing atmosphere."

For more information on the dinner, visit https://ruhlschurch.org or call the church at 717-665-3400. Ruhl noted that any changes or updates determined by changing CDC guidelines will be posted on the website.