The members of Jerusalem Church believe in giving "Glory to God." That's the message cut into a corn maze located at the church, 1620 Newport Road, Manheim. For the seventh time, a team of church members designed and created the maze, and people are invited to explore paths through the cornstalks as part of the church's Disguise & Prize event. The event will be held on Saturday, Oct. 8, from 1 to 4 p.m. The rain date will be Sunday, Oct. 9.

"It's a simple maze, but it's fun. We give out a map and an aerial photo for people to use as a guide, and they can use those tools if they want to, or they can navigate the maze on their own," explained Angie Havice, coordinator of the event. She noted that although the maze contains several dead ends, encountering one isn't a setback. "Everyone will get a prize at the start and at the finish of the maze, and there are six dead-end stations throughout the maze, where someone will be stationed to give out a prize to collect," she said.

Throughout the church's parking lot, decorated cars will be set up, with families giving out small prizes as well. Havice noted that the church originally held a carnival-style event in the parking lot before the creation of the corn maze, and that activity eventually morphed into the Disguise & Prize event.

"Creating the corn maze really opened the doors to creativity for people who wanted to decorate their car," she noted. "Everyone who decorates a car comes up with a theme and then tries to have an activity that goes with that theme, something that will be more interactive than just getting candy." In the past, she noted, a car with a Hawaiian theme featured a limbo game, while a car with a construction theme was accompanied by a pebble-filled sandbox game.

"We try to make the stations varied in activities that would appeal to kids from toddler age up through elementary school-age kids," Havice noted, "but really, this is for the whole family. There's something for everyone to enjoy." Previous years have included more than 10 decorated cars and stations, she said, adding, "It's really amazing how creative people can get."

Children are encouraged to come in "disguise," or costume, but it is not required, Havice emphasized. "Come as you are," she said. "Some people come in really elaborate costumes, while other people come in no disguise at all, but everyone enjoys the activities."

She noted that Jerusalem Church holds the annual event as a way to connect with the community and to provide a fun family outing. "We want to communicate through this event that we care about families," Havice remarked. "This is something we can do that is unique, and it's something that's been appreciated by the community. We've always had a good turnout, and people tend to stay for a while. This is a safe, no-cost event. Our church wants to cultivate strong families, and the way to do that is to spend time together as a family."

For more information on the event, including weather updates, search for "Jerusalem Church" on Facebook. For more information on the church, visit http://www.jerusalemchurch.net.