When it comes to the agenda for the community picnic hosted by Ruhl's Church, one word sums it up.

"Simply put, we hold this yearly event because it is fun. It is fun for those who attend and fun for those who help make it such a success year after year," said Gail Ruhl, community picnic committee member. "Many people who help and attend can remember when they were very young and came to the annual picnic with their families. It was, and is, an event that is looked forward to. Without the annual community picnic, something would be missing from our usual summer schedule of events."

The Ruhl's Church annual Community Picnic at the Grove will be held on Saturday, July 18. It will start at 9 a.m. with takeout chicken corn soup, pies, cake and other homemade desserts available for purchase, and it will conclude at 2 p.m. or when all food items are sold out.

The picnic will be held at the church's grove, 2766 Newport Road, Manheim.

"Not only will there be an opportunity to take home some of our famous chicken corn soup - bring your own containers or buy it by the quart - but you can stay awhile and taste some of the other lunch items from our menu," Ruhl said. "We will be serving soup, hot dogs, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot sausage sandwiches, homemade desserts, hand-dipped ice cream and assorted beverages."

Although the star of the show is the food, that's not the only reason to attend the old-fashioned picnic, she noted.

"Our church picnic grove has a wonderful play area for children to enjoy and is equipped with swings, slides and lots of space to run," Ruhl shared, noting that the event is very family friendly. "Beautiful shade trees to sit and relax under, plenty of picnic tables outside and tables inside the building as well provide a great place to sit and talk with old friends and make some new friends too."

The picnic is a low-key opportunity for fun and friendship, Ruhl said.

"Our hope is that attendees would feel welcomed and at home when they come to the picnic," she added. "We try hard to create a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere for folks to gather and fellowship together. This informal gathering is also another way for attendees to get to know us better and to see what our church is all about."

While the picnic is just one day, it takes a lot of advance preparation to pull off a successful event, Ruhl said.

"I often think of the classic proverb 'many hands make light work' when talking about our church's community picnic," she explained. "It takes lots of effort, a willing group of people and teamwork."

A cleanup crew begins preparing the site for cooking and for the event during the week leading up to the picnic. Deliveries are made to the grove throughout the week, and as the picnic date approaches, the men of the church come out early to cook the chicken that will later be deboned by a group of volunteers.

"This year we will be cooking and deboning nearly 600 pounds of chicken to make 13 large kettles of chicken corn soup following our church's unique recipe that has been perfected over many years," Ruhl said. "We are actually making an extra kettle of soup this year, because we sold out early last year and don't want to run out again."

On the day of the picnic, volunteers begin very early in the morning to get ready for the day and wait for the crowd to arrive.

"People come early with their own containers to take home the soup we have prepared," Ruhl said. "It is satisfying to see so many happy and familiar faces year after year. All the planning and hard work that goes into this event is certainly worth it. We are glad to serve the community in this way."

Ruhl's Church will host grove services on Sundays at 7 p.m. from July 12 through Aug. 16. Each service will be followed by an ice cream social. Speakers for the services will be the Timlin family, Rev. Brian Albert, Rev. Alan Smith, Rev. John Longmire, Rev. Rick Rimert and Seth Achey.

"Every service starts off with a hymn sing and includes inspiring Bible-based messages that feed the soul," Ruhl commented.

Additionally, vacation Bible school will take place from Monday, July 20, through Thursday, July 23, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

"This year's theme is 'PandaMania: Where God Is Wild About You!'" Ruhl said. "Children 4 years old through fourth grade are welcome to join the fun. Each evening will have a featured Bible verse. Activities include praiseworthy music, Bible adventures where children experience God's word, fun-filled games, awesome crafts and a yummy take-home snack."

There is plenty of parking at the picnic site. For more information about the picnic or other church events, call the church office at 717-665-3400 or visit http://www.ruhlschurch.org.