INDIANA—Dozens of members of the Midwest congregations of the Philadelphia Church of God participated in fundraisers at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this summer.

The first fundraiser was on July 25. The Indianapolis congregation hosted guests coming to volunteer on the Sabbath before the race. The following morning, more than 70 volunteers gathered to help staff the Brickyard 400 nascar race, working primarily as ticket checkers.

The next fundraiser had record-breaking participation with almost 80 volunteers serving at the Moto Grand Prix motorcycle event on August 9. Some volunteers came as far away as Kansas. As the race began, weather radar showed a heavy rain system heading directly toward the Speedway. Instead of interfering with the race by raining heavily, the clouds reduced the summer heat by 10 degrees.

“Seeing God intervene for us with the weather, which He has done several times, is a real faith booster,” Regional Director Cal Culpepper said. “That’s the real payback with the Speedway weekend.”

Speedway managers specially requested the pcg group to help staff all three events for 2016.

“The welcome we received from the Speedway’s full-time staff was very impactful,” first-time volunteer Brenda Watkins said. “They remembered the pcg volunteers from the previous year and welcomed us back because they appreciated our good work. Being praised by the workers and fans made it even more enjoyable.”

The two Speedway fundraisers yielded a net total of $10,520 for the participating congregations’ activity funds.