OHIO—Around 100 Philadelphia Church of God members from Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Michigan gathered for the annual Midwest family picnic on August 14 at Armco Park in Lebanon, Ohio.

The event began with a heavy downpour, which most attendees rode out under the pavilion. Many of the children were unfazed by the rain, however, and took the chance to splash in the surrounding puddles.

“The downpour we started with only brought us closer together and made the day more memorable,” member Leah Witt said.

Just after the meal began, the clouds parted and gave way to a sunshiny afternoon. Following lunch, the Flory family of the Cincinnati-Dayton, Ohio, congregation kept up their yearly tradition of treating attendees to six flavors of homemade ice cream.

Afterward, Cincinnati-Dayton members Keith and Amy Watts organized a series of children’s games, including relay races and a water balloon toss. The children also used the nearby playground and tried their hands at tennis, using rackets and balls furnished by local members.