June is strawberry season in Lancaster County, and Rissers Mennonite Church will celebrate with a strawberry social. The event will be held at the church, 8360 Elizabethtown Road, Elizabethtown, beginning at 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 12.

"We'll have lawn games and kids' activities like a pinata and bean bag toss, and we'll have our playground open for kids to play on," said Arlene Heistand, chair of the social committee. "We'll serve a light supper, and then we'll have a variety of strawberry desserts."

The social will also include two demonstrations, one on growing strawberries and one on making strawberry jelly.

This is the first year the church is holding the strawberry social, said pastor Daryl Heistand, although the congregation has organized other community events in the past, including an apple festival.

"We thought we'd try something new this year," he noted. "We planned it to happen just as strawberries are in peak season."

He emphasized that the demonstrations will be informative and educational. "We have people in our congregation who are avid gardeners, horticulturists really, and they will be doing a detailed demonstration of how to grow strawberries, including covering different varieties and cultivars," he explained. "Many of the women in our church also make homemade jelly, so we thought it would be neat to do a demo about that as well. Not everybody has somebody in their family who makes jam or who has experience with making it, so this will be an opportunity to see how it's done."

The strawberry social offers a chance to enjoy tasty treats and socialize, said Arlene. "It's a great opportunity for people who have been cooped up inside to get out and enjoy an evening outside," she stated.

Daryl agreed, adding, "It's a chance to meet friends and have fun. You can play the games and enjoy the activities, or you can just sit around, eat and talk. It will be a very laid-back, easygoing event."

He said events like the strawberry social are important to the church members, who want to connect with their neighbors.

"It's a time for the community to come out and get to know us," he explained. "We care about the people around us, and we want to encourage being friendly and working together. The more we know each other as a community, the better our community becomes."

Rissers Mennonite Church holds services on Sundays beginning at 9 a.m. with Sunday school for adults and children, followed by worship time at 10 a.m. For more information, call 717-653-4549.