Fall Fest

Salem United Methodist Church is hosting its Fall Fest on Sunday, October 18, at its Mid-County Site, 1200 S. Lindbergh Blvd. in St. Louis. It's a free family outing run by the congregation's Men's Ministry, the Holy Smokers, and it's built as a community gathering where families spend the afternoon outdoors together.

The day starts with a worship service at 11 AM, and from noon to 2 PM the focus shifts to lunch and activities. The Holy Smokers handle the barbecue, putting out hamburgers, hot dogs and sides. Once you've eaten, the rest of the afternoon is for the kids: inflatables, yard games, hay rides, a photo booth and snow cones. Children are encouraged to come in Halloween costumes, so it's a good excuse to get the costumes out a bit early.

Salem United is a United Methodist congregation with two sites in St. Louis, a Thursday Dinner Church, and a children's ministry, Kids Connect, for infants through fifth grade, with bi-weekly student groups for sixth through twelfth graders. The church describes its approach as following John Wesley's line: "in essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity."

It's free and open to the public, so you don't need to be a member to drop in. The worship service is at 11 AM, and the lunch and activities run from noon to 2 PM at the Mid-County Site, 1200 S. Lindbergh Blvd.