Seattle Unity Church Picnic 2009

What happens when the sky opens and the rain pours down in buckets just when you are getting set up for the yearly church picnic at Denney Park?

At Seattle Unity the volunteers, under the leadership of Jeannie Strawn and Rymii Kiao, recreated all the features of the successful picnics of past years by moving the activities indoors. They set up the barbeques in the NW stairwell with a fan to try to keep the smoke out of the Fellowship Hall. They set up tables in the Fellowship Hall and arranged the food and drink stations so people could quickly serve themselves.

The Uniteens and YOUers, who’d planned to lead water balloon games, offer face painting and set up other games outdoors at the park, adapted their plans as well. The water balloons were put away but the face painting fun was setup in their classroom and it was busy with children getting rainbows, flowers, spiders and other colorful images on their faces, arms and hands. They handed out bottles of bubble solution that had been generously donated by a Chaplain. They set up games in an adjacent classroom. Wherever they were there was happy, healthy, positive energy.

The Fellowship Hall buzzed with conversation and laughter. The Uniteens were busy working together on their games and face painting. The younger children kept safe and dry as they ate with their parents and visited the Uniteens for a little decoration or fun.

The drumming and spiritual dancing was set up in the Chapel and I’m sure the room rocked with dynamic energy from that.

I liked having the picnic in the Fellowship Hall. It felt intimate and comfortable. I think more people were able to connect with each other. And I liked that the kids of all ages were moving around and having their fun in a welcoming cocoon of adult acceptance. When the sky opens up with rain, this community opens up to picnicing fun and fellowship with one another.