HELP NEEDED AT BUILDING
We’re counting down the weeks before we’re in our new building. Every volunteer will make a difference in not only our timeline but in the lives of people we hope to reach! Volunteers are needed this week on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights from 6:00 – 9:00 PM, and Saturday from 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM. Work projects include, but are not limited to, cleaning, painting, sanding the floor, and a variety of installations. We’d be grateful for any help you can give!

Women’s “Green Thumb” Day - Interested in helping us plant flowers and landscaping at our new building? Help is needed on Saturday, October 28 from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Any ladies willing to join us are welcome! Meet us at the building (½ mile east of Preston on Main Street) with gloves and garden spades!

MINISTRY FAIR: NEXT WEEK!
As we go through our series Living Beyond Myself, many of you are starting to realize
where you can plug in. You can signup for your team and find out more details at our upcoming Ministry Fair on Sunday, November 5th. After our services, we will feature all the serving teams in the AMC lobby. Stop by, signup and learn more about how your gifts will be put into use.

WOMEN’S CHRISTMAS BRUNCH & MARKET
Does all the busyness of the upcoming holiday season leave you somewhat frazzled
and frustrated at times? Do you miss out on the true meaning of Christmas? Well, this year’s theme, How Our Culture Stole Christmas, will help bring back your focus! In addition to a motivating talk, our brunch will feature Christmas music, a warm breakfast (including green eggs and ham), a special drama, door prizes and shopping
immediately following. What a great way to spend the weekend before Christmas
- sharing times with friends and getting back into the spirit! Tickets will be $15.00 each and will go on sale in November before and after our Sunday services. This year’s market will also feature 25 vendors. If you have a business you would like to market, consider being a market vendor and pick up a form after service today!

Serving Team Conference Interested in joining a serving team? Already on a serving team? Then this is for you! Mark your calendars for the Serving Team Conference on November 11 from 9:00AM - Noon at the PTCC building. Join us for food, training, and tons of fun! Stay tuned for more info!

Partnership - Take the next step in your commitment to PTCC by becoming a partner, our membership program. Partnership can be achieved by completing a bible study on our core values, the 5Gs of Grace, Growth, Groups, Gifts and Good Stewardship. You can do this on your own by downloading the guide here on our website or by attending our next partnership class on Sunday, September 23rd 9AM - 12 PM at the home of JD Tomlin.

Online Giving
Make your life simpler by automating your giving. Follow the easy directions at www.prestontrail.org to setup for debit or credit card for regular giving and dream big donations. All transactions are secure and will appear on your regular statement.

Life Groups
Sign up at the Information Table or email info@prestontrail.org and get involved in a group!

Big dates!

Remember those?  Maybe it was your first car date, the school dance, or the Senior Prom.  How did you feel?  Anxious?  Excited?  Nervous?  While you await that big date, lots of preparation, especially for girls, has to take place.  If these emotions were not enough, you also had to live with the fear that a big zit might pick this time to make an unfortunate appearance and ruin the whole experience. 

Well, we feel all those emotions and more right now as a church as the date of moving into our new facilities gets closer.  We’ve got some big preparation dates coming up as well as our first Sundays in the new building.  And, just like the real dating thing, we might have a big bump come up (not getting our Certificate of Occupancy from the city) that would put a damper on all the festivities.  In spite of that, though, we are going full speed ahead!

So that you can put them on your calendar and make them a priority in your personal schedules, I wanted to list for you the crucial dates ahead for us:

Preparation Dates:

Ministry Fair--Sunday, November 5th

On this Sunday, after Worship we will give everyone the opportunity to designate their area of service as we move into the new building.  All the Serving Teams will have tables with representatives available to fill you in on what is involved in being a member of their team.

Serving Team Conference—Saturday, November 11th, 9:00-Noon at the building

This conference is a big-time priority for all Serving Team members.  It will be a dynamic time of motivation and training as we walk all of our teams through their tasks in their new homes.  For example, Parking Team members will get the lay of the land outside, while Preschool Leaders will get to see their new rooms, and Guest Services Team members will be sizing up their information center space.  Attendance at this conference will go a long way in making our Grand Opening a huge success.

Open House—Sunday, December 10th, 4:00-6:00 pm at the building

This will be our church’s first time to see the completed building.  It will be a guided tour through all of our ministry areas.  Because our budget has been limited in the areas of furnishings and equipment, we are going to make it possible for you to help out by sponsoring individual pieces while you are on your tour.  We’ll have a laptop available and we will be able to link up to Target, IKEA, and other sites so we can order online the remaining furnishings and equipment needed.            

Move In Dates!

We are tentatively scheduling these dates for our planning purposes.  If all goes as scheduled we should have our CO from the city in time.  Please note the first two listings are Preston Trail family events only.  We want to do a few “soft openings” in order to get used to our building before we have our Grand Opening. 

Christmas Eve Services—Sunday, December 24th at 4:00 & 6:00 pm at the building!

We want Christmas Eve to be a PTCC family affair (out of town family welcome).  We will gather in a spirit of humble gratitude and celebration for the gift of the Christ child and for God’s incredible guidance and provision in bringing us to our new home.  This will be one of the most powerful and memorable services in our short journey together.  Childcare (birth through pre-K) will be available.

“Soft Sunday”—January 7th at 9:00 & 10:30 am

Again we want to be low key on this day.  We will still be learning to park cars efficiently, operate our new children’s check-in system, and work out the kinks in our sound and lighting system.  As you know we have a strong commitment to excellence and before we open our doors to the community we want to have our act together!

“Recognition Sunday”—January 14th at 9:00 & 10:30

One of the miracles of Preston Trail has been how God has brought so many people into our lives to help make this new facility available to us--volunteers, contractors, financial supporters, and consultants to name just a few.  We feel compelled to invite these people to our services on this day and be recognized and thanked by our church family.  We never want to forget how God wove a tapestry of individuals and companies together to make everything possible. 

“Grand Opening Sunday”—January 21st at 9:00 & 10:30

The day we’ve been waiting and praying for!  We will open the doors of our new facility to our whole community.  Be thinking and praying now about the people God would have you to invite on this special day.  We’ll begin a new message series and blow it our creatively that morning.  Whatever you do, don’t come alone and don’t miss this one!

As you can see, we’ve got some unbelievable days ahead.  And remember, while we are so grateful to have our new building, it is not the end.  It is only a means to an end.  The end, or goal of our church, is to help people find and follow Jesus.  At the end of the day that is all that matters, all that fills the heart of God!

Expectantly,

Jim

Read previous Trail Notes here

Click here for more information on Dream Big!

Chapter 2
Join us WEEKLY on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 PM, for a deeper service of biblical teaching, looking into the Life of Jesus. Led by our senior pastors, this will be a meaningful time of prayer, worship and teaching. 7:00 pm AMC Theatre.

LISTEN! Preston Trail Podcast
Sermons now available online! In keeping up with the times, all PTCC Worship Sermons are available for downloading on our website. So, if you missed a service, go here and take a listen.
You will have the option of downloading and listening to them on your computer or even subscribe here (or press the iTunes image on the right) to have them come to your computer automatically each time one is added - then play them on your computer or your iPod.