HELP NEEDED AT BUILDING
We’re counting down the weeks before we’re in our new building. Every volunteer makes a difference in not only our timeline but in the lives of people we hope to reach! The next couple of weeks are crucial for volunteers! If you receive Trail Notes via email, you receive the Building Volunteer Update that launches early in the week stating specific days, times, and projects that volunteers are needed for. This information can also be accessed through our website.

GIFT CARDS FOR THANKSGIVING -
PTCC is participating in Frisco Family Service’s Thanksgiving Meal Program in which boxes are filled with food and distributed to area families in need. Our approach is to donate gift cards from Target and Tom Thumb for the perishable items (milk, butter, eggs, and turkey). For more information, please visit the table in the information table on Nov. 5, 12, and 19.

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!

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!

Holidays, Holy Days

Believe it or not, “holiday” used to be “holy day.” It meant any day that the church set aside as holy to God and worthy of special recognition. Today we think of “holiday” as any day that we don’t have to go to work or to school. Not exactly the same thing …

As Christ-followers we believe that many holidays are still holy days. Think about Thanksgiving – even though it is a civic holiday (not a religious one) we realize that there is something very holy about giving gratitude to God for his good gifts. And when we recall that His greatest gift was the life of His perfect and holy son for the sins of imperfect and unholy people like you and me, then thanksgiving becomes a holy act of worship.

In light of God’s great gift of Jesus, not to mention His many good and perfect gifts of family and friends and health and work and a free country, there’s a host of reasons to make Thanksgiving a holy day this year.

How can you do that? How can you transform the typical Thanksgiving holiday into special holy days? Here are four ideas that will add depth (not breadth!) to your experience:

• Celebrate God’s “indescribable gift” of Jesus in our service of Holy Communion this Sunday November 19. We will break the bread and drink the cup during the morning service. There’s no better way to begin the upcoming holy days than to claim anew the meaning of Christ’s suffering on our behalf.
• Do something good for another person. Not sure where to begin? Then consider buying a gift card at Target or Tom Thumb to participate with our church (and Frisco Family Services) in making Thanksgiving meals available to those who won’t have one otherwise. Just bring the card with you this Sunday and turn it in at the local missions table in the lobby. Your good deed will be a holy act of unselfish love.
• Before or after the Thanksgiving meal, take time to share around the table why you’re thankful at this point in your life. Try to avoid being shallow: “I’m thankful for my family and friends. Amen.” Instead, seek to share what you’re grateful to God for on a deeper level – for example, specific qualities in each family member that you’re thankful for, specific blessings at work or school, even the trials you’re experiencing and how God is helping you to trust Him in the midst of them. Do this around your table, and I promise you will be on holy ground.
• Pray that we will enter our new building as a people fully devoted to Jesus Christ and his purposes for PTCC. To help focus your prayers on this topic, join us for “30 Days of Prayer” during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Each day from November 26 through December 25 you will receive a “30 Days” email message that will ask you to pray for one particular thing that day. Everyone will receive the same prayer need daily, so we will experience the power of a praying church. I believe God will use this time of focused prayer to unleash blessings from heaven on north Texas through Preston Trail Community Church.

Those are four ways to transform the upcoming holidays into true holy days. May God meet you this Thanksgiving in a wonderful way.

With anticipation,

Paul Basden, senior pastor

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.