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MORE THAN A BOX On December 8
near Love Field, more than 1,000 people will gather together to pack approximately 10,000 boxes with non-perishable food items. Those 10,000 boxes will then travel – via ministry partners and church friends—throughout Dallas and beyond to bless families. Welcome to the 11th year of Boxes of Blessing.
Then you wait with anticipation. What will it be like to have lots of hands moving you through the packing and taping lines? At the end of the line you will be stacked on pallets with 39 other boxes and moved by forklift to the storage area. What will that be like? What is your destination? Packing Day, December 8, starts as early as 7:00 a.m. for some. Line leaders begin arriving at 8:00 a.m. to receive instructions and set up the registration, craft, and snack areas. The smell of hot coffee and donuts tickles noses with tantalizing smells. Others are busy organizing crafts which include Christmas cards to be written; yes, you will be packed
• Konrad Phillip Wenzel, son of Matt & Ashley Wenzel (CC#22) on November 10, 2018.
sympathies • Cile Crouch (CC#13) on the loss of her father; Bert & Haylie Crouch (CC#08) on the loss of his grandfather; Caitlyn, Hadden, & Connor Crouch (CC#08) on the loss of their great-grandfather, Moulton Farrar, on October 12, 2018.
At 9:00 a.m., the excitement ramps up, as volunteers position themselves on Lines 1 and 2—moms and dads, brothers and sisters, friends and neighbors, packers of all ages. Eventually five lines will work like a well-oiled machine, moving you and your fellow boxes down the lines, all 10,000 of you.
Packing Day Saturday, December 8 9:00 a.m.—12:30 p.m. BCW Warehouse 6100 Cedar Springs NO RSVP
During the next week, BCW employees prepare the warehouse floor for Packing Day. Workers strategically position countless pallets of food on the warehouse floor flanking the five packing lines, two of which are designated for families with young children. This is the most wonderful time of the year; however, rather than “Angels We Have Heard on High” or “Silver Bells”, you hear the cacophony of warehouse activity heralding preparations for Packing Day.
births
with crafts, Christmas cards, and a New Testament Bible as well as food.
Now imagine you are a box that will contain much-needed food to feed a family during the Advent season; you will hold items that can sustain a family of Boxes of Blessing four for a week during the holidays. In preparation for packing, dozens of volunteers from North Dallas High School, two Boy Scout troops and diaconate families will gather at the B C Williams (BCW) warehouse. They will lift you off a pallet and tape you, making you ready to hold a variety of approximately 41 food items. Once taped on the bottom, you are stacked in tall columns and ‘warehoused’ waiting for the big day.
OUR FAMILY
From strategically positioned pallets of food, volunteers pick up jars of peanut butter, cans of fruits and veggies, and much more. A child may pick up a box of granola bars, moon pies, or ramen from a nearby pallet and place it inside your cardboard walls. A mom or dad reaches for flour, corn meal, rice, or pasta, all of which are staples that always have a home in each box.
By the end of the line, more than 40 food items have found their way into each box. When you reach this point, able-bodied young men — tape gun in hand—seal you up and load you onto a pallet. In short order a forklift picks your pallet up and moves you to a staging area where you wait to be loaded into a big truck or other vehicle, either that day or during the week of December 10. You are distributed to more than 35 recipient groups in the Dallas metroplex and will eventually arrive at the home of a family that needs the blessing and hope you carry. You may be given away at a Christmas event/store or hand-delivered individually; ultimately you remind God’s people that they ARE His beloved children. You realize that you are more than a box—you are a blessing during this season of giving just as God gave His Son at Christmas time. Go and be that blessing. **If you are interested in participating in the Packing Day or the next step of the distribution chain after the Boxes of Blessing Packing Day, please contact Charlotte Medley at charlotte.medley@pcpc.org. We have several partners hosting events the following week of December 10–14, and they would love to share those opportunities with you.
• Reg & Melony Combs (CC#04) on the loss of his brother; Josh & Caleb Combs (CC#04) on the loss of their uncle, David Combs, on November 2, 2018. • Slayden & Carol Diehl (CC#08) on the loss of his brother-in-law, Miles M. McInnis, on November 7, 2018. • Guang & Zhibai Lu (Out-oftown members) on the loss of his father; Mengen & Meng Yue Lu (Out-of-town members) on the loss of their grandfather, Shanmim Lu, on November 8, 2018.
YOUNG FAMILIES WAITING FOR THE KING: ADVENT CELEBRATION FOR CHILDREN
PCPC Children's Ministry invites you to celebrate the Advent season as a family! On Sunday, December 2, 4:30—6:30 p.m. we will host an evening of fellowship, fun, and worship geared for the whole family. We will have a special, family-friendly interactive service in the Sanctuary, starting at 4:30 p.m. The service is followed by dinner at 5:15 p.m., fellowship and crafts in the Fellowship Hall. Dinner is at no-cost to families. Please register online. austin.ariail@pcpc.org or 214-224-2502
Care Clusters – pcpc.org/care/care-clusters/ GENERAL FUND
budget
2018/2019 operating budget
$13,500,000
July 1—November 11, 2018 budget
$3,734,793
July 1—November 11, 2018 giving
$3,491,297
Budget variance
($243,496)
POP & PLAY, SHARE & PRAY
Join us for a time of fellowship and play at PCPC on Monday, December 10, 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m., Fellowship Hall. Bounce houses will be set up for children ages toddler to 4-year old’s to come and play while parents have time to fellowship. Please park behind the Shops of Highland Park and enter in through the Wycliff door or Wycliff ramp. No RSVP needed, and we encourage you to invite friends to join this come-and-go event. childrensministry@pcpc.org or 214-224-2556
ADVENT SONG & STORY
Join us on Friday, December 14, 10:00—11:00 a.m., Room 104/106, for a special Song and Story! We will sing songs, celebrate Christ’s birth and lunch will be served at no cost; friends and families are welcome to join too! Please park behind the Shops of Highland Park and enter in through the Wycliff door or Wycliff ramp. If you and your family would like to attend, please register online. childrensministry@pcpc.org or 214-224-2556 11/16/18 1:08 PM
2018/2019 operating budget Weekly Average Needed (52 weeks)
$13,500,000 $259,615