Hanukkah begins at sundown tonight, and the Galleria is prepared. The first candle on the mall’s menorah will be lit at 5 p.m. by Rabbi Mendel Dubrawsky of Chabad of Dallas. Meyer Denn, director of the Center for Jewish Education, will read an interactive children’s story, and Dubrawsky’s son Zelmen will then lead guests in a short song session. The festivities will be capped with a round of kosher snacks.

Candles will be lit at the same time for the next seven nights on the Galleria’s first level, near the guest reception center.

Despite being a bar mitzvahed agnostic, I’m a fan of church marquees. Messages like “Honk if you love Jesus, text if you want to meet him” always make me smile while driving. But this is the first one I’ve seen that calls out another church’s pastor by name. For those not aware, the sign outside Midway Hills Christian Church is referencing Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church of Dallas.

That’s the question Rev. Owen Ross hopes to answer when he speaks at Northaven United Methodist Church as part of the Faith Voices For Justice series. Ross, a pastor at Christ’s Foundry United Methodist Church in Dallas, will share his stories and observations from working with a Spanish-speaking congregation that includes many immigrants.

WHAT: Owen Rosee presents, WWJD: “Who Would Jesus Deport? ”

WHEN: Oct. 4, 7 to 8:45 p.m.

WHERE: Northaven United Methodist Church, 11211 Preston Road

Hillcrest Church has officially moved out of its sprawling 16-acre campus, and mega-church Prestonwood Baptist is preparing for the first “Prayer & Praise” gathering 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The church will officially be open for business on Sunday, Aug. 21 at 11 a.m., but in the meantime pastor Chris Kouba is holding weekly meetings to discuss all things related to the Dallas campus. If you’d like to be in the know, e-mail Jane Steadman (jsteadman@prestonwood.org) for periodic updates.

The 16-acre campus at Hillcrest Road and Willow Lane has attracted the interest of Prestonwood Baptist Church. The mega-church is hoping to put a second satellite campus in Dallas to attract more members in a congregation that is already 30,000 strong. Both churches announced the news during Sunday services.

We are working on in-depth coverage of this development for our April 1 edition of Preston Hollow People. If you’re a resident of the Hillcrest Forest Neighborhood, or a member of either congregation, we’d love to hear your reaction. E-mail claire@peoplenewspapers.com

We’re kicking off this weekend with a fancy new logo, so things are already looking up. Everybody knows office activity reaches an all-time low after lunch on Friday. But there will be plenty of energy at the Teachers vs. Students Franklin Middle School basketball game at 2 p.m. Tickets are $3 and will benefit the school’s athletic programs. If your Friday night dates are in need of some variety, spice things up with an evening of ballroom dancing at Northaven United Methodist Church. Couples only, sorry singletons. The fun starts at 7 p.m.

On Saturday, bring the family to NorthPark Center for an afternoon of entertainment. An Alice in Wonderland inspired fashion show in NorthCourt starts things off at 11:30 a.m., followed by Carmen Marco Valvo signing her book Dressed to Perfection at 1 p.m. at Neiman Marcus. Finally, catch a performance of “The Professor Brainius Show” at 2 p.m. at NorthCourt.

While the rest of the weekend has been fun and games, on Sunday there’s a chance you could save a little girl’s life. One-year-old Ayelet Galena is battling a rare bone marrow disorder and is need of a transplant. Find out if you could be a match by registering at Congregation Shaare Tefilla between 9 a.m. and noon. At this stage in the process, all that’s needed is a simple cheek swab. Donors must be between the ages of 18 and 60.

Congregation Shaare Tefilla sent out an e-mail today announcing a breach in the eruv that overlaps with Preston Hollow. The fishing line that encloses 4 square miles bounded by Northaven, the Tollway, LBJ, and Hillcrest is down.

While this may not mean much, if anything, to the Gentile reader, it’s a pretty big deal for the Kosher crowd. When the line’s up, the area is religiously recognized as private property, which allows members of the Modern Orthodox synagogue to do things like carry keys and push a stroller to the Friday evening Shabbat service. This evening, Shabbat goers will have no such privileges. An excerpt from the e-mail:

The following restrictions are in place this Shabbat:

• One may not carry any item into a public domain (essentially out of the enclosed area of a private residence or shul). This includes keys, books, reading glasses, talit bags, extra shoes, etc. *Make sure to drop off your talit bags before Shabbat!*
• One may not push a stroller or carry an infant in a carrier.

Please note that simply attaching an item (for example, a key) to ones clothing does not make it permissable to carry such an item. In order for an item to be considered a “single piece of clothing”, it must be designed to have either a functional or decorative purpose.

Congregation Shaare Tefilla is fielding calls at the shul office (972-661-0127) to assist those who may have trouble meeting these guidelines.

Saint Michael and All Angel’s Episcopal Church is hosting a grief seminar that will meet every Thursday through March 3. Last week’s Preston Hollow Planner incorrectly listed the time as 6:30 p.m. The seminar is from noon to 1:30 p.m. Contact the Rev. Patty Willett pwillett@saintmichael.org for more information.

On the eve of Christmas eve, what’s a girl to do? Not a whole heck of a lot, apparently. Although I did scrape and find a few events to tide you over until the big show on Christmas morn. Tonight, Lovers Lane United Methodist Church is hosting “Everybody’s Christmas” service and dinner at 7 p.m. I assume we are all invited. On Friday, if the kiddos haven’t already been shipped out to the JCC, then send ‘em off to Town North YMCA, where childcare is available from 7:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The steeple to the the new Providence Presbyterian Church is shadowed in the late afternoon sun.

Providence Presbyterian Church is working on the finishing touches for its new campus at Midway Road and Royal Lane. Crews have yet to erect the building’s steeple, but pastor David Rea is hoping to have the place in working order for Christmas Eve services. The church, which has been meeting at Franklin Middle School for five years, has an official opening on Sunday, Jan. 9.