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.

With the arctic blast headed our way in the next couple of days, you’re likely to bundle up in your pajamas a little early this weekend. This should in no way inhibit your Friday night plans, as Barnes & Noble at Lincoln Park is hosting a holiday story time and pajama party at 7 p.m.

If you’re looking for something a touch fancier, The Hollow’s own George W. Bush is speaking at the Hilton Anatole as part of Trinity Christian Academy’s annual fundraiser. Before taking the stage at 7:30 p.m. for a keynote speech on servant leadership, Bush is hosting a private reception at 6:30 p.m. for special guests. For those who can’t get tickets, there will be a spillover room at the Hilton projecting the speech in real time.

That might sound like enough excitement for one weekend, but wait, there’s more. On Saturday, head over to Parish Episcopal between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m . and watch more than 200 student robots battle it out at the First Lego League Regional Robotics Qualifier. Finish off your weekend with a dose of Christmas cheer.  Sunday at 3 p.m., Lovers Lane United Methodist Church will perform a concert entitled “Messiah.”

With Thanksgiving in the rear-view mirror, you are now free to devote all your spare time, energy, and finances to Christmas. Get in the spirit of the season with holiday gifts, music, and food at the 17th annual Jesuit Christmas Bazaar on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The kiddos can sit on Santa’s lap until 2 p.m. For more info, click here.

If Hanukkah is more your style, don’t miss Congregation Shearith Israel’s evening of “laughter and music” with Kinky Friedman and local musicians, Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $100 (including food but not drinky drinks) and will benefit the Dallas Jewish Historical Society.

For a little Yin to your holiday Yang, head over to Barnes & Noble Lincoln Park for Ron Franscell’s signing of The Crime Buff’s Guide to Outlaw Texas at noon on Sunday. After participating in the lawlessness, repent at the Advent and Christmas Concert at St. Monica Catholic Church at 7:30 p.m.

Nothing will. Congregation Shaare Tefilla sent the link out in its weekly newsletter. I may or may not have listened to this a half dozen times already. All the while maintaining maximum productivity, of course.