Local Missions: Cover Dallas With Love
Cover Dallas With Love, Prestoncrest’s Urban Mission effort, began in 2007. As a growing network of team members and local partnerships, Dallas is being served in the name of Jesus.
The focus of “Cover Dallas” continues to evolve as we reach out to those dealing with challenges such as homelessness, addiction, mental health, natural disasters, incarceration, divorce, and grief... just to name a few. Additional efforts include providing great workshops for pre-marriage preparation, better communication, and unity among Dallas' diverse cultures. These examples are just a few of the many ways we love and serve our community.
Serving with the CDWL Team
All ages and life stages are welcome! Some volunteer their time, some donate items, and others provide financial support. Each is essential! Teammates work alongside our partner organizations to bless, love, and serve as needs arise year 'round. Opportunities are always on the horizon as God opens doors. Find out more by contacting the church office at 972.233.2392 or emailing Gary Cochran.
Community Outreach
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Packs And Pencils
School Supplies for Grades K-6
This annual event not only provides free backpacks & school supplies for 450 students in our community, K-6, it also offers a fun day as each family joins us to pick up their supplies and select a backpack. Registration happens each year in late March on a Wednesday, and all students must be registered by a parent that attends the event in person. It begins in the morning, and ends when we have registered 450 students. (No registration is available online, via phone, or email - it must be done in person.) Giveaway day is then held in early August on a Saturday for all who pre-registered ahead of time. Volunteers from our congregation are always welcomed on the day before "Giveaway Day" as we set up and sort out all the supplies and backpacks to prepare them for pickup. To find out more about the dates and times for each year's registration, contact the church office: 972-233-2392.
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Men's Prison Ministry
I was in prison and you came to visit... Matt 25:36
Four Sundays per year, 5-8 men serve at Huntsville from 11:30am - 3pm, and work with the local minister, Freddie Anderson, to provide a worship service and a Bible lesson. Lessons generally cover various topics, but overall are very specific about something the inmates can use and apply to their lives. The goal is to help and support Freddie and encourage the inmates. But each that serve in this ministry will attest to the fact that Freddie and the inmates always encourage and bless them even more, as well. To serve with this ministry, applications must be submitted ahead of time to Huntsville for clearance, so be sure to reach out to the church office for more information. (Be sure to note that women are not allowed to participate with this ministry, as it is a Men's prison facility and is the rule at Huntsville that all volunteers are men.) "I was in prison and you came to visit... Whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for Me. ~ Matthew 25:36&40, pp". For additional information, visit www.prestoncrest.org/prison
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Safe Conversations
When connecting happens, communicating is possible.
Safe Conversations Workshops teach easy-to-use, effective ways to communicate better and heal relationships. This workshop is provided free of charge at Prestoncrest, usually twice a year in the spring and fall. Developrers Drs. Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt are the creators behind this workshop that has been endorsed around the globe (even by Oprah!). The Prestoncrest workshop is led by a panel of Licensed Professional Counselors. Volunteers from our church and community work behind the scenes and host the event. Breakfast and lunch are provided free, and RSVPs are required to attend. This event is held from 9a-3p on a Saturday and is advertised to the community. Most all that attend are first-time guests from the community, making this an important outreach event. Guests learn great information while they experience the love of Jesus through our volunteer team.
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Annual Food Drive
Helping Feed Those In Need
This local outreach event involves our entire congregation each year in November near Thanksgiving. Our church family receives a shopping bag and list to fulfill and drop off at the church building, and the church provides a turkey, as well! The ingredients are all centered around helping a family have all they need to make a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Families in the area register ahead of time at the church building. Participants are usually families from 2 of our local elementary schools (Withers Elementary & Adams Elementary), as well as Bachman Lake Together and The Richardson ISD Family Place. Over 200 families register every year! Volunteers are also needed to help with registration, turkey pickup, and giveaway day. Click below to find out more about plugging in to this ministry!
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"Share The Joy" Toy Drive
Blessing Families at Christmas
Prestoncrest is committed to helping families at Christmas by providing toys, clothing, and other items for children in need during the holidays. Families include those at at nearby schools in our neighborhood, as well as refugee families that from Wallace Elementary School in Lake Highlands. We have 250-300 families each year enroll in this event, giving us 800-1200 children each year to shop for! Children fill out a "wish list" as well as providing clothing and shoe sizes for us to provide fun toys, as well as necessities, for each of them. This outreach/benevolence project is supported by our entire congregation each year in December. Volunteers are always needed to shop, as well as help with delivery and giveaway days. To find out more about how to serve with this outreach program, click below!
What does "Covering Dallas With Love" look like?
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Healthy Relationships + Racial Diversity
Dallas Dinner Table at Prestoncrest
In 2015, Prestoncrest was introduced to the Dallas Dinner Table organization and their unique approach toward racial differences. Over a meal, 8 people of various ages, races, and demographics come together with a trained facilitator and participate in guided, positive conversations as they seek understanding, healing, and harmony. Prestoncrest offered to host for 8 tables for their annual events in January each year on MLK Day. In 2020, Prestoncrest brought in DDT trainers to work with 40 volunteers. After training, these volunteers have been hosting and facilitating their own dinner table events as opportunities arise, and are excited to see how they open minds and hearts, and where they lead. At the center of this effort is Jesus and his teaching about loving our neighbors as ourselves. We look forward to the growth of this avenue of ministry. To find out more and become part of this ministry, contact Gary Cochran at the church office.
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Mental Health & Addiction Recovery
Supporting Those That Care For Others
Many professionals that serve in mental health and addiction recovery go above and beyond the call of duty daily. They encourage others, but who encourages them? Prestoncrest's CDWL minister, Gary Cochran, is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC-S) himself and has helped us partner with 2 great groups that provide this type of encouragement. The Dallas Chapter of the Texas Assoc. of Addiction Professionals (TAAP) and the Dallas Area Spiritual Care (DASC) Network both provide collaboration, peer and professional support, and opportunities to serve, and many of the members in each group proclaim faith as the center of their work. Gary serves on each of their Board of Directors and provides insights and blessings to each group through his experience and Christian leadership. Prestoncrest also supports them by hosting their monthly meetings. To find out more about these groups, contact Gary Cochran at the church office.
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Serving the Homeless Community
And Supporting those Who Serve Them
Special events, emergency support, and leadership support all work together to minister to our homeless neighbors. Each November, a traditional Thanksgiving meal is cooked and served by our ministers, staff, and volunteers. It is served, in the names of Jesus, to the staff and homeless friends in downtown Dallas with a local organization that serves the homeless year 'round. The annual Point-In-Time Homeless Count happens each January, organized by the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance. Prestoncrest provides a number of teams to serve with the heart of Jesus. Emergency needs also happen often, and Gary Cochran, along with key volunteers, help meet needs in the name of Jesus. The Dallas County Homeless Advisory Committee is also served as Gary Cochran co-chairs and helps develop and implement best practices alongside other Dallas community leaders and officials. To offer to serve in this area, click below!
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Serving Needy Families at Christmas
“Treasures of Hope” Christmas Store
This Christmas Store happens each year at the Plaza of the Americas in downtown Dallas for 3 days in December. The 15th floor of the building is decorated and features Christmas music, the story of Jesus, and a meal in a warm “walk around” experience. A "store" with deeply-discounted items is available for families to come shop for gifts and necessities. This has become an important avenue of CDWL's service to Dallas’ needy families at Christmastime. This event is organized by our partners at the Dallas Leadership Foundation, a local Christian non-profit organization, and they extend their great appreciation each year for Prestoncrest's volunteers that serve at the store and share the love of Jesus to those less fortunate in Dallas. To find out more about the Dallas Leadership Foundation and the Treasures of Hope store, visit www.dlftx.org/treasures-of-hope. To serve here with the Prestoncrest volunteer team, click below...