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Maybe that's why everything I read today was "gloom and doom". So, I decided to deviate just a little and talk about one of the biggest churches in the United States, which is Prestonwood Baptist Church of Plano; and my family's place of worship, present company excluded, since I am not of the Baptist faith.
I have, however, visited here with my family for various reasons over the years.
Prestonwood Baptist Church, in Plano, Texas, is one of the largest megachurches in North America and one of America's 50 Most Influential Churches according to a 2007 survey of church leaders. The Plano campus covers an area of 140 acres (0.219 sq mi; 0.567 km2), and includes a 7,000-seat worship center, a school offering Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12, a fitness center, a sports stadium, sports fields, a large cafe, a library, and two bookstores. In 2006, the church expanded to include a second "North" campus of nearly 128 acres (0.200 sq mi; 0.518 km2) in Prosper, Texas. In 2011 the church again expanding adding a "Dallas" campus near LBJ Freeway and Hillcrest.
This is the lower level of the sanctuary, which actually reminds one more of a movie theater than a church.  There's a mezzanine above this and a third tier above that. The website states that this mega facility has 24,000 members.
It employs 40 full time employees( not including the teachers at its private academy), conducting three services weekly-- one on Saturday evening and two on Sunday.
The church and its affiliated private school, Preston Christian Academy(PCA) where Bailey attended school her first four years and where she and Kenzie will again be enrolled this fall, encompasses one square mile. One person stated that when she saw it being built some years ago that she thought at first it was going to be a mall.
The elementary and middle school students are housed in the red brick building attached to main building on the right while the high school (9-12),is in the red brick building between the church and the baseball field.
In spite of tuition ranging on a graduated scale from over $4000 per year for kindergarten to nearly $17,000 per year for high schoolers, plus a $1000 per student admission fee, the school is always full. In addition, students must take a four-hour entrance test before admission.Â
(The girls have taken and passed theirs already).  In fact, that is why they went to public school last year....there were no slots to take more students. They have been on a waiting list to be re-admitted.
Nonetheless, graduation from PCA gives a student a leg up in his selection for admission to colleges, including all the Ivy League institutions. Graduates from PCA have been admitted to and graduated from over 140 universities over the years.Â
One final note: the sanctuary is so huge that the church constructed a separate chapel for weddings, which is just to the right of the main building entrance.
Needless to say, this church has received its share of criticism over the years. One person stated that it was not a place of worship; that it was a business and did not deserve its tax-free status.
Another called it "Six Flags Over Jesus". It is still worth seeing. If you come to Dallas, the campus is located on the western edge of Plano on Park.
That's it for this Friday! See you next week.
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