2012 PTP Information

Dates

August 17-23, 2012

Location and Airports

The nearest commercial airport is McGhee-Tyson, Knoxville, TN (approximately 30 miles from Sevierville). It services Allegiant, American, Comair, Continental, Delta, Northwest, United, and U.S. Airways with 120 daily flights. There is no direct shuttle from the airport to Sevierville, but there are car rental and taxi services at the airport 865-970-2773. If flying, also check rates flying into Atlanta (4 hours away), Nashville (3.5 hours), and Chattanooga (2 hours). Some will find it most economical to fly into Atlanta and rent a car.

Meals

Both the Wilderness Hotel restaurant and Events Center Food Court serve breakfast. Nothing is planned for lunch and dinner, but most will eat together at area restaurants.

Cost

There is an admission fee for attending PTP. Why a Fee?

10 Ways to Cut Costs at PTP

Pre-Registration (with online confirmation) (Read discounts below for early-bird and other options).
$185 per adult. Includes parking, weekend, and all other PTP sessions and tracks.
$100 per teen. (Ages 13-18 free with paid parent/guardian)Teens stay for the whole week at no additional charge!
12 and under free with paid parent/guardian.

Registration and payment must be post-marked by August 1. PTP is using an online preregistration system this year. If you are not using a credit card, we must receive your payment by August 5. If we do not receive payment by August 5, then you will need to pay the on-site registration fee at the will call table at the event.

A confirmation with a barcode will be e-mailed to you. If you do not receive it, you may pick it up at the Will Call table at event.

Childcare: $50 per family. Childcare is optional but if you want to take advantage of it is for children ages 2-5 who are potty-trained. The fee is $50 regardless of how many children you have or how many days you use it.

Discounts
All registrations receive free parking at the Events Center (a $30 savings).
EARLY BIRD: $175 (adult)/$100 (teen). Must receive payment by June 29, 2012.
FIRST-TIMERS: First time ever to attend PTP: $125 (adult)/100 (teen). This discount is only available at preregistration (online until August 1).
WEEKEND ONLY:  Spiritual Renewal Weekend: $125 (adult)/100 (teen). Expanded program!
ONE DAY PASS: $100
WIDOWS (60 and over): $25
STUDENT/MISSIONARY: Widows 60 and over, full-time, on-campus undergraduate/preacher school students, international attendees, and foreign missionaries (must live outside U.S. at least 6 months a year): $25

Cancelations
Refunds available if canceled by August 1, 2012 (minus $25 cancelation fee).
After August 1, no refunds, but you may use amount to purchase audios or apply the amount to PTP 2013.

Jacksonville church of Christ
Polishing the Pulpit
P.O. Box 520
Jacksonville, AL 36265

Scholarship Information:
For those wishing to apply for scholarships, you can read the preliminary infomration here, and apply for the scholarship through the regular registration process. We will do our best to get you an answer within five business days.

Vendor Information:
As in years past, we will have vendor space available. Please read the vendor policies for more complete information.

Other Questions

Is registration required if I am only coming for one day? Yes, a day pass is available ($100). Registration information is required even if you are coming on scholarship or if you plan only to attend a few sessions.

What is the usual dress for the sessions? Dress/casual. Most men wear ties or pullover shirts to the day/night sessions. Ladies wear dresses or pant suits. Suits and dresses are usual for worship services. The elders request conservative modesty rules be observed throughout PTP. Please no skirts above the knee, no shorts, and no tops that show cleavage. The rooms are often cool, so bring a sweater or jacket.

Is applause appropriate after speeches? No (but “amens” are encouraged!)

May I record the sessions? No, audio and video recording are not allowed.

Is transportation provided to church services? This is a friendly group, and many are driving vans with extra space, so let someone know if you need a ride. Note that there is a Wednesday night session at the Events Center.

Do you have to be a preacher or elder to attend? No. There are also classes for all church members, deacons, youth workers, women, teens, and kids. Anyone is welcome to attend.

May ladies attend men's sessions? Yes. While there are women's classes throughout the day, women may attend men's sessions.

May men attend ladies' sessions? No. (1 Timothy 2:12–13).

Must I stay in one track? No, provided there is room, one may cross over tracks.

Will transportation be provided from the airport? No, there is no shuttle, but there are taxi service and car rental options.

What about the waterpark at the Wilderness Hotel? Some are concerned, understandably, about the hotel waterpark. The situation is similar to other hotels we have used that had pools, bars, or in-room movie options that were not appropriate for Christians.

All of the directors and overseeing elders are strongly opposed to mixed swimming and are taking steps to avoid this being a distraction to our attendees. We asked the hotel to let us rent the entire facility and close the waterpark. This was not possible, so we encourage all attendees NOT to use the waterpark because of the Bible's teaching on modesty (1 Timothy 2:9), our responsibility to avoid being a stumbling block to others (Romans 14:13), and our need to avoid putting ourselves in the path of temptation (Matthew 5:28; 6:13). We do not believe that this will prove to be much of an issue because we have reserved 95 percent of the hotel's rooms, and the waterpark is not open to the public (only guests of the hotel).

Will babysitting be provided? Yes, during most of the women's sessions. The charge is $50 for the week (regardless of how many sessions you use it or how many children you have). Children must be potty-trained and between the ages of 2 and 6.

May I take my child under 2 into sessions? Yes. We ask that a parent take a child out immediately if he/she cries or makes noise. We will give you a FREE CD of any session you must leave. Stop by CD table to request a voucher.

There is NO CONVENTION-WIDE PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT SYSTEM, so please accompany all small children at all times.

What are the locations of exhibits, sessions, etc? PTP sessions will be held in two places: the Events Center Conference area and the Hotel Meeting rooms. These are within easy walking distance of each other. The locations for each track are listed in the schedule. (Note that the Events Center has both Ballrooms and Meeting Rooms.)

Is there anything for children and teens? We have a full slate of classes and activities for children, ages 2–18. We provide childcare for potty-trained children ages 2–5, with some classes for ages 4–5. Ages 6–9 enjoy PTP VBS, which is a combination of classes and fun activities. Ages 10–12 participate in PTP Camp which is a little more advanced and gives them optional opportunities to prepare lessons for devotionals (boys) and Bible classes (girls). Teens have a wide-array of classes, devotionals, singing, and social activities.

Is parking free? Yes, parking at the Events Center is now included in your registration fee.

Do I have to stay at the Wilderness at the Smokies Hotel? No, you are not required to stay at the Wilderness at the Smokies Hotel if you wish to attend PTP. We try to negotiate discounted prices for other area hotels. Check out our lodging alternatives.  Remember to mention PTP for your discounted rate.  

May we arrive early or stay over? The hotel discount is good for two days before and after the event, so feel free to relax before or after PTP. Exhibitors can begin setting up at the Events Center at noon on Friday.

Will I have wireless Internet access? Internet access is free at the Wilderness Hotel and most area hotels. We will set up designated areas in the Event Center for Internet access.

Why change fees? PTP was out of the red last year, so we were able to lower the price this year. 

May I make an announcement to the group? No, but there is a message board in the registration area. There is no convention-wide public address system (parents should accompany small children when not in class).

Worship services

Worship services will be held at three area congregations throughout the area, and Seymore church of Christ will have services at the Events Center. Look at the printed schedule and this page for more info.

Sermon Swap Information

1. How many sermons do I need to send in?
We ask that everyone who wishes to participate sends in five sermon outlines and five devotion thoughts.

2. What are 2012's topics?
This year's suggested themes are Discipleship, Holiness of God, The Compassion of Jesus, Sermons from the Epistles, The Non-Conversions in the Biographies, A Sermon for Widows, Prayer, and PowerPoint Sermons. Of course, you are not limited to these topics.

3. What formats are available to be used?
Microsoft Word, Microsoft Works, Microsoft PowerPoint and Adobe PDFs are all accepted. If you are unable to use these programs, if you'll send your sermons via E-mail, we will convert them for you.

4. Help! My PowerPoint is too large to E-mail! How do I E-mail a file that's larger than 5 mb?
PowerPoint presentations can get large quickly due to images inside the presentation. If you are struggling with this problem, the easiest way to get past this hurdle is to split the file into smaller portions and E-mail them separately. Just be sure to name your files in an easy format for us to put them back together. If you have problems with this, send an E-mail to wes@housetohouse.com and he will walk you through it.

5. Who do I need to send the sermons to?
You can submit your sermons to wes@housetohouse.com.

6. Anything else?
When you submit your sermons, be sure to include your full name somewhere in the E-mail or in a file. If you have any other questions, send an E-mail to wes@housetohouse.com and he can help you.