Last fall, we were approached by my college roommate with an offer that would uproot our family and require us to move to the western part of Virginia and a small town called Waynesboro. Jay and I have known each other for 15 years and have grown really close. We would talk monthly about business, parenting, and life. We clicked well and always have. I have been working at the Chick-fil-A on Roxboro Road for seven and a half years, and Jay has been with me through this whole journey. When he offered us the job in Virginia, my wife Jenn and I were honored and immediately began thinking about what it would take to get us there. How much could he pay us to move? What kind of benefits could he offer? Would this be a platform to move on to pursue something greater in the Chick-fil-A world? Would Jenn be able to stay home? We asked so many questions.

When we decided that this move could actually happen, we took an overnight trip to Waynesboro to hang out with Jay and his family. We realized really quickly that Waynesboro was missing a critical piece of life for us: community. If there was going to be one reason we didn’t move, this was it.

About two weeks after we got back from Waynesboro, we were scheduled to attend the parent commissioning orientation at Summit Kids. We were stoked to be able to publicly commit to raising our daughter Annabelle in a godly home and invite family to be a part of it. As we were going through the orientation, I was in awe of how much effort and intentionality would be invested in our daughter while she is part of Summit Kids. Going through the Bible four times by the time she is in 4^th grade? Really? Also, the statistics of how much of an impact Annabelle’s peers would have on her as she grows in Christ were mind blowing.

Then I reflected on the last time I was thinking of moving away from the area back in 2009 to go to UNC Charlotte. That’s when Jonathan Welch, who is on staff at the Summit, challenged me and asked me, “Matt, what if God has called you to the church he wants you to be a part of, not a particular school?”

As we left the parent commissioning orientation, I realized the one question we weren’t asking ourselves about our move was, “What if God has called us to a certain church and not a certain job?” Community was the one thing Waynesboro was lacking, but it was the one thing we needed the most.

Summit Kids has impacted our decision of where we live, and we are bought into those leading it and the vision behind it. We will continue to call the Summit our home church.

By Matt Rice