In the Beginning (1993-1996)
When we were first married, Russ & I enjoyed taking drives to “Nowhere” on the weekends. For this young lieutenant family (living on meager 1LT pay), we found our excursions were not only cheap entertainment but a good way to get the feel for a new city as well! As we meandered through Columbus, Georgia, on a Saturday afternoon in 1994, a new construction caught our eye. Somewhat of a novelty at the time, the yet to be opened coffee shop, with its sleek interior and beautifully landscaped patio area, intrigued us both. Feeding into our growing desire to one day have a business of our own borne out of a vision toward the future, we spent the next few months investigating ways to shape this abstract idea – the idea of merging something we truly enjoyed (having meaningful conversations with friends over piping hot cups o’ java) with earning a living – into reality. However, after significant time in the Word and prayer…and a realistic evaluation of our financial resources… we concluded that the coffee shop idea was not what God intended for us. (Seemed like the concept might catch on, though!) Even so, our desire to work together, to build some type of business that would involve people, a life-long endeavor which we would not only enjoy but also pass on to our children, that desire remained.
Meanwhile, we opened our home to a group of young adults from our church who would meet for fellowship and Bible study over the next year a half. As we spent time together and one-on-one with these spirited, inquisitive, tireless young singles, we began to experience and enjoy what we now refer to as “community”. Their hunger for spiritual growth served to fan the flames of our own desire to mature in Christ, and community became a thriving environment for development. The Word and people were central to our lives, even from those early years. As God began to equip us for and point us to the mission of making disciples, He reinforced the value of building intentional relationships in which He was the focal point. This was only the beginning…
