As our cab pulled up to the curb, Julie and I noticed a rather large family preparing to head into the Atlanta airport. Upon closer examination, I recognized the patriarch of the group and, to my surprise, he recognized me as well.
“Samford University?” he asked, and we found ourselves in a conversation with Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A. During our brief interaction, he celebrated our newlywed status, gave me a little cash to spend on Julie, and ushered us through security as though we were part of his family, offering everyone we passed a free chicken sandwich and a stuffed cow. The entire event probably only lasted twenty minutes, but we’ve never forgotten how special Mr. Cathy made us feel.
This week, I had the privilege of attending the Host Rally for Winshape Camps, another idea birthed from the hearts of Truett and Jeanette Cathy.
If you haven’t heard, FBI – with the help of our incredible friends from Hoover Middle School and Chick-fil-A Merritt Island gets to be a host site for this incredible experience, July 31 – August 4. More about that in the days ahead!
The two-day rally was like drinking from a fire hydrant… I’m very much still processing the amount of information as well as the size of our to-do list. I came home both encouraged and challenged.
Winshape began as an overflow of the Cathys’ hearts for disciple-making, specifically focusing on young boys and girls, introducing them to the Gospel early in life SO THAT their most formative years might be invested in becoming like Christ.
Did you know Mr. Cathy led a small group of middle school boys for the vast majority of his adult life? As a matter of fact, Winshape started as a camping trip he would lead with those boys and their parents. Don’t miss that last paragraph. The founder and CEO of Chick-fil-A, a multi-million-dollar corporation, led a small group of middle school boys for the vast majority of his adult life. Truett and Jeanette Cathy took the Great Commission seriously and their legacy continues, not just through Chick-fil-A and Winshape, but the countless lives they impacted, small group after small group.
And I’m guessing if Mr. Cathy were with us today, he’d simply tell us it was his pleasure.