Preface

By Rob Peabody, Cofounder and president of VOMO 

It was March 2008. I was sitting in the mayor’s office of our city when a conversation took place that would change the course of the rest of my life.

I was a 26-year-old fresh out of seminary who had been tasked to plant the newest campus of our megachurch, quite literally learning on the job. He was the mayor of one of the largest suburbs in Dallas. I asked him that day, “What are the biggest needs in our community?” His response shook me. He replied, “I’ve never been asked that by a pastor before. … Did you know there are Title 1 schools just two miles from your church?” Showing my age and lack of experience beyond my bubble, I responded, “What’s a Title 1 school?” I had no clue about our proximity to a community where a strong majority of the families enrolled were recipients of some sort of public aid.