Matt,

I spent most of my halcyon days at Mack and Mancos. Which makes me wonder how you could say that Ocean City, NJ isn't a strategic location. It's got a Ferris Wheel AND a fried Snickers bar stand. Take that, halls of Congress! The Mongols knew it, the Romans knew it, the Spanish Armada knew it... first you take the pizza parlors, then you take the society.

On a more serious note, when we decided to come out to the County of Loudoun (or the CoL as the kids call it) to plant a church, three things in particular drew me: it is the fastest growing county in America, there have been TONS of new churches out here, but relatively few churches that are founded on exegetical preaching, and there is a large immigrant population (which fit my personal ministry passions and enables world evangelization at home).

I'm not sure if those things would fit other locations, but they made this one ideal for us.

Enjoy the dark green water and the fried foods. The McKinleys are planning a week at OC after Labor Day (not all of us can afford the peak prices... maybe someday I'll be the executive director of something so that I can live the Schmucker life).

m