Some places take years to feel like home.
For the Bartels family, Senoia did not take nearly that long.
When Kevin and Kari made the move from Texas four years ago, they also stepped into a new season of life. Their daughters, Tori and Macy, remained in Texas as they continued building their own futures, with Macy now married to son-in-law Colby. What could have felt like a season of distance instead became one of growth, faith, and new beginnings for the entire family.
Arriving in Senoia, the Bartels did more than relocate—they stepped into the rhythm of a town that values connection, kindness, and community. The church bells ringing on the hour, neighbors greeting one another by name, evenings downtown, and a pace of life that invites people to slow down and know each other quickly became part of their story.
Today, though still relatively new by small-town standards, the Bartels family feels woven into the fabric of Senoia. You may see Kari working at the Welcome Center, helping visitors discover what makes this community special. Other times, Kevin and Kari can be found sharing a meal with friends at local favorites like Nic & Norman's, Borgo Italia or the new Crust and Craft. Weekday evenings might mean life group, pickleball, or time spent with neighbors who have become like family.
They did not simply move here.
They embraced here.
When Momentum Meets Real Life
Like many couples, Kevin and Kari's story has included seasons of challenge. Marriage, careers, health struggles, transitions, and the ordinary weight of life can test even strong foundations. Kevin shared that years of lingering back pain from a car accident had at one point affected many areas of life, including relationships. Frustration and unanswered prayers created difficult seasons, including anger toward God and the strain that pain can bring into a home.
But instead of drifting apart, they chose to rebuild with intention.
That journey led them to Re|Engage, a 14-week marriage ministry originally created by Watermark Community Church. The program shifts the focus away from changing your spouse and toward becoming a better spouse yourself. By providing a safe confidential environment, Re|Engage meets couples struggling, broken or just wanting to grow closer relationally. At the center of it all is the belief that healthy horizontal relationships begin with a healthy vertical relationship with God. The main goal of the ministry is not primarily to save couples from divorce, but rather to align hearts with God's plan for our lives impacting all relationships, including marriages. Centered on a core principle of "stay in your own hoop," it teaches how we can only control what's in your "hoop" and allowing God to do his work in others outside of our hoop.
For the Bartels family, it became a turning point.
A second surgery eventually brought physical relief. Healing came in layers—spiritually, emotionally, and practically. And through it all, they gained a deeper perspective: just because an answer has not come yet does not mean God is not still working.
Now, what once helped restore their own marriage is becoming something they can offer others. In the coming months, Kevin and Kari will help lead a local pilot of Re|Engage at ONE Church in Fayetteville, using their story to serve couples who may be struggling, healing, or simply wanting to strengthen what they already have.
That is what momentum often looks like.
Not perfection.
Progress.
Life in the Fast Lane—and the Slow Lane
Kevin's career in business development with RAS Systems helped bring the family to Georgia, but work was only the vehicle that got them here.
Purpose is what rooted them.
Outside the office, Kevin channels his competitive side through wheel-to-wheel road racing. He began with autocross before progressing to track days and endurance racing. He currently competes in WRL and Champ Car, where teams of drivers rotate through demanding stretches that require focus, discipline, and trust. It is a hobby built on speed and adrenaline.
Kari balances that energy with warmth and hospitality, helping others feel welcomed in the same town their family came to love.
Together, they also share a love of travel, with family ties to Texas, time spent in Florida, and adventures that have taken them abroad to Europe. Yet among all the places life has taken them, Senoia has become one of their favorites.
A Family Still Moving Forward
Their daughter Tori Bartels serves through StuMo, a ministry focused on discipling college students and helping lead them to Christ. Like many missionaries, she relies on the generosity of donors and supporters who believe in the work she is doing.
Their daughter Macy is beginning her master's program on the path to becoming a Physician Assistant, while she and Colby begin their own exciting season of married life. They also lead a life group at their local church in Ft. Worth, TX.
Though miles may separate them, the Bartels family remains closely connected and proud of the paths each member is pursuing.
What Their Story Says About Senoia
In many ways, the Bartels family represents something true about this town:
You do not have to be born here to belong here.
Community is built through presence. Through service. Through resilience. Through showing up for others again and again.
The Bartels family came to Senoia four years ago.
What they found was home.
And what they continue to build is momentum—through faith, through family, and through a life fully embraced.