Growing up attending Palmetto Christian Academy and being involved at East Cooper, Matthew Bartlett heard the gospel at an early age. From the time he joined PCA in the second grade, he wrestled with knowing the gospel, but not fully finding his identity in Jesus. "I found my identity in my athletic and academic performance. I mostly looked to sports to find joy." When his parents divorced while he was in middle school, Matthew struggled with anger and looked even more to sports as a source of happiness. It was not until high school that Matthew understood that knowing about the gospel and knowing Jesus personally were very different things.

Throughout his time at PCA, Matthew observed the lives of faithful teachers and coaches, who intentionally lived for Christ and desired to disciple students. He also was involved in the student ministries at East Cooper, where Danny Beech and Van Barnhill consistently spent time and shared the gospel with him. It was through this that he began to understand what living for Jesus truly meant.

While in middle school, Matthew met Coach Matt Manning, a PCA teacher and coach. Coach Manning joined the PCA staff in 2013 as he felt God calling him to be an influence in the lives of students. "It's really hard to do. I think it's hard with students because you don't know if it is making a difference. Ultimately, it's the Lord who will compel them to endure and walk faithfully and I've seen enough fruit here and there along the way to know I am not laboring in vain."

Through watching Coach Manning's life, Matthew saw that following Jesus was not about how well he performed. Matthew reflected, "It can be hard to separate school from the gospel. PCA is intentional about sharing the gospel with students, but as a student, it can be difficult to not make the gospel academic." He saw something different in the lives of his student ministry leaders and coaches. "These guys were not doing it for academic purposes. They were sacrificing their time outside of school to show what a life following Christ looks like." During his sophomore year of high school, Matthew understood that because his sin separated him from God, he needed a Savior. He surrendered his life to Jesus and looked to the godly men in his life as examples for how to walk by faith and follow Christ.

Matthew recently graduated from Clemson University and returned to Mount Pleasant where he became a member at East Cooper. "It is cool to see how the people who discipled me in middle and high school are now serving as pastors and leaders at East Cooper. They helped me grow throughout school and now I get to see how the Lord is growing them."

In February of 2023, Matthew moved to Peru, where he serves as a missionary with Campus Outreach, laboring with a team on college campuses in Lima. "God has called me somewhere and it may feel hard now, but He stretches us so that we can rely on Him. He is fighting for my attention and causing me to lean on Him alone through this." Coach Manning continues to serve as a coach and teacher at PCA, where he desires to love and disciple students. Throughout the last few years, he has found joy in watching Matthew's life transform as he seeks to follow Jesus obediently from high school to college to campuses in Peru. "You don't know what someone is intaking and observing when they are young, in middle school or high school. But in some cases, I get to look back and say, I was watching the process of you becoming a believer in Jesus and maybe in the moment I didn't realize it. Hopefully that is encouraging to people. It's an encouragement to me," Coach Manning shared.