Tuesday, May 10, 2011

"Jacob's Well"

I guess I'm just gonna blog about once a year, May 10th apparently just happens to be that day! We're starting a new ministry within our youth ministry called "Jacob's Well" Coffee House.

So, what is Jacob's Well all about?

I love the story from Scripture of Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well. After the Samaritan woman arrived to draw water, Jesus (a Jew) asked her for a drink.

“The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, ‘You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?’ Jesus replied, ‘If you only knew the gift God has for you and who I am, you would ask me and I would give you living water.’ ‘But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,’ she said, ‘and this is a very deep well. Where would you get this living water? And besides, are you greater than our ancestor Jacob who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his cattle enjoyed?’ Jesus replied, ‘People soon become thirsty again after drinking this water. But the water I give them takes away thirst altogether. It becomes a perpetual spring within them, giving them eternal life.’ ‘Please, sir,’ the woman said, ‘give me some of that water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to haul water.’” (John 4:9-15 NLT)

The Samaritan woman goes to the well looking to quench her thirst but runs into Jesus and ends up having her entire life changed, leaving the well with living water!

“Jacob’s Well” offers a cozy place for junior high and high school students to gather weekly. Open mic music, tables with board/card games, pool, ping-pong, and couches to sit around and drink coffee or smoothies characterize the coffee house mood. It’s a place to leave your worries at the door and enjoy stress-free hours with friends. Our hope for “Jacob’s Well” is that students will come to quench their physical or social thirst and have an encounter with Jesus Christ that will allow them to leave with living water!

But wait… there’s more! Our hope is that “Jacob’s Well” will expand our church’s ability to minister to others in our community. We hope to be able to establish a collegiate ministry using “Jacob’s Well,” open it up to young adults, allow AA and NA meetings to be held at “Jacob’s Well” as well. The possibilities are endless! Amidst our ridiculously crazy pace of life, we hope the coffee house will offer unexpected hope and peace to all who enter.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

oooh, that sounds radical.
b