Jacob's Well Continues to Grow | Bethlehem Lutheran Church – Connecting people with God, each other and their mission in the world.

Not too long ago, Pastor Greg Meyer received an email from a young woman in her mid-20's who lives in Minneapolis. She explained that she grew up without a religious background and had rarely attended church but that she believed in God. She expressed an interest in attending some type of church but said she had felt uncomfortable in some churches because she wasn't accustomed to their traditions - would Jacob's Well be a place where she might fit in?

This young woman epitomizes the group of people that Jacob's Well is reaching out to-people who have not grown up in the church; people who consider themselves spiritual but aren't exactly sure what that means; people who might feel uncomfortable in a traditional church setting because they have no positive church memory.

With a commitment of $450,000 in Share the Spirit funds paid out over three years, Bethlehem launched Jacob's Well in 2006. In the year and a half since then, the community has prospered and grown. Over 200 people consistently attend Jacob's Well with attendance reaching 300 on some Sundays. A 6:00 pm service on Sundays has recently been added. From the outset, Jacob's Well has provided ministry opportunities for kids ages 2-10, and they've introduced high school and junior high ministries this year. During the week, small groups meet across the community in people's homes.

Thanks to the generosity of Bethlehem's members, a new church community is off to a promising start. It doesn't look or sound like Bethlehem with its stained glass windows and organ music. Jacob's Well meets in the Field School auditorium each week and the music is more likely to be U2 or Switchfoot but, like Bethlehem, it's reaching people with the good news about God's love and that is tremendously exciting.

Oh, and what about the young woman who e-mailed Pastor Greg? She attended Jacob's Well the following Sunday with her friend. The next day Greg received an email from her. She told him how much she enjoyed the service, thanked him for his thought-provoking sermon and noted that she and her friend would be returning and would invite more of their friends to attend as well. Bethlehem has indeed Shared the Spirit! Let's continue to pray for all those serving and attending Jacob's Well.