Colorful spotlights brightening the room and hands raised in prayer means another Wednesday night at The Well, a Christian community for the young adults of Hillsdale.
In 2021, soon after graduating from Hillsdale himself, Braden VanDyke felt God tugging on his heart to return to his college town. VanDyke had the vision to create a faithful young adult community, responding to what he observed to be a dire need in Hillsdale. Without a full-time job laid out, he returned to his college stomping grounds, trusting that God would provide.
After sharing his vision with friends Caitie Dugan, Gabs Bessette, and Ethan Lehman, the group created the framework for VanDyke’s vision, christening it “The Well,” a religious non-profit organization centered around faith and fellowship.
“The Well was born from a very simple idea,” VanDyke said. “We want to encounter Jesus. We want to encounter Jesus here in Hillsdale, believing that an encounter with Jesus changes everything.”
In 2021, due to the isolating routines left in the wake of Covid, young adults in Hillsdale were hungry for more community, VanDyke said. Soon, more joined the mission of leading people to encounter Jesus.
“The Well is a new channel,” VanDyke said. “It points to an age-old, timeless, and timely solution to the world’s problems–more of Jesus.”
Following a structure similar to most Christian young adult programs, The Well weaves praise and worship together with new lessons from the Gospel each week.
“God and the message of his gospel are central to our focus spiritually,” VanDyke said. “Every aspect of our ministry, whether teaching or in worship, aims to reflect the message of the Gospel and its protagonist, Jesus Christ.”
Kamden Mulder, a Hillsdale sophomore, has regularly attended The Well since its kick-off last spring. This semester, she began volunteering there.
“Everyone’s doing different things,” Mulder said. “Some of us are working on social media. Some of us are doing AV and lighting. Some of us are leading worship.”
New volunteers are welcomed each week. The diversity of volunteers’ skill sets creates an engaging and passionate work dynamic, according to Mulder.
“If you’re looking for a mid-week break to engage in fellowship with peers from the college and other young adults in the community, this is the place to do it,” Mulder said. “It’s a great opportunity for anyone, from any denomination, to come together and appreciate the blessings that we are given.”
Located less than 10 minutes from campus, The Well takes place at Hillsdale United Brethren’s Activity Center, although they have no direct affiliation with the center. Every Wednesday night at 7 p.m., 40-50 young adults gather to learn about Jesus and worship together. According to VanDyke, attendees come from all spiritual backgrounds.
“We’ve fellowshipped with both Protestants and Catholics, other faith backgrounds and those who claim no faith, individuals who have never left this county, to people whose permanent residences are from a half dozen different countries abroad,” VanDyke said. “We’re incredibly grateful The Well has an international following, as God fulfills his will for a universal church, while also keeping what we do intimate and local.”
The Well continues to meet over holidays and breaks, ministering to all of the young adults that live in Hillsdale county full time. According to VanDyke, hundreds more engage with their online presence, via platforms such as Instagram @thewellhillsdale and weekly Spotify playlists curated from each week’s worship setlist.
“We’re excited about the community we’ve built at The Well- one’s that large and intimate, versatile and wide-reaching,” VanDyke said.
Bessette, social media and marketing director of The Well, said The Well fills a desire for community in her life.
“When I came to Hillsdale, I had a hard time finding the same community and spiritual environment that I fell in love with at home through Young Life,” Bessette said. Young Life is a Christian ministry program that works with all young people, from middle schoolers to college students. “So when it began, Braden pulled me in because of my marketing experience and desire to serve in the body of Christians at Hillsdale. I saw that The Well would fill exactly the gap that I was missing freshman year.”
The Well offers a unique avenue for the community, given that it is not associated with any church or campus group.
“There are athletes worshiping with people in Greek life, RAs, people involved elsewhere on campus, and in the larger Hillsdale area,” Bessette said. “We focus on gathering in community, worshiping, and diving into the word. It’s really cool to experience all three of those things with people who usually aren’t gathered together in one room together.”