September 9, 2024 – Fresh brews and delicious pastries can now be found on the corner of Minnewawa and Nees Avenue in Clovis, where The Well Community Church has opened their brand-new Student Ministry building with a modern coffeehouse inside.
Last Thursday, the 5th, they had a “soft opening” for attendees to the Thursday 6PM gathering, one of many gatherings the church has at its’ Clovis location. There, they offered free coffees to churchgoers while they walked around, observing the chic atmosphere that defines the rest of The Well’s new Clovis campus.
This campus barely opened in the spring of last year when the church moved from a location just down the road on Nees to accommodate their growing population and church needs.
This coffeehouse was one of many new ideas being spoken of when the church made the decision to move locations.
Lead Pastor and Teaching Pastor Brad Bell explained that he was originally against the idea of a coffeehouse, not wanting to take away support from local coffeehouses already in the area and not fully knowing how it might impact people’s perception of The Well.
However, after observing the dramatic change with people connecting with one another that came with the COVID-19 pandemic, he understood that there was a major need for a community-centered location partnering with a local church.
Bell stated, “I think not only do we have an opportunity, we have an obligation to create a place of connection because people are disconnected, and they want that centralized spot.”
Thus, The Well Coffeehouse was born. Still having a desire to help local businesses, Bell and his team decided to partner with the well-known Kuppa Joy coffee shop to make the dream a reality.
Speaking on this partnership, Bell explained, “We have tremendous respect for what Kuppa Joy has done for their brand recognition, their quality, and everything, and so we deeply respect what they’re doing.”
Ellie Baker, who serves in various teams at The Well and works at the Old Town Clovis Kuppa Joy, also expressed happiness with this coffeehouse serving their coffee.
Baker explained, “I love their mission and how they use coffee as an outlet to love on the community and because of their love for Christ, being able to love others and then point it back to Christ, that’s the biggest thing for me.”
With that statement, Baker touched right on the nose of Kuppa Joy’s slogan, which says “Love God, love people, love coffee.”
Additionally, Sunday evening visitor Breanna Swagerty saw that besides the community atmosphere that is encouraged by the coffeehouse, it opens the doors for people to visit who might not otherwise.
Swagerty stated, “I think the people who are maybe new to church life might be more apt to come because it’s for like, you know, a very neutral thing like coffee or tea.”
Bell also touched on that cozy, intimate feel that he desires for the church to have despite its’ large congregation. He recalled an encounter when he was once told by Clovis locals that they didn’t like big churches, and Bell responded that he didn’t either, despite pastoring a multi-site church with a congregation somewhere in the thousands.
However, Bell explained, it “wasn’t up to him” how big the church got. And regardless of how large the church grows to be, he doesn’t want to let go of the mission to stay connected to the community.
“Ministry leaders are making connections with people now, all of a sudden, you’re shrinking a large church. Meaning you’re shrinking it by way of intimacy, so it’s big numerically, but intimate in terms of feel. That is fantastic,” he explained.
Church leaders like Baker identify with this sentiment, explaining that the welcoming environment of The Well is part of what brought her to serve there.
She stated, “I feel really plugged-in here and I feel seen and I feel known here and also I love that they teach verse-by-verse and teach very Biblically … I think it’s just a great place to grow alongside my community towards the word and be very edified and encouraged.”
Combining these two places beloved by the community – Kuppa Joy coffee and The Well – is sure to bring in many Clovis locals to this new coffeehouse. The Well also looks forward to growing their student ministry population and general population through this environment in the years to come.