We are beyond grateful to be 1 of 197 U.S. faith communities selected to receive grants through the 2022 Lilly Endowment National Clergy Renewal Program. These grants help congregations honor and support their pastors by funding a respite from ministerial duties and enabling pastors to engage in a period of extended reflection and renewal. Our sabbatical theme is REST & REKINDLE: Making space to breathe deeply, connect soulfully & explore freely. We see this as a time for both our pastor and our Well community to experience a season of renewal. During these 3 months, we’ll be intentionally simplifying our activities while also spending time with a number of gifted teachers, preachers & friends of The Well. As we make room to experience the “unforced rhythms of grace” (Matt. 11:29), we hope to rekindle our imaginations for what practicing the way of Jesus in community can look like in the coming years. More details about each of these gatherings can be found in our upcoming events, and you can find our collaborative Spotify playlist for this season here.

2023 Sabbatical July 24-October 23

July 23 Brunch & Send-Off Celebration at Dan & Michelle’s Home, 10:30 a.m.

July 28 Pre-Sabbath Sunday Community Dinner at Justin & Adrien’s, 6:30 p.m.

July 30 Sabbath Sunday (no gathering - enjoy the gift of rest!)Aug. 6

Aug. 6 Sunday Gathering at Hyperion with Rev. Todd Putney, retired American Baptist Pastor & beloved part of our Well community

Aug. 9 Coffee & Community, 8-10 am: Join Todd & Marcia and others from The Well at Social Grounds Coffee for a morning of coffee & conversation.

Aug. 13 Sunday Gathering at Hyperion with Rev. Todd Putney

Aug. 17 Enneagram Learning Lab w/Lisa Dedrick, Enneagram Coach & Teacher: 6 p.m. Dinner, 6:30-8 p.m. Learning Lab at Dan & Michelle’s home. Join us for an evening of exploring the enneagram together. The enneagram is a tool for self-discovery that begins with understanding our personality type and its dominant issues. Whether you are familiar with the enneagram or have years of experience, this lab is for you. If this is new to you, learn more here and take this brief enneagram assessment before our learning lab.

Aug. 20 Sunday Gathering at Hyperion w/Lisa Dedrick. Lisa will continue to be our guide to exploring how the enneagram intersects with spirituality and community.

Aug. 27 Church in the Wild: Beach Day at Hanna Park, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Sept. 3 Sunday Gathering at Hyperion with Matt Hartley, Director of the UNF Interfaith Center

Sept. 10 Sunday Gathering (+ Book Swap) at Hyperion with Derrick Scott III, Executive Director of Campus to City Wesley

Sept. 17 Rest & Rekindle Field Trip: We are taking a field trip together! We are heading out to Mission of the Dirt Road (community center & church) in Keystone Heights to learn alongside their founder & pastor, Rev. Carey Morford. Carey is passionate about community development and has been on a journey of reimagining church, including space. We will meet there at 11 a.m. for a bring-something-to-share brunch with their community. Carey will share Mission's story, lead us in conversation and give us the opportunity to explore their space and reflect on what we have in common.

Sept. 24 Church in the Wild with Wildwood Wisdom’s Chief Shenanigator, Kimberly Knight, MDiv.

Oct. 1 Sunday Gathering: Art & Spirituality Conversation & *Intuitive Painting w/Erin Meyers

Oct. 7 Pride Fest Gathering at River City Pride: We’ll be hosting a tent & celebrating our beloved LGBTQ+ friends & family from noon-4:30 at Riverside Park. (more details to come once registration is open!) This event is currently subject to change, as it was originally scheduled for Sunday but has been moved to Saturday.

Oct. 14-15 Weekend of Learning & Renewal with Kathy Escobar, Co-Pastor of The Refuge in Broomfield, CO: Our friend and kindred spirit, Kathy Escobar will be spending the weekend with us, starting Saturday from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at Patti & Dana’s Home. Join us for a bring-something-to-share brunch with conversation and learning around “practicing paradoxing”. Then on Sunday, Kathy will facilitate our gathering at Hyperion.

Oct. 22 Church in the Wild: *Kayaking Together at the Guana Tolomato Matanza Preserve

Oct. 27-29 Well-come Back Camping Retreat at Parramore Campground

*Exploratory grant-funded activity: as part of our grant proposal, we created two “exploratory sunday grants” that Wellians could apply for to support their creative sunday gathering idea.