Testimonials
When I first came to Ashland, I wanted nothing to do with God. I was running from my faith and only ended up at the Well because my friends wanted to go. Not wanting to be socially excluded, I went along with it. Fast forward to Fall Retreat: everything I had been holding back came crashing down, and I gave my heart back to Jesus. Since then, the Well has been my favorite part of the week and I can't imagine my life without it. This community is truly transformative, and I am so grateful for the person I have become because of it.
One reason that I picked Ashland over other schools was for the Christian community on campus that is so highly spoken of. This community has never fallen short of my expectations of being fully submerged in an environment that radiates Jesus. The Well has transformed me in my walk with Jesus and has brought me closer to Him. Jesus calls us to be in community with one another, as He was in community. The Well is a community that has brought me closer to Jesus, and closer to His people.
My freshman year I knew I wanted to get involved with Religious life and The Well but I hadn’t realized how this community would be incredibly transformational. I went to the Freshman Women’s small group and met some of my very best and closest friends. Without the beautiful and life giving community surrounding The Well I would not be who I am today. This community has shown me the power of God’s love and the image of a true disciple of Christ.
Before the Well I incorporated God into my life when it was convenient. I experienced Christ on Sundays and during mission trips but I left him there. When I came to college I found myself in a heartbreaking season. The only thing that seemed to heal my brokenness was the Well. I saw how Christ was with me even when I was blind to workings. My relationship with Christ has been completely transformed by the Well.
Recently, I was in the rec, when I heard a girl passing by joyously exclaim to her friend, “I just love the Well! Don’t you?!” This touches on the heart of the Well, which is to impact Ashland’s campus through love and creating a community for others to be part of.
The community at the Well has shown me what it means to live authentically into Christ’s love. It’s impossible to walk across campus without feeling the presence that God has on this campus because of the genuine love, passion, and care that the Well community has for its members and all of AU.
Inviting, loving, motivating, encouraging, enthusiastic. I have never been apart of a body of believers who display these few characteristics in a more empowering and real way. The investment that the Well and its members have poured into me is beyond the love and compassion that one can ask for. I am not a number.
To me the Well means a place of growth and finding myself in God. Before I transferred to Ashland, I had a relationship with God, but only because of the influence of my parents but because of the atmosphere of The Well I established my personal relationship with The Lord and blossomed it into my own.
The Well and the well community have drastically redirected my life in a positive direction over the last four years. Coming to college, having only been a Christian for two years, I wasn't really sure what would happen. I met so many people who made me feel loved and also challenged my faith. Leaders, mentors, and friends from the Well made me feel empowered and pushed me farther than I ever knew I could go. It is a great place to develop a brand new faith or refine a lifelong one. You won't find a better community of people at Ashland University.