Expansion, more locations and even a church plant loom in the future for The Well Coffeehouse, which, for eight months, has provided a place for people to enjoy good coffee.
Originally founded by Lipscomb professor Rob Touchstone and Chris Soper, The Well — located at 2025 Richard Jones Road in Green Hills — is a nonprofit ministry designed to share love and nurture the feeling of community in Nashville.
With outreach efforts ranging from The Wishing Well (a wall in the coffeehouse where people can pin notes expressing specific needs in hopes that someone will read it and be able to help) to an effort that helps fund fresh water wells in Africa, The Well Coffeehouse has provided opportunities for Lipscomb students to get involved with local ministries and nonprofit organizations.
“All Lipscomb students can take advantage of partnering with all the nonprofits that we work with right now,” Soper said. “There are five or six different nonprofits we can get you involved with.”
The Well has continued to grow through the help of Lipscomb students and the Nashville community. Change seems to quickly be approaching this ministry.
“We do have a lot of plans for The Well for the future,” Soper said. “There are a lot of things that we are working on and working towards.”
Soon, it may become a place to worship, too.
“Yes, there are plans in place to do a church plant in The Well and grow the church through The Well,” Soper said.
Besides just planting a church, expansion and even possible relocation have been hinted at by The Well’s leaders.
“It is likely that we will have to relocate in the next seven to eight months, but we are excited about the doors that may be open for a larger facility,” Touchstone said. “We are even currently exploring several great options in the Green Hills and Lipscomb area. We also have plans to open up more stores eventually, including a few satellite locations within a few churches.”
The changes simply demonstrate the nature of the ministry.
“I really believe that no matter where we end up or where we go, it’s going to be blessed,” said Kelli Blackshear, Lipscomb student and barista for The Well. “Even though we might not know yet where that may be, I just really feel like it will be where we need to be.”