Wow, family!! It’s crazy to think that we’re wrapping up summer and heading into the fall quarter already. How is 2021 flying by so quickly?! I’m so excited for this next quarter, especially as I reflect on how incredible God has been to us during the summer!

In the midst of a lot of hard stuff—a lot of which we’re still in the middle of—the Lord has also been moving. You know, at times we want to see the Lord move, forgetting that He often moves in the middle of hardship! If you’re on the beach drinking wine, He can still move… but you’re sort of already set! I guess He can just make the wine better?

But when the wine runs out, that’s when we truly see God move, and this builds our faith. I’m praying you’re realizing how He’s moving amongst us and it brings you so much gladness and thanksgiving!

This past quarter has brought a lot of joyous occasions, a lot of new beginnings, and a lot of time to not only rest and recover but also gear up to get out there again! I think this is really fitting even with the actual season we’re in—leaving behind the relaxing summer and getting ready for the hustle of fall and all that it brings.

We love you all and are extremely excited about where God is taking us. Genuinely, I feel like the Lord is giving us a renewed vision, and I’m hopeful about where He’s taking us as we seek to glorify His name together, in our own hearts, and in the world around us.

I’m praying earnestly over our church! The Lord has done nothing but increase my affection for you all, and I’m praying He would increase our affection for each other.

Let’s goooo!!

—Tory Mayo

You Betta Appreciate

This past June, we were excited to gather together our CG Shepherds for a time of encouragement and refreshment. They showed up in their best fits, ate great food, and danced the night away! Not only were they able to reflect and celebrate the last year, but they also prayed for the next year to come. Our Shepherds really are the backbone of The Well and act as the hands and feet of not only our Staff but our true Shepherd, Jesus Christ, as well. They give of themselves so often, live life-on-life with our people, and bless so many. We love you, Shepherds!!

It’s a Celebration!

We had a beautiful and moving Celebration Sunday back in July when 6 people got baptized and proclaimed their faith and commitment to Christ! Each person has a unique story, but it’s always the same message—our God pursued us when we were far from Him, broke into our lives and saved us from sin, and continues to change us and make us more into His image. What good news to celebrate!! Interested in getting baptized at our next Celebration Sunday in the fall? 🔗 Sign up at thewellaustin.com/events

Let’s Get Down to Business

Our annual Covenant Member Business Meeting in August was a great wrap-up of the last fiscal year and the kick-off to the next one. Not only did we review finances with our Members, but we were also able to:

• Cast vision for the year to come
• Renew our covenant commitments to one another
• Vote in new Elders (Congrats, Krys Henry and Brian Tapperson!)
• Discuss some other Member-only matters 😉

Our Elders lead and care for our church body so well and truly demonstrated that with their transparency and thoughtfulness as they guided us through the meeting.

Changes on College Campuses
Over the summer, Yusuf, our College Ministry Director, felt like he was given a new vision and direction for the ministry—and we can’t wait to see where things go! Starting this fall semester, The Well College will strive to connect college students of all backgrounds to the local church. We want to equip and mobilize students involved with The Well towards the lost on their campus and give them practical ways to engage in deep, spiritual conversations that hopefully lead to an opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus. We’re excited to see how God will be exalted and college students will be reached through this new mission!

What’s Your One Place?
During August, we went through an evangelism series that really spurred our hearts and minds toward the call we have to reconcile others around us to their Heavenly Father. We even created a fillable PDF as a practical tool for our people to use as they prayerfully considered and took steps of obedience to share the gospel in their “One Place.”

CG Summer Olympics
We held our 2nd annual CG Olympics this summer and it was a blast!! Whether it was competing in kan jam, spike ball, marshmallow tower building, or egg tosses, our Community Groups came out to win! We love being able to get multiple CGs together so they can make new friends from The Well who they otherwise wouldn’t interact with. Plus, who doesn’t like some friendly competition with bragging rights at stake?! The South CGs took home the gold this year and are looking forward to defending their title next year… so you better start practicing!

Serving Stories with Meredith & Claire
One of the ways that we want to be distinct as a church is in our serving—of the local church and of the city of Austin. We see what the city could be. We want to grow in our local serving of the city in tangible ways so that we can be a blessing and hopefully bring gospel transformation! One of the main ways we do this is through our CGs and the Missions Liaisons that lead their groups. In this Story at The Well, hear from Meredith and Claire, the Missions Liaisons from the South West CG, as they share about their heart for serving and practical ways other CGs can follow in their steps.

Start Serving on Sundays
Looking to get further plugged into The Well—especially on Sundays? We encourage you to check out the list of serving teams on our Connect Form. • Have a heart for the next generation? Try Kids Ministry! • Musician or singer? Worship Team is looking for you! No matter your gifts or interests, there’s a place for you.

Welcome John
We’re excited to welcome John Short as our new part-time Serve Austin Director! Before coming to The Well, John served a mission organization supporting Haitians throughout the Caribbean and has done missions in multiple countries. He has a huge heart for serving—both locally and globally. John will support our Missions Liaisons as they lead the charge of serving in the city. We’re eager to see how God uses him to push back darkness in our city, nation, and the world!

With the completion of the 4th quarter, we also bring to an end our 2020/2021 fiscal year. We have had to navigate through a lot this year and in spite of the struggles and uncertainties, God has never stopped loving and caring for us! We have been able to come together weekly in worship, experience healing, celebrate baptisms, see our ministries grow, pray for and minister to our “one place” , and so much more. The church of Christ continues to move forward in the city of Austin!

You have also continued to show your trust and faithfulness financially throughout the year. We had forecasted that tithes and offerings would total $1.50MM, but actual giving came in at $1.86MM! This represents a 35% increase from the prior year actual and continues the multi-year trend of yearly offerings exceeding our estimates. In addition, giving to the Acceleration Fund (designated fund to advance our vision) has continued and now totals $179,353. On the expense side, we had anticipated increased costs associated with regathering (primarily space costs). While this has occurred, the cost of gathering at Westover Hills was less than expected, and with the staff team’s continued focus on stewardship, actual costs were 15% less than budget ($1.6MM vs. actuals of $1.35MM).

The numbers tell an amazing story! With giving to the general budget exceeding estimates and expenses coming in lower than anticipated, we have been able to continue to be generous to others in need of financial help, increase dollars to support our vision of planting 100 churches locally and internationally, and completely fund our three-month operations reserves. In addition, we have been able to build our unrestricted reserves to almost $1MM moving us closer to being able to move on an opportunity for a permanent church home. All of this has taken place through your efforts and trust in God!

As we look back over the last 12 months, we have so much to be thankful for and look forward to advancing our vision over the next 12 months. We invite your continued prayers and partnership as we make much of Jesus and make Him known in Austin and around the world.