the story so far…
The Well at Woodseats is a new local Christian faith community launched by The Well Sheffield. In October 2020 in the height of national lockdown a group of 4 friends, along with 2 of their children, formed a ‘bubble’ and began to meet in their living room. An extended family simply seeking to love Jesus together and learning how best to love those around them and bring life and hope to the neighbourhood. Since then a number of others have joined them on the journey and The Well at Woodseats is now a growing, vibrant community with people of all ages from across the local area.
We are led by Duncan and Anna who arrived in Sheffield in May 2018 in response to God’s call. They came with great expectation, having spent the previous 3 ½ years serving (with Iris Global) in northern Mozambique where they had witnessed individual lives, as well as the social landscape of an entire region, radically transformed by the love and power of God. On return to the UK, they specifically felt led to make Woodseats their home with the desire to see this area and its people thrive and encounter the same life-giving love and power of God.
In summer 2021 we started to meet outdoors, come rain or shine, in the carpark of the old Baptist church building. Now we meet on Sundays (10am) at The Message Trust Yorkshire and Humberside Building (The Old Baptist Church), Tadcaster Way, where we gather for connection with one another and with God. We have great fun journeying with God together as family, seeking to love those around us.
WE LOVE WOODSEATS! WE THINK IT IS AN AMAZING PLACE TO LIVE AND WE ARE EXCITED TO LOVE AND SERVE THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER. WE LOVE MEETING NEW PEOPLE AND WOULD LOVE TO MEET YOU!
OUR VISION AND VALUES
JOURNEYING WITH GOD, BECOMING HIS FAMILY, LOVING HIS NEIGHBOURHOOD
Journeying with God
We believe that God is bigger, better, more loving, beautiful and powerful than we could ever have imagined. We believe that we are known by God and that through Jesus and the Holy Spirit we can know Him personally. We were created to encounter the transforming presence of God. The more we know Him and spend time with Him, the more we are transformed to be like Him; we can live from a place of knowing our true identity as loved sons and daughters. The primary ways we can know Him and communicate with Him are through the Bible, through prayer and worship, and through one another. We have experienced that absolutely nothing is impossible for God and that in His presence we will see miracles happen.
Becoming His family
Jesus tells us that as we encounter God’s love for us, it will show in the love we have for one another. We seek to live lives of radical hospitality, opening up our homes to one another, sharing our lives together, gathering to eat together, praying for one another and encouraging one another in God. We are learning to love generously and sacrificially and we seek to welcome whoever would come, without judgement. In a world where so many feel alone, we aim to live life as a family and community that faces the good times and the bad together. And in the safety of family, we cheer one another on in learning what it means wholeheartedly to follow God with all of our lives. We express this simply as learning to listen to God and do what pleases Him. We get to be a family that carries the hope and joy of Jesus wherever we go.
Loving His Neighbourhood
We love Woodseats and God loves Woodseats. We have encountered the life changing love and presence of God through the gift of Jesus and we unashamedly have a heart to see others come to know Him and be transformed by His love. We love to share the hope of the good news of Jesus and His Kingdom through our words, through practical acts of love and through seeing His supernatural power and miracles at work through our ordinary lives. Jesus calls us to reflect His justice and mercy by both serving and speaking up for the least, the last, the marginalised and the abused of society, and to offer hope and transformation through Jesus. We long to see Woodseats thriving with it’s people filled with love, creativity, freedom and hope which will overflow into the surrounding areas and to the ends of the earth.
VALUES
THESE ARE OUR TOP PRIORITIES WHICH SHAPE EVERYTHING WE DO:
KNOWING GOD PERSONALLY
COMPLETE DEPENDENCY ON GOD
AUTHENTIC RELATIONSHIPS
INTENTIONAL DISCIPLESHIP
GENEROUS, MISSIONAL LIFESTYLE
JOY
who we are
DUNCAN & ANNA AKEHURST
Senior Leaders
Duncan and Anna love travelling and exploring new places and countries, and are enjoying the challenge of beginning to do it with two young boys! They both love food, especially Thai, and love gathering with people over a good meal. Dunc loves good coffee and getting out into the Peaks whilst Anna loves designing and creating things.
Alongside pioneering The Well at Woodseats, Duncan continues to serve as Associate Minister at The Well Sheffield, based on Ecclesall Road.
JHONNAR LUGO
Minister in Training
Hailing from Venezuela, Jhonnar enjoys playing the drums as loud as humanly possible. He has a great passion for Jesus and loves communicating and connecting with people. He enjoys going to the gym and exercising but really does it just so that he can eat a lot of cake.
our wider family
The Well at Woodseats was launched by, and remains a part of, The Well Sheffield.
We share common vision and values, as well as resources and personnel, and a common charitable governance that provides important elements such as safeguarding policies and annually audited accounts. We believe there is great value in journeying with wider family.
Click on the logo to find out more about The Well Sheffield.
PARTNERS
INTERN
AT THE WELL at woodseats
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Join The Well at Woodseats, a new church plant in the Woodseats area of Sheffield.
There will be particular emphasis on prayer & worship (don’t worry, you don’t necessarily need to be musical!), community outreach & evangelism, and discipleship.
You will encounter Jesus in new ways; be stretched and pushed out of your comfort zone; witness God using you to lead others to faith and heal the sick; you’ll grow in love, faith, spiritual authority, and skill; you’ll begin to discover and discern more of the unique calling God has on your life…And all in the safety of a loving family of believers who are hungry to become more like Jesus.
A typical week may look something like:
3 x prayer room slots a week
Community outreach at least once a week
Join in with Wednesday evening & Sun morning church gatherings, and as time goes on, possible opportunities to help lead varying elements of these
Opportunity to help out with weekly kids or youth groups
Intentionally seeking to develop ongoing discipleship relationship with those connected with through community outreach
This internship will be led by Duncan Akehurst - Minister at The Well at Woodseats.