It’s a Thursday night; music is pouring out of the chapel – complete with drums, guitars and voices. Inside, the lights are down low and every pew is filled with students. This has become normal on Ashland University’s campus, and is better known as “The Well.”

“The Well” was founded in 2001 and, according to current Religious Life Director Nate Bebout, has come a long way in its 11 years. Bebout was given the opportunity to become Religious Life Director just this past summer, but this will be his third year running “The Well.”

Bebout said “The Well” has a lot to offer to students. He said every week is different, but everyone is always welcome.

“We have three worship teams, so every week there’s really, really great music,” he said. “[Students] can expect singing, prayer, community activities where we pray for one another or talk about Scripture or even just have normal conversations with one another. And then somebody does typically teach a short 15-20 minute message based out of some kind of biblical passage that focuses on the person of Jesus and the community that we’re trying to emulate following after Him.”

Although Bebout is the head of the program, a core team of roughly 55 people help him out. This team consists of students and local volunteers. The core team helps plan what will happen each week, the fall and spring retreats and small groups.

“We have a lot of people doing a lot of different thing,” he said. “So there’s a team for sound and lights; there’s a team for our website and tech stuff; there’s a team that just focuses on the sermons and previewing those; there’s a team that does prayer and intercession; there’s a team that does the welcoming – I think we have about eight or nine teams.”

Students can be involved in “The Well” in many ways. There are small groups in each dorm on campus that is welcome to everyone. However, if students want to be a part of a team, Bebout said they should first come to “The Well” and try to be as involved as possible. Also, he said they should attend the small group known as ELI, or emerging leaders’ incubator, that meets on Wednesday nights.

“The Well” welcomes all students at AU. Bebout said it is a great way to worship, make friends and build community.

“We’re really open to people coming and being a part of our community even if you don’t come from a faith background,” he said. “We actually have a little saying that says, ‘You can belong before you believe,’ and the idea is you don’t have to have a relationship with Christ to come check out what’s going on. We invite everybody to come and to see what’s happening, and to see this community because we think that it’s really special and it’s really compelling.”

Because of all the services “The Well” offers, planning takes a lot of time and patience. Bebout said there is a structure for every service, and there are many people that help make it happen. One thing included in planning is giving the sermon to some students to receive feedback. Bebout also said the musicians plan for some time – trying to coordinate the songs with the message – and that decorations for each week are also thought about.

“For every aspect of “The Well” – whether it be the singing, the teaching, the announcements – there is a system in place that we do to make it the best thing we can do,” he said.

Bebout said he loves leading “The Well,” and that the best part is being involved with students’ spiritual life. He said he’s seen a lot of change in some students, and that makes his job worthwhile.

“My favorite thing is seeing lives transformed,” he said. “We’ve seen so many people choose into a relationship with Christ and then their lives got so much better. For me, that’s the best part.”

Along with this, Bebout also said he enjoys the community built at “The Well.” He said he loves the dance parties that always seem to happen on Thursday nights, and the close friendships he has because of this program.

“I just love being a part of a community that’s willing to do stuff like that – that’s not so concerned about what people might think, but instead are focused on having fun and making the most out of life,” he said.

“The Well” is every Thursday night at 8 p.m. in upper chapel and is open to anyone and everyone. Bebout said experiencing “The Well” for yourself is better than trying to describe it.

“There are so many things that I fell like son’t so it justice – to talk about it,” he said. “You really do need to come see it for yourself. It feels like God is doing stuff, and I feel like when you come see it for yourself it makes more sense.”