It was during their team training over a year ago that the Short-Cycle Church Planting team first imagined the idea of Jacob's Well. As they discussed how to ignite a network of churches across Genoa, the members of the team recognized the answer could be to utilize a variety of ministry platforms. Rather than simply open a team office the team decided to create a space where they could experiment with a variety of platforms.

A physical ministry center provides a credible presence in a country where credibility is essential.

After arriving in Genoa last October, the team began to search for the ideal Jacob's Well location. Each of the 9 members were pleasantly surprised when they discovered a storefront for rent on Vico del Duca. This location was everything they were looking for: it was in the heart of the city, easy to find and attractive on the inside.

On the same day that the Avant Italy Tour was passing through Genoa, the team received keys to Jacob's Well. On location, Avant President Paul Nyquist, former missionaries to Italy and current Pastor to Missionaries Phil & Sylvia Schroeder, and several staff and supporters of Avant participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Collectively, the tour and the team prayed God would use the facility to transform the city.

Mike South, a volunteer who has worked on several building projects for Avant, came to Genoa for a full month to work with the team as the renovation foreman. Over the past six months, the team researched and brainstormed to develop plans for several ministry platforms. Just as renovations were complete, these ministry platforms were ready to be tested within the walls of Jacob's Well. Among platforms with which to experiment: women's Bible studies, university gatherings, outreach to teens, and even a church start-up led by an Italian couple.

With keys in hand and renovation complete, the team prayerfully expects transformation to now take place.

How best to describe Jacob's Well from the inside? Tim Kroeker, Team Italy One leader, gives this explanation:

"The 3 rooms are symbolic of our 3-fold purpose for Jacob's Well. The first room is where we make our initial contact with people, our initial conversation, maybe over a cup of coffee. They might hear for the first time about how they can have a personal relationship with God.

"The second room is where we introduce them to Jesus. We might break open the Word of God or answer their commonly asked questions like, ‘How do you know the Bible is true?' or, ‘Why is there evil and suffering in the world.' So we initiate conversation, then we introduce them to Jesus.

"In the 3^rd and final room we ignite an explosive network of churches. It's where the experience of community happens, where people gather around spiritual themes."

It's in that last room, symbolic of the formation of churches, where the team remains focused. Such churches will not be bound by the walls of Jacob's Well. In fact, the team expects to close the doors of its new facility in just a couple of years, giving new church cells room to breathe and reproduce throughout Genoa.

In the meantime, Kroeker and his team anticipate that God will use this greenhouse to produce an abundant harvest.