Jannele Mastin Expresses Worship Through Creativity
We’ve all walked into the sanctuary or foyer at Jacob’s Well and gasped at the sight of the beautiful designs covering the altar, stage or backdrop. From a dove the size of a crop duster to a ship on the moving seas to a simple setup of gold flickering candles, the altar designs are always eye-catching and breathtaking thanks to Jannele Mastin.
Jannele, who serves as the JW Art Director of sorts, has been designing and creating the aesthetics of the altar and sanctuary for years. Her day job as a Senior Art Director at Hallmark serves as a perfect palette of creativity to inspire her designs at Jacob’s Well, in addition to gaining inspiration from the Scriptures and from nature.
Whenever we are preparing for a new sermon series, Jannele is given the bible passages and any topics or ideas that are already in place, and she goes to work from there. She starts off by spending time in the Scriptures through Lectio Divina, immersing herself in the themes of the upcoming series. From there, through a series of processes, the dots start to connect and within a few days or weeks, Jannele has created a visual experience in the sanctuary to call us into worship each week. (Read More)
Marriage Immersion / Saturdays July 20, 27 / 8:30 am – 1 pm / Jacob’s Well
All Church Worship, Baptism, Picnic / Sunday, August 18 / 10:30 am – 1:00 pm / Shawnee Mission Park
Men’s Breakfast – Saturday, May 18
Join in for some food and getting some time with other men at Jacob’s Well at the Men’s Breakfast on May 18, 9-10:30 am at Chubby’s on Broadway.
Click HERE to sign up by Thursday, May 16, so we can reserve enough seating.
Confirmation class for 7th and 8th graders
Middle school is a critical juncture in the spiritual formation of everyone. It is an extremely transformational time. We go through more changes between 6th and 8th grade than at any other time of our lives besides the first two years out of the womb. These changes aren’t purely physical either — they’re emotional, relational, cognitive and spiritual changes too.
As adolescence begins to kick in and our minds begin to develop, we are capable of thinking abstractly in ways we couldn’t back in elementary school. Before middle school, we come to church largely because of the faith of our parents. But suddenly, seemingly overnight, all of that changes. At their age, middle schoolers are asking some serious questions about God, self, others and the world. Who is God? Who am I? Where do I belong? How am I unique? What am I doing in the world?
Confirmation is an opportunity to engage questions like these and begin to discover what it means to take ownership of your spiritual journey. At Jacob’s Well, that’s what confirmation is all about — faith ownership. Each one of us is a part of God’s Story, and confirmation is a launching pad for students as they begin to discover their identity and calling in Christ.
Our summer confirmation class kicks off at the end of May, and if your current 7th or 8th grader is asking questions like these, then confirmation is for them. For more information go to jacobswellchurch.org/confirmation.
Gather with us to bless a family with some needs in our Jacob’s Well community. Meet at Jacob’s Well at 9am and we’ll return by 1pm. Questions? Contact Philip Lesniewski.
Kids Institute
The last Kids Institute ended up being a good ole’ time complete with costumes, a play and this closing song. We’ll be offering another captivating Kids Institute in June where kids will explore justice issues. Be on the lookout for signups and enjoy this video of the kids singing our Benediction song.
Paul Young and Baxter Kruger at Jacob’s Well
Jacob’s Well hosted theologian Baxter Kruger and Paul Young the author of The Shack, during the weekend of April 21st and 22nd. If you were unable to attend, all five unique messages are available on our site.
Baxter Kruger is the author of The Shack Revisited and you can read more about his work at perichoresis.org.
Mark your calendars for the month of June. We’ll be having some great classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays through the month of June. Here’s a little preview of what’s coming: a running club, a book study on Richard Rohr’s Falling Upwards, a Bible Study on Thursday mornings, even a women’s clothing swap, and several more!! Look in the next eNews for a complete list of classes and details about signing up.
Jannele Mastin Expresses Worship through Creativity (cont.)
While she often keeps the decor simple during normal times of the Church Calendar, she loves the opportunity to go big during Advent and Lent. One of her favorite designs is Advent of 2008, when she created a series of transitioning shadows among back-lit gold satin sheets hanging from the ceiling–silhouettes of wise men, birds, trees, and lanterns, changing and growing each week, revealed the story of God always surprising us beyond our expectations. Remember this past Easter morning, when we walked into the sanctuary to see the Cross sitting amidst a field of fresh, live tulips that she had meticulously spent hours placing the night before, or last year when dead trees she had drug out from a dumpster at a local tree nursery ended up blooming halfway through the season! Giant flying doves, innumerable stars or snowflakes hanging from on high, forests of paper or sometimes real trees all make up Jannele’s awesome portfolio of sanctuary design.
But for Jannele, the work she does–all on her own time–isn’t just about visuals. She explains, “Often, when you hear people ask what the worship is like at a church, they most likely mean the music. At Jacob’s Well, I love that every part of a gathering is worship. What you hear, what you see, what you read, the people you greet, how you take in the teaching, the music, the way the space looks; how all of you responds to all of God, through all of these, is worship. Not every teaching, song or visual image will captivate you. But, paying attention to the ones that do is, at least for me, paying attention to what God is trying to impart.”
“For me, there are always more ideas for Jacob’s Well gatherings and other art related events than there is time. But, being given the freedom and trust to create a part of the worship experience continues to be a treasured gift. That trust allows the work of creating to become worship.”
Jannele also serves on the Jacob’s Well Elder Board and on the Kergyma (justice) Leadership Team.
Read Jannele’s full-length interview with more details on her process, favorite designs, and a recent experience when her plans literally came crashing down.
We’ve all walked into the sanctuary or foyer at Jacob’s Well and gasped at the sight of the beautiful designs covering the altar, stage or backdrop. From a dove the size of a crop duster to a ship on the moving seas to a simple setup of gold flickering candles, the altar designs are always eye-catching and breathtaking thanks to Jannele Mastin.
Join in for some food and getting some time with other men at Jacob’s Well at the Men’s Breakfast on May 18, 9-10:30 am at Chubby’s on Broadway.
Jacob’s Well hosted theologian Baxter Kruger and Paul Young the author of The Shack, during the weekend of April 21st and 22nd. If you were unable to attend, all five unique messages are available 
While she often keeps the decor simple during normal times of the Church Calendar, she loves the opportunity to go big during Advent and Lent. One of her favorite designs is Advent of 2008, when she created a series of transitioning shadows among back-lit gold satin sheets hanging from the ceiling–silhouettes of wise men, birds, trees, and lanterns, changing and growing each week, revealed the story of God always surprising us beyond our expectations. Remember this past Easter morning, when we walked into the sanctuary to see the Cross sitting amidst a field of fresh, live tulips that she had meticulously spent hours placing the night before, or last year when dead trees she had drug out from a dumpster at a local tree nursery ended up blooming halfway through the season! Giant flying doves, innumerable stars or snowflakes hanging from on high, forests of paper or sometimes real trees all make up Jannele’s awesome portfolio of sanctuary design.
But for Jannele, the work she does–all on her own time–isn’t just about visuals. She explains, “Often, when you hear people ask what the worship is like at a church, they most likely mean the music. At Jacob’s Well, I love that every part of a gathering is worship. What you hear, what you see, what you read, the people you greet, how you take in the teaching, the music, the way the space looks; how all of you responds to all of God, through all of these, is worship. Not every teaching, song or visual image will captivate you. But, paying attention to the ones that do is, at least for me, paying attention to what God is trying to impart.”