Twenty years ago, Pastor Eric Blauer and his wife, LeeElla, planted a non-denominational church in the heart of Spokane’s East Central Neighborhood.
They called it Jacob’s Well.
“It’s from the story of the woman at the well in John Chapter 4,” Eric Blauer said. “It’s a picture of a place where very different people could wrestle with meaningful things — the issues of life, biblically.”
A heart for urban struggles and opportunities
In 1998, Blauer, his wife and four kids moved to the area from Portland.
“We came to work with LeeElla’s parents at New Hope Christian Center in Spokane Valley,” he said.
After nine years on staff, he began soul-searching about his next chapter in ministry. The expectation was that Blauer would take over as senior pastor, but at 36, he felt called to something else.
“I lived in a beautiful home in Spokane Valley. I drove from my home to the church and didn’t have energy to engage in my own neighborhood,” he recalled. “I decided to resign and plant a church. I had a heart for the streets — for urban struggles and opportunities. I wanted to move where we could work, witness and live.”
That place turned out to be the East Central Neighborhood, an area known for its rich working-class history and cultural diversity. It’s also known for high rates of theft and property crime.
A home in East Central
“I wanted to be part of what God was doing in East Central,” Blauer said.
He bought a house across the street from the storefront that would become Jacob’s Well.
“Everything shifted from the suburbs to a neighborhood with unique challenges,” he said.
A handful of people joined the Blauer family intent on pursuing what it would look like to follow Jesus in the East Central neighborhood.
“I had a lot to learn,” he said.
One of his first lessons was that the church’s ministry would include not only East Central but Southeast Asia.
Welcoming refugees
Within the first few months of establishing the church, Blauer learned of the plight of Karen refugees.
The Karen people are an ethnic minority who fled Burma (now Myanmar) in waves to escape brutal military campaigns, including forced relocation, religious persecution and ethnic cleansing tactics employed by the ruling junta. In 1997, many of them escaped to Thailand, where Blauer’s brother was a missionary.
Blauer partnered with World Relief to bring a family of five to his home.
Soon, Jacob’s Well sponsored more families, and they discovered that East Central provided a great place for refugee housing and other resources.
“We opened a resource center on the same block,” he said. “It was a perfect place to do this work.”
Due to the congregation’s growth, the East Central Community Center provided them with space for Sunday services for a time.
The Karen refugee ministry lasted 10 years and spawned two Karen churches in the area.
Like taking a deep breath
Marisa Warwick and her husband discovered Jacob’s Well soon after the church had opened its doors.
Recently, a photo popped up on her Facebook memories. It showed her toddler in the arms of one of the Karen “grandmas.”
“My husband and I were looking for a way to participate in our community, and we heard about Jacob’s Well,” Warwick recalled. “The neighborhood was eclectic. We walked in, and they had couches and folding chairs set up. It was unintentionally artsy. They just used what they had.”
The couple had been concerned by issues at their previous church and were searching for a like-minded place of worship.
Warwick described that first service.
“It filled our spirits. It was like taking a deep breath after breathing shallowly for a long time,” she said.
An invitation to join the worship team provided them deeper connections. Four kids later, they still serve on the worship team and their children are actively involved in ministry.
“It felt like God created space for us,” she said. “It’s a small church, but we find ways to make a difference.”
Grace in all directions
As the congregation’s size fluctuated, Blauer noted that members began discussing what it truly means to be the church, rather than just attend one.
Once again, they looked at the needs in their neighborhood.
What they saw was a community grappling with an ongoing opioid and fentanyl crisis.
“We stepped up to get involved — to be the hands and feet where there is real need,” Blauer said. “We’re actively involved with Adult & Teen Challenge, and we transport people here from Union Gospel Mission programs.”
Warwick and her son volunteer with other church members at the UGM after-school youth club at Frances L.N. Scott Elementary.
“It’s the closest school to our church,” she said. “It’s relationship building. This is our fourth year — now they hug us when they see us.”
The opportunity to make a difference in their community is what drew them to the church 19 years ago.
“We didn’t pick Jacob’s Well because of the neighborhood, but that’s been such a blessing to us,” Warwick said. “I think we hold people well. We’re consistently in pursuit of God’s truth and grace is extended in all directions.”
Safe and seen
Summer Lowry is experiencing that grace.
She heard about the church at the UGM Women and Children’s Shelter.
“They pick up ladies and take them to church,” she said. “I have tattoos and piercings, but Pastor Eric and the elders were so welcoming and interested in me.”
Lowry is currently enrolled in UGM’s Women’s Recovery Program, and Jacob’s Well has been her home church since December.
“I can be who I am there,” she said. “They make us feel so comfortable.”
The church celebrates the women as they move through different phases of the recovery program, and they’re invited to share their testimonies. They’re included in church barbecues and women’s retreats.
That support means a lot to Lowry.
“I’m not alone. I have my Lord and Savior and Jacob’s Well,” she said. “I want to thank Pastor Eric for being so welcoming and for making us feel safe and seen. I have never felt so loved, seen and heard like I do at Jacob’s Well.”
Faithful to serve
After their kids were grown and grandchildren began arriving, the Blauers sold their home in East Central and moved to three acres south of town.
“Now, when I take the grandkids out, instead of needles on the ground I have to make sure there’s not a moose around.”
But he’s thrilled by the revitalization efforts in East Central, particularly by the recognition and celebration of its Black culture and history. And at 56, he’s contemplating what the next years hold for Jacob’s Well.
“What does it mean to be a predominantly white church in an area experiencing a revival of Black culture?”
During this time of discernment, Blauer expressed gratitude for celebrating 20 years with the church.
“It’s a book filled with beautiful and brutal chapters,” he said. “It’s beautiful when people can return to the same place years later and still find you. We’re just a group of Christians figuring out how to love each other and this city. We want to be faithful to serve God and to trust him for tomorrow.”