Jacob’s Well was founded in 2014 by Kevin and Barbara Williar
Kevin and Barbara Williar
I know what it’s like to lose everything and suddenly become homeless. In a matter of 18 months all that we had was gone. I found myself divorced and thrust into chaos with two teenage children looking to me to bring back the security they once had.
The difference was that I had a family I could count on to give us a safe place to live and the encouragement I needed to begin the process of starting over. It takes a long time to recover from that kind of loss. Coming back to my faith in Christ was the biggest component to my healing.
When God called Kevin and me to this ministry, I knew in my heart what they were feeling. It’s hard to believe things will ever be good again. We knew it would take more than material help. They would need a safe place to live and a program to help train them for a successful new beginning. So we set out on a journey to develop a program that would do just that… Jacob’s Well is that place.
Kevin and I began this journey while on mission trips to Romania to partner with our pastor’s daughter who was rescuing Gypsy children in a very poor village. Children who were being abused and neglected. We saw first-hand how God was making a difference in the lives of these children by placing them in a safe environment and surrounding them with His love through ordinary people. After our 6th trip Kevin said to me, “It’s not enough to just serve God intentionally for only two weeks out of the year, what can we do with the other 50? There are widow’s and orphans right here in our own back yard that need help.” The scripture story about the “Woman at the Well” John 4:4-26 seemed to keep popping up everywhere to us. Soon we knew we were being called to help single mothers and their children find their way to Christ and the healing they needed. That’s why we named the ministry Jacob’s Well.
2 Cor. 9:8 tells us that when God calls you to a work, He will equip you. We have found that to be true many times over. God has brought so many wonderful, qualified people into this ministry with us. We are so blessed to be on this journey with these precious families.
Program Director
Sarah Flannery
Sarah has been serving as the director of Jacob’s Well since 2018.
Sarah holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Louisville and has earned certificates in leadership from Disney University and Dare to Lead.
She has worked in several positions in our Southern Indiana community as an advocate for struggling women and children, including Childplace, Greater Clark County Schools, and Southeast Christian Church.
Sarah is married with two young children and has lived in Kentuckiana for over 30 years.