To see imperfect women bring Jesus into the everyday.
our mission
We’re Malissa and Nicole, co-founders and best friends from Vancouver, Canada. We met while working in ministry at one of Canada’s fastest growing churches.
God placed the story of the Samaritan woman on our hearts, and He grew our desire for women to meet Jesus at the well for themselves – to truly understand who He is and what He has promised. We had a vision of creating a safe space for imperfect women to connect, be encouraged, and help each other bring Jesus into their everyday lives.
Through The Well Practice, our blog, and recommended resources, The Well aims to be a place of truth for modern day followers of Jesus in an age of constant cultural distraction. We long to see every woman choose to follow Christ in the dailiness of their lives, and to experience how that decision redefines what it means to live well.
Welcome to The Well, imperfection required.
But more than that, we knew what WE most needed. We needed community. We needed solid Christian friendships. We were pretty much a mess.
We used to be very far from God – living life our own way, running away from pain and towards pleasure, getting into all sorts of things that seem “normal” to the world. But they were things that left us empty and broken.
Today, after experiencing God’s healing and transformative work in our lives, we are deeply dependent on Jesus and have truly never felt more at peace. We have been changed from the inside out. A relationship with Jesus can do that.
This was our story: experiencing incredible transformation from truly knowing Him. And we want the very same for you, too.
We both realized there was a gap for Christian women our age, and we wanted to fill it.
Here’s What We’re About
core values
01
02
We focus on spiritual and personal growth alongside relational health.
We value honesty with yourself, with God, and with each other.
03
We aim to turn faith into action through knowledge, understanding, and response to the promises of Jesus.
We Believe
maker of heaven and earth, eternally existent in three persons: the Father Almighty, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
we believe in one God,
comprising the Old and New Testament to be the inspired, infallible, authoritative, and complete Word of God. We believe that the Bible is the final authority on all matters pertaining to faith in God and the basis for all Christian teaching.
we believe the entire bible
in His eternal existence with the Father, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His triumphant ascension to the Father, and in His promised return in power and glory.
We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ,
in Jesus Christ alone and in his substitutionary sacrifice to satisfy God’s demand for judgment of sin, providing justification for every repentant sinner.
we believe that salvation is found through faith
who enables the Christian to be in personal relationship with God and who empowers the Christian to live a godly life.
we believe in the present ministry of the holy spirit
all those He has saved into the likeness of Jesus through the power of the scriptures, through prayer, through blessings, through suffering, and through the influence of other believers.
We believe God seeks to progressively shape
of followers of Jesus and in the unity and necessity of the local church under the lordship of Jesus Christ.
we believe in the spiritual unity
the Lord our God with all our hearts, all our souls, all our minds, and all our strength. We believe it is equally important to love one another as we love ourselves.
We believe the greatest commandment is to love
statement of faith
Comparison,
gossip, drama,
jealousy, tearing
each other down.
we're NOT ABOUT
Straight talk,
real life, personal stories, strong faith, lifting each other up.
we're ALL ABOUT
Malissa MacWilliams
Malissa has 10 years’ experience in the events & hospitality industry working with a variety of corporate and non-profit organizations, including one of Canada’s fastest growing churches. She is passionate about bringing people together, developing strong leaders, and creating unique experiences that leave an impact. You can often find her reading a new book or on the trails hiking! She and her husband live in Port Moody, BC.
co-founder, director of operations
meet the team
the dream team
Nicole Martens
Nicole is a sought-after and skilled graphic designer with a talent for communicating through visual design with 7+ years experience as a designer, studying at Emily Carr University and serving as an integral part of projects in one of Canada's fastest growing churches. Nicole is also the in-house Lead Designer for Village Church and responsible for creating everything from production visuals to print deliverables. She has a keen eye for details and thrives on infusing her faith into graphic design in a fresh new way.
co-founder, creative director
Kristara Vainio
Kristara is an incredibly talented photographer based in the Greater Vancouver Area. She's been married to the love of her life for 10+ sweet years, which they've shared with their furbabies, Sarge, and newest member of the family, little Disney (2 adorable Bernese Mountain Dogs). When Kristara is not behind the lens, you can find her living it up in her Pinterest-worthy home in Mission, BC where she loves living in the Fraser Valley! We love this girl’s heart for Jesus and her desire to share His love with those around her!
The well practice coordinator
Shannen Powell
Shannen was born and raised in South Africa and moved to Canada in 2014 to complete her English degree. She has worked in marketing and copywriting since and is also a professional, but fairly inactive, makeup artist. She spends a great deal of both her work and spare time explaining to people what a copywriter does.
Shannen loves to cook and bake and enjoys forcing her husband to try her strange kitchen experiments. She considers it a basic life necessity to have at least one family braai (a South African BBQ) a week and will take any opportunity to spend time with her family.
social media coordinator
the women behind the well
daily life
Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in
them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
john 4:14
WORdS TO LIVE BY
Let's get real! Browse blog posts written by incredible writers in our community on relationships, discipleship, everyday faith and more.
Browse our Blog posts
The Well Practice is an opportunity to dive deeper into your faith alongside other women.
Check out The Well Practice
WHERE TO NEXT?
join the team
LIKE our VIBE?
The Well Practice relies on the success of strong Facilitators at the helm of our small groups. We are looking for mature Christian women who have a passion for leadership and are comfortable with facilitating a small group discussion in their home. If you are willing to let God use you and your story to make an impact please get in touch!
