Celebrating 30 Years of Jacob's Well Coffeehouse

"Celebrating 30 Years of Jacob’s Well Coffeehouse” featuring live performances by Walter Santos, Dave Pettigrew and Arno Groot and the premiere of In His Service, a new praise band, will be held rain or shine on Saturday, July 19 from 1-4 pm. If the weather is decent, the event will be held outdoors in the future WIHS Ampitheater behind WIHS 104.9 FM, 1933 South Main Street. If it rains, the event will be moved to VOX Church, 2.5 miles north of WIHS at 653 South Main Street. Parking and admission are free.

At the outdoor venue, guests will be able to bring folding chairs, blankets, sandwiches and snacks, coolers with non-alcoholic drinks, sunglasses, umbrellas and sunscreen. Mama Mia’s Ice Cream Truck will visit the venue twice during the event.

Santos grew up in New York City and became a talented live concert and studio percussionist, performing with Weather Report, Charlie Daniels, Marshall Tucker and The Outlaws. However, the fast life of sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll led him to drug addiction. On the precipice of destruction and jail, his life was radically transformed. Santos is now a pastor at a church in New Jersey.

Pettigrew is a gifted contemporary worship leader, singer, keyboardist, recording artist and author from New Jersey. Over the years, he has opened for and toured with Mercy Me, For King & Country, Jeremy Camp, Big Daddy Weave, Sidewalk Prophets, Michael W. Smith, Paul Baloche, Phil Wickham, Rend Collective, Brandon Heath, Tenth Avenue North, Jason Gray, Unspoken and many others.

Groot is well-known in statewide recovery ministries and has closed Jacob’s Well coffeehouses with his beautiful rendition of The Lord’s Prayer on the saxophone for many years. He resides in Ellington.

In His Service is a new praise band formed to be ambassadors for WIHS Christian Radio. The initial members of the band include Gerry Williams of Hartford and Cat Leigh from Bristol on vocals, Daniel Harper from Ellington on keyboards, and Drew Crandall from Ellington on percussion.

In the 1960s and 1970s, millions of Baby Boomers grew up in church, but in many instances, what they experienced was empty religion. As teens and young adults, they left church, walked away from tradition, and many immersed themselves in a counter-culture of sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll.

In the midst of this wild Hippie culture, the Holy Spirit moved and raised up a revival referred to as the “Jesus Movement.” Theatrical productions, song tracks and movies of Jesus Christ Superstar and Godspell acquainted these young people with the life of Christ in a new way. Many Hippies came to Christ in a personal way, took their passion for music, peace and love, and transformed the landscape of Christian music far beyond traditional piano, organ and choir. This sparked the creation of Christian coffeehouses, which quickly became innovative ways to minister through music, share the Gospel, and lead souls to God's saving grace.

Jacob’s Well Christian Coffeehouse was created by two Baby Boomers who experienced coffeehouses in the 1970s. Drew and Dawn Crandall were persuaded that coffeehouse ministry was still a relevant and effective way to share the Good News of Jesus through the performing arts. From 1995-2007, the coffeehouse was held at Ellington Wesleyan Church. From 2008-2024, it was held at Union Church in Rockville. Altogether, over 325 free monthly coffeehouses were held featuring an eclectic mix of local, regional, national and international Christian performing artists.

Looking forward, WIHS Christian Radio’s property includes a 7.5-acre sloped field that lends itself well to become an ampitheater for Christian concerts and festivals. The July 19 event is a test of concept. In the future, WIHS envisions making site enhancements and constructing a permanent stage for concerts, festivals and outreaches.

WIHS 104.9 FM is the "granddaddy" of Christian radio in Connecticut, on the air 24/7 since October of 1969. The commercial-free, listener-supported, non-profit station broadcasts a mix of inspirational music, teaching, preaching, locally-produced shows, news, traffic and weather. WIHS now livestreams its content on ten digital platforms and recently launched its new app for Android and Apple devices. Over 2,500 shows are archived on the WIHS 1049 YouTube Channel. For more information, please call the WIHS office at 860.346.1049 or visit www.WIHSradio.org.