For Evansville

🏡 How Can Stronger Neighborhoods Create More Opportunities? 💡 In this episode of the Four Evansville Podcast, we explore the powerful connection between neighborhood revitalization and upward mobility in Evansville. Adrienne, Amy Mangold (President & CEO of United Way), and Austin Maxheimer (Love Your Neighborhood Director at Community One) dive into how shifting the focus from poverty reduc...

What if better connectivity could transform Evansville’s economy, healthcare access, and overall quality of life? In this episode we talk about how transportation impacts everything from job access to community vibrancy. We also dive into METS Micro, an innovative new transit solution that’s already making a difference. 73% of rider's feel more connected to our city. Tune in to discover why a...

How do we bridge the gap between education and employment? In this episode, we dive into the Thriving Workforce section of Talent EVV's annual report. Join us as we speak with BJ Watts (Executive Director of OptIN), Robin Woebkenberg (Counselor & CTE Program Operations at OptIN), and Annie Hills (Chief of Staff at Old National Bank) about how local businesses and schools are creating hands...

“Bringing new talent to Evansville isn’t just about numbers—it’s about building a community that’s excited to be here.” In this episode discussing Talent EVV's annual report, Adrienne sits down with Abby Elpers and Ashley Riester to talk about how Evansville is tackling population growth . Programs like Make My Move and Belong Here bring new residents and talent to the city while strengthening...

We're back with season 5! Can you believe it? We're kicking off the year in collaboration with Talent EVV, taking a look at their annual report. They had some big goals for Evansville by 2025, and it's that time...did they meet them? Adrienne and Jonathan are joined by Tyler Stock, Executive Director of Talent EVV, to discuss the region’s ambitious goals for growth and transformation....

We know, nutrition and wellness seem like buzzwords right now. But before you roll your eyes and decide to skip this episode, there's a reason we thought it was important. Our guest, Theresa Scheller, applies the science of nutrition to mental and physical wellness. After years of struggling with ADHD, Theresa's journey into science and nutrition and mental health started with her own personal hur...

Immigrants. Refugees. All hot button phrases right now. But what if these "political issues" sat down next to you at church? In this week's episode we sit down with local pastor Brett Doninger and a long-time member of his church, Elizabeth. Over the course of a year, their church has transformed into something they couldn't have imagined, therefore changing their congregation to act differently b...

Husband, father of eight kids, ultra-marathon runner, psychologist, author, podcaster … you get the point. Jim Schroeder seems to do it all. It’s his self-prescribed mission of  wholiness – the synonymous drive of holiness and wholeness in all aspects of our being: physical, psychological, social, and spiritual. Our current miniseries is about places we find the Church outside of the church buildi...

Brian grew up thinking the most spiritual, closest people to God were missionaries and pastors. So that was his goal - to become a lead pastor. But Brian started noticing a trend in his personal experience - church was becoming more and more stressful and work was more and more life-giving.  This unexpected reality caused Brian to reconstruct his ideas of who and where God wanted him to be. Join u...

What do politics, the environment, and the Church have in common? Loving your neighbor. The Church in politics is a risky thing to say. But this episode with Councilwoman Mary Allen explores how followers of Jesus can navigate that space. You may also know her as the owner of Sixth + Zero, the beautiful store on Main Street in downtown Evansville that inspires us all to waste less and live more.

Bill Altman heard God speak to him in a factory. He went to college to be a missionary. Now he helps people plan how and where they’re buried. Sometimes life doesn’t follow the trajectory you intend, but as Bill puts it, "There’s beauty in every stage and in every place of your life.” In this episode we explore the question Can the Church be in the mundane?  Share your story beyond the pew in...

Web developer. Preacher. Bass Player. Gardener. Car washer extraordinaire Dan Sullivan joins us to talk about the Chicken Pot Pie life (as opposed to the TV Dinner life... we'll let him explain that one). Dan is one of those guys that seems to have mastered integrating his faith into every aspect of his life. He also loves to share stories. So that's what we do - share stories while weavin...

Sister Jane Michele has done something for the past 40 years. In our Stories Beyond the Pew series, we listen to people share moments where it clicked: someone asked the right question, connections were made, the right book or sermon hit home. But what if you haven't had a moment like that? In John Mark Comer's Practicing the Way, he says, "To be human is to change, constantly. Whethe...

Gayla sees her cake shop as more than just a business—it's her ministry. Inspired by a friend's words that she could be a light on the corner, she shares many stories of how Gayla Cake has done just that. Sometimes it takes a small word from a friend to remind us that what we're gifted at and what we're already doing is a part of what God is doing in the community. Have your own st...

Today we sit down with our own Communications Coordinator, Adrienne Gregurich. Growing up, she watched (and helped) her mom care for their neighbors, simply by meeting needs - big or small. These experiences taught her invaluable lessons about what it truly means to be a neighbor and how love is best expressed through actions. These simple yet powerful gestures redefined her view of community and...

We gather leaders to address our city's greatest needs. We also like to invest in them and help them grow. What better way than to hear from our city's Mayor. Jonathan, our Executive Director, had the privilege of interviewing Mayor Stephanie Terry at the Global Leadership Summit this year. We hope you're encouraged by her leadership and inspired to work together to make Evansville a p...

The first episode of Stories Beyond the Pew. This new miniseries is a mission to help Christians and Churches discover the role they can play in addressing our city's greatest needs. We're out of the gate with Hannah Bedwell, Sports Director for the Parks and Recreation Department. She talks about struggling with answering the question: "What do day to day sports have to do with the K...

Sometimes we get the question "But what do you guys actually do ?" We're really motivated and excited about advancing human flourishing in our city through the Church. But what does that look like for our team on a daily basis? Join us in this special bonus episode as we reflect on the highlights of the past six months (did we cause some people to change careers?) and share what we&#...

This is the last episode in our Liturgy of the Neighborhood miniseries! If you haven't had a chance to listen to the other episodes, we'd recommend doing that first. The For Evansville team talks about their favorite moments of the series, and we've got some practical next steps for you. Read The Art of Neighboring and get to know your neighbors Watch our short film, Left Turn , about...

A Commuter Church is a church where the majority of attendees do not live within walking distance. 81% of Christians drive 6+ minutes to church. So the reality is, most of us aren't neighboring alongside our church body. Or if we are, we're doing it somewhere we don't actually live. That's why we sat down with John Heflick, Local Engagement Lead at Crossroads Christian Church and P...

Liturgy. It's one of those churchy words where some Christians know exactly what it means, some think it's not a part of their denomination, and some don't know what it means at all. You're not alone! In this episode Austin Maxheimer, Love Your Neighborhood Director at Community One and author of Neighborhoods & Jesus, walks us through what liturgy means and how it can apply to...

"I want the neighborhood to fight for us to stay." Do you have too many volunteers? We sure don't run into anyone who does. But Pastor John Culbertson and Neighborhood Liaison Kelly Fehrenbacher of Hope City Church may have just figured it out. What happens in the church during weekend services informs what happens in the neighborhood during the week, and vice versa. This intentional...

Are neighborhood revitalization efforts evangelism? Should you measure the success of a church by its attendance? Is a church crazy for stopping their most successful event? Join the discussion with Kelli Ward, Operations and Outreach Pastor at Renew Christian Church and the President of Lamasco Neighborhood Association, Fred Mulfinger. In this packed episode, we cover topics from collaboration be...

Liturgies are formulas for worship. Neighborhoods are big enough for us to have the potential to live, work and play but small enough for us to be known ( The New Parish ). We're kicking off our new season with a mini-series where we explore what daily rhythms and practices you should adopt to pursue bringing love, justice and purpose (aka: God's Kingdom) to your neighborhood. We'll sh...

Josh Calhoun is the Executive Director of Hope of Evansville . Today spends his time working with low-to-moderate income households to break down barriers to homeownership. This was not always how he thought his life would end up. When he was a young person living in the Akin Park neighborhood in Evansville, Josh had aspirations of being a drug dealer, and eventually had a plan to rob a bank. Some...