For Evansville

"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, cyclical culture has cleared a path for neighborhood transformation.

Tune in for inspiring stories and deep convictions to bring transformation to a neighborhood.

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 between churches, businesses, and nonprofits to micro-galleries all centered around what it looks like for a church to engage its neighborhood.

Show Notes:

We can't thank you enough for listening and joining with us this year on the For Evansville Podcast. We're really proud of our work from 2023, and we are also really excited for the ambitious new goals we are setting for 2024 and the years following.

In this episode, we talk about our new strategy that will lead toward that ambitious goal and why we think it can make an impact throughout our city. We also spend some time celebrating the work we've been able to join in this year.

When is the last time you saw the Ohio River? When is the last time you saw it because you were walking by it?

As For Evansville seeks to advance human flourishing, we wanted to talk about how a new riverfront project advances human flourishing in Evansville. It’s a lot more complex than you might think. We talk about things like providing equal opportunities to live, work and play by the river, the benefits of giving the community a place to interact with  people from different ages and socioeconomic backgrounds than their normal circles, and the positive physical and mental health implications of a beautiful space. 

We wanted to hear from the people behind the project - so in today’s episode - Jonathan sits down with Candace from Evansville Regional Economic Partnership, and Anna - a Landscape Architect at Sasaki, the company that oversees the Riverfront Development Project. 

Do you feel restless from the tension between your dreams of what you think the Church could be and the reality of what your church experience is? You're not alone.

The Church is and should be a vital part of the community. Its collective impact should be seen and felt by everyone. But as we explored in previous episodes, the stats show that currently isn't the case. So what can we do?

In this episode, we want to discuss communication within your church. As our team comes from a Church Communications background, we talk about how everything you say, do, and even how you decorate communicates something. We also share some pretty bad (but funny) communication fails when we worked for our churches.

CEO of Leadership Everyone, Lynn Miller Pease discusses the inclusive process of VOICE sessions, where all voices are valued equally, and the importance of diverse perspectives and historical awareness in shaping a brighter future. These sessions collect valuable census-like data as well as the ideas, dreams and visions of participants. This data can be used for a number of amazing things, but you'll have to listen to the episode to find out its full potential.

Join us as we talk about the value of active listening, and the excitement of connecting with a community united by shared dreams.

Join us for the

Regional VOICE Reveal

September 14 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm

Old National Events Plaza Ballroom

71% of Americans have a positive opinion of Jesus, while 47% of Americans have a positive opinion Churches in their community.

What's the disconnect?

Earlier this year, the U.S Surgeon General released a report titled "Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation."

Isolation seems like a problem for individuals, but it actually affects every aspect of our community.

In this episode, the For Evansville Staff sat down to discuss points in the report we found relevant to our work.

We wanted to answer the questions:

1. What can our listeners do about it?

2. What can the local Church do about it?

3. And how to change the question from "How do we get people connected?" to "How can we get people to connect with each other?"

Show notes:

"When you bring people together around food, you create community - you create love."

"If we know our neighbors better, think how much stronger our community would be." - Mayor Winnecke

When you have a podcast about being for Evansville, it's pretty much #goals to get the Mayor of Evansville on. Well, we're excited to announce we've achieved our goal with this episode featuring special guest Mayor Lloyd Winnecke.

As he wraps up over a decade of service to our city, we sat down with him to talk about what he's learned, what he's proud of, and what makes Evansville stand out from other cities.

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"We're not going to change their life. We're going to give them tools to change their own life."

Have you ever noticed that you see homeless men a lot more than homeless women? Yet on any given day, Evansville averages about 300 homeless men and 200 homeless women. Why don't we see them?

In this episode, we sit down with Katrinka, the campaign manger for the future Susan H. Snyder Center for Women and Children. We talk about everything from why we don't see women and children as often as the men, what wrap-around care for women looks like, and who needs to get involved to make it work.

Show Notes:

If you're a parent, grandparent, caretaker or involved with kids in any way, you know Evansville has a child care problem. And the problem is multi-dimensional - lack of child care workers, high prices, high turnover rates, etc. It seems like a reoccurring theme at this point. Almost every guest we have points to early childhood development as the starting point of many issues in our community. So in this episode, we sit down with Aleisha Sheridan, the President and CEO of Building Blocks to talk about the accessibility, affordability and quality of early childhood care. Why is it so important, what are the barriers our city faces, and what can we do about it?

We like to say Evansville is an ecosystem of neighbors. When people struggle, our whole city struggles. In this episode we look at the two systems of Affordable Housing and Education. Beth Folz, the Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity and Sheila Huff, the Director of Strategic Engagement at EVSC discuss how unstable housing affects education and how education affects the perception of the housing crisis. In short, we all need to be more educated and empathetic when it comes to these complex issues. 

“We want to make a bunch of money and give a bunch of money away.”

In this episode, we are joined by the CEO Ben Schmidt, and HR Director Ryan Nunn of CrossPoint Polymer Technologies. They share their heart for valuing every person that works for their company, regardless of their role, position, or background through open communication and mutual respect.

But they don’t stop there. They ask their employees what kind of impact they want to have in their community, not just their job, and discovered there was a common denominator amongst their employees to support Evansville’s kids. This inspired them to reach out to local schools, develop trust and partnerships to meet tangible needs to help students and teachers to be successful.

"I believe we can change Evansville one relationship at a time." 

It's Black History Month, and Evansville is celebrating with a Unity Concert on February 19. We're kicking off Season 3 with an interview with the Unity Concert choir director, James Hamler, and Renew Christian Church's Music and Technology Pastor, Ryan Stapleton. 

In this episode, we talk about Gospel music as an art form, it's history, and how it was a part of history and culture in America. And James and Ryan discuss the importance of unity not only racially, but across denominations and generations. 

Show notes:

Phillip Boyd, Senior Case Manager at the Evansville Rescue Mission, is the perfect person for the job. Having walked through addiction, and continuing long-term recovery, he truly understands the men coming through the doors seeking addiction. In this episode, he shares his story of addiction, recovery, and the people, programs, and collaboration it takes to help people struggling with addiction, mental wellness and homelessness.

Phillip’s time with us was extremely enlightening and we know you’ll be inspired by him and the organizations he collaborates with to make Evansville a city where everyone can flourish.

Show notes:

Did you know Evansville has the number one Kindermusik program in the United States and the second best program in the world? In this episode we sit down with Jeremy Seger, Kindermusik Educator and Board of Directors Chair of The Isaiah 1:17 Project [an initiative to support Foster families] to talk about the importance of connection for children, and how that sets a course towards emotionally healthy adults.

Foster Care is a big issue for our region, and 50% of foster parents quit within the first year if they don’t have wrap around care. Jeremy gives practical and easy examples of how we as a community of individuals and businesses can provide support for Foster families.

Our State of E Report is here! In this episode, we sit down with John Benton, the Director of Cradle to Career Continuum at Dream Center Evansville and a lover of all things stats and data. It's because of his hard work compiling all the data for us that the report exists. Together, we discuss the overarching themes, what stood out to us, and honestly, what made us cry.

We've taken our findings and summarized it into five areas of opportunity. They represent some of the most crucial building blocks to a flourishing life. If a person or family struggles in one of these areas, they will likely face a number of significant challenges. Likewise, when we work to better our city in these five areas, we empower people and families to pursue stability and flourishing for themselves and for Evansville.  

Over the next few months, we'll deep dive into each area of opportunity.

Show Notes: 

John Benton, director of Cradle-to-Career Continuum at Dream Center shares a story of a tenant and how she views herself and her family based on her circumstances.  What if you judged your neighbors' circumstances in such a way where you were valuing and dignifying all persons?

"If the school system is healthy and thriving and flourishing, the city will be the same."  Roseyn Hood is the Chief Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Officer for the Evansville School Corporation, and Joann Hunter is the Co-Leader of And How are the Children Evansville.  Together, they sit down with Jonathan to discuss equity among all students in Evansville, and how the community needs the schools to thrive, and how the schools need the community to thrive.

It feels good to volunteer, but sometimes, the things we do to help have unintended consequences. In this episode, we sit down with Gina Gibson, CEO of the Evansville Christian Life Center, and Catherine King, CharityTracker Manager to talk about the idea of toxic charity - what is it, and how do we find ways to give our neighbors a hand up, not a handout? Together we explore what makes helping meaningful and life-giving for both the volunteer and the recipient. 

SHOW NOTES: 

Plants in space, vertical farming and growing produce in your house Keurig-style seems straight out of a science fiction novel. But it’s actually straight out of Evansville. Today’s guest, Scott Massey, is the co-founder and CEO of GroPod. Using his understanding of technology and agriculture, GroPod wants to give people the tools and knowledge to empower everyone to grow pure produce in their home or neighborhood. This potentially world-changing technology is being developed right here in Evansville.

“It’s not just that we are in Evansville, it’s thanks to Evansville that we are here,” said Scott. “We couldn’t have seriously done this without the existence of this city.”

Show notes:

Follow what GroPod is up to!

In a time where our country seems more focused on our differences, we want to share a story of how an Evangelical leader and a political leader (specifically, the openly gay mayor of Portland, Oregon) realized they could do a lot of good together. In our interview with Kevin Palau, he talks about how despite their differences, both communities had to learn that you don’t have to sacrifice what you believe in to participate in common goals for the good of the city.

Show Notes

The phrase "Preschool to Prison Pipeline" sounds pretty alarming. Fortunately, we have a lot of great organizations and individuals, like our guest Joann Hunter, walking alongside kids to disrupt the systemic problems that cause a pipeline like this to happen. But it doesn't end there. You can also help disrupt the pipeline by getting involved, or as Joann puts it, just showing up. Love disrupts everything.

In this episode we hear Joann's story about how it took a village to raise her, and how that inspires her to serve her community and be that caring adult for others. You'll leave this conversation feeling inspired to just show up for others and disrupt the pipeline in your circles of influence.   

You read the title correctly - this week our guest, Ubi Ntewo talks about not only why we should discuss politics, religion, and other hard topics with people, but why it’s necessary.

Ubi himself covers some pretty hard pills to swallow in this conversation like why you shouldn’t actually “agree to disagree” and that pastors should be unified in their theology.

Take a quiz with us! In this Episode, we test our Evansville knowledge by taking Evansville Living Magazine's "How well do you know Evansville?" quiz. We were surprised at Evansville's contribution to the world! After the quiz, we wrap up by discussing why it's actually important to know things about our city. Spoiler alert - you can't love what you don't know.

“Our ceiling is their floor.”

Theophilus Akai hails from Ghana, West Africa, and after living in multiple states in the U.S., he settled in Evansville - and loves it! Theo has a passion for music and creating spaces for people, especially kids, to learn and grow. His thoughtful commentary on exposing kids to all sorts of opportunities, not just music, inspired us to dream of ways we can invest in the younger generations to help them be for Evansville.

We have to add - we’re a bit starstruck with Theo at the moment, as you’ll hear his guitar work behind UG SKywalkin representing Indiana on NBC’s American Song Contest! The first episode airs March 21 at 8/7c - check it out and cheer on Indiana with us!

Listen to our interview with Theo on your favorite podcast platform.

Show notes:

If you were riding on an elevator with someone and they asked you to describe Evansville, what would you say in that one minute?

The For Evansville team kicks off season 2 by discussing what makes Evansville unique, why it’s important to highlight problems, and looking forward to this upcoming season.

Show Notes

To like the neighborhood you live in, you have to like the actual people that live there - your neighbors. And to like them, you have to know them. Sometimes it seems harder than it sounds, so that’s why we asked Dan Sullivan, expert on being a good neighbor (we gave him that title), to join us this week.

From simple, practical stories of starting conversations to genuinely loving Evansville and rooting for her flourishing, Dan inspires us to be a positive presence in our homes, neighborhoods, and city.

In this episode:
Dan Sullivan

Being involved with over 26 local non-profits, our guest Lisa Vaughan has a good pulse on the needs and dreams of our city. During the quarantine, she used that knowledge to shed a light on one of Evansville’s biggest needs - food insecurity. After making a lot of phone calls and bringing people together, Feed Evansville was born, working together with community organizations to provide boxes of food to our entire city during the pandemic, and the work still continues today.

Knowing she can’t do the work alone, Lisa’s story is especially inspiring due to her go-getter yet humble attitude, and how she truly loves the people in our city through her actions.

“I think we make life about issues, and what I’m doing has nothing to do with issues, it has to do with people. These aren’t issues, these are human beings that need food.” - Lisa

Show notes:

Although the origins to Grippo's have no known connection to the city of Evansville, Indiana, the Bar-B-Q Potato Chip product is incredibly popular there, and has become a significant part of the local culture.

“Grippos.” wikipedia.com, 09 September 2021, wikipedia.com/grippos.

We’re not sure about you, but we were pretty shocked when we found out that Grippo’s BBQ potato chips aren’t actually made here. So we did a little digging and found out where they came from, how they got here, and in the process we ended up being inspired by the idea that one person can change the entire culture of a city.

Are you a top of the box or a bottom of the box Grippo's eater? Do you have any more info on debunking the myth that the Fall Festival is the United State's 2nd largest street festival? What's your favorite way to eat Grippos? Let us know at info@forevansville.org

Show notes:

Part of our vision is that Evansville becomes a place where everyone has work that provides community value and individual purpose. That’s why we wanted to sit down and talk with Amy Bouchie - she is a great example of how this idea plays out in her own life. It wasn’t always like that for her, so in this episode, Amy shares with us her journey from seeing her career as just a job, to viewing it as a specific skill set that she could share to empower others. It left us asking ourselves the question “What unique knowledge or skills do I have, that I could offer to serve others?”

“If I have something that someone else doesn’t have, and I can afford to share my knowledge, time and resources, then that’s what I should be doing…The most selfless acts are where I’ve been the most useful.” - Amy

IN THIS EPISODE:

Amy Bouchie, Certified Financial Planner at New Horizons Financial Consultants

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“If we think about death, then we think about how we’re going to live.”

In this episode, we sit down with Social Worker, Therapist, Counselor and co-founder of What Matters Most, Evansville? Andrea Lanz. She walks us through her unique story about how she went from wanting to never live in Evansville again to loving it. She’s passionate about coping with and preparing for various life transitions, and why it’s important for our entire city to embrace the grief process and the value of sharing our stories with one another.

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As Evansville foodies ourselves, we love talking about pizza and donuts just as much as anyone. And maybe that was a little bit of our motivation for bringing Founder and Owner of Pangea and 2nd Language, Randy Hobson, on our show. But what we weren't expecting was to meet a guy who loves our city and cares so much about its people and culture, that he figured out a way to bring his passions and cross-cultural experiences together to make Evansville a more flourishing city. 

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