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 the comments or email us at [email protected]

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 weaving in the question - "What is God up to in this story, and how can I be a part of it?"

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. Whether we are religious or not, we grow, evolve, fall apart, and come back together... So the question isn't 'Are you being formed?' it's 'Who or what are you being formed into?''

The way Sister Jane Michele treats others and views her purpose is clear that she's been sitting with the Lord every morning and evening for the past 40 years.

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 story beyond the pew? We'd love to hear it! Share you story with us at [email protected]

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 taught her how loving others can be a beautiful, everyday act of grace and kindness.

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 place where everyone can flourish.

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 Kingdom of God?"

Do you have a story of the Church Beyond the Pew? Let us know at [email protected]

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've learned along the way through our favorite moments.

What's next for the podcast? Get a sneak peek into our next miniseries called Stories Beyond the Pew!

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.

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 Patti Lahay, Crossroads' Advocacy Team Leader for Glenwood Kids. Crossroads is one of the largest commuter churches in Evansville, and they've been involved in the Glenwood neighborhood for a long time.

They share insights and stories about doing neighborhood work in a place that your church isn't in, and why building trusting relationships is where the work has to begin.