For Evansville For Evansville

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. 



You can learn more about the Ohio River Vision and Strategic Plan website.

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.

In our conversation with Tim Soerens, author of Everywhere You Look: Discovering the Church right where you are, we talk about the importance of asking the question, "What is the Church for?"

This hopeful and thoughtful episode has us looking forward to the future of the Church and how we all (not just pastors/leaders) have to daily ask "What is God doing here, right where I am, and what's my role in this?"



Show Notes:

Tim's book: Everywhere You Look

The Patient Ferment of the Early Church (book)

S3 Ep13: People Trust Jesus But They Don't Trust the Church

Join our email list so you don't miss Tim coming in January!

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.



We want to help! Part of our job is listening to the needs and dreams of churches and church leaders. If you want our thoughts or help with your specific church and what it communicates, reach out to us! We'd love to connect with you at connect@forevansville.org

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

More info and RSVP HERE

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?



Since our mission is to advance human flourishing through the Church - this stat from the Barna Group really stood out to us. Why don't people have a positive opinion of Churches? What can the Church do about it? What can we do about it? Do our churches not reflect Jesus?



All these questions led our team to turn the podcast mics on and hash it out. We want you to join in the conversation - so head on over to instagram or youtube and let us know what you think - what could help change people's opinion of churches?



Notes:

Barna Study (Nationwide)

Faith and Flourishing Study (Local)

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:

U.S Surgeon General's Report: "Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation."