A seminary student, a resident hall director and a street and community outreach coordinator all share one thing. They are all on a "Staircase to Nowhere."
In 2013, Noah Nemni ('18) walked up the stairs of Samuel Morris Hall as a prospective student at Taylor University. That is when he first met David Neel ('15).
They are currently in the second season of their podcast titled "Staircase to Nowhere," named after a staircase in Union Church Noblesville.
While the staircase destination is unclear, it is no mystery that these three friends have found a good avenue to stay connected whilst entertaining and informing their listeners.
Nemni visited Taylor for the Envision Film Festival during Neel's freshman year.
"He (Neel) was so creative and funny and welcoming and just included me," Nemni said. "And I became so close to him in such a short time."
Neel invited Nemni back the next two years for Envision. Then, all of a sudden, it was Neel's senior year. Nemni was a freshman, and the two lived together on the third floor of Samuel Morris Hall, better known as the Brotherhood.
Neel graduated from Taylor with a degree in international studies and cross-cultural ministries and went on to get a master's of divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary.
In 2018, Neel was finishing his master's at Asbury as Nemni was finishing his bachelor's degree from Taylor in Christian ministries. Now, Nemni is finishing up his own master's from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary as Neel serves as Samuel Morris Hall director.
During these years, their friendship flourished, even as they were in two very different walks of life.
The first steps of the staircase began when Nemni was in high school where he met Sam Carroll.
The two have walked through life together ever since, performing in drama productions at their church and now preparing for this podcast, another project they've tackled side by side.
"I just know that I can talk to him (Carroll) about anything," Nemni said. "I know that we have been through some life together and that he truly understands me."
Nemni and Carroll were already close friends when Nemni first met Neel at Taylor, but Neel quickly became friends with both of them.
After Neel graduated, he took a job as a pastor for Union Church Noblesville in 2021. The following summer, Nemni was visiting Neel and invited Carroll and his wife, Erika, thinking they would get along.
Neel showed his old and new friends around the small church. They were walking and talking as an idea formed in the three friends' heads: ‘We should start a podcast.’
After some brief discussion, they decided they would record a weekly phone call together. If anything, it was just for them to keep.
"We were just having great conversations with three of us all together, and we thought that it would make for a really fun opportunity to hang out every week," Nemni said.
Neel said that, for him, it was a way to stay connected with his friends because Carroll lived in Kentucky and Nemni had recently moved to Florida, while he was still in Indiana.
One week later, Neel and Nemni received a voice message from Carroll. He had put together an introduction to a podcast, and they thought it was great.
"So that's how the podcast got started, it was summer festivities, an ordination service and the gumption of one man with some free time," Neel said.
When they started the podcast in 2022, Nemni said it was a time in his life when he was becoming very cynical about his faith and the church.
He reached out to his friends and leaned on them for support.
"I definitely wouldn't be where I am in my faith and in my life if not for these guys," Nemni said. "It's just their encouragement in my life and their example of also following Christ."
The podcast is like making their friendship public, Caroll said.
In each episode, they work out what it looks like to follow Jesus and live on mission in America today.
Some episodes emphasize ministry more than others. One week, the trio discussed fundamentalism and its implications for the Christian faith. The following week, they released an episode where their wives took over the podcast and shared their thoughts on various topics.
They each bring a unique perspective as they examine and question the ministry methods they grew up with, all while seeking to honor God in today's context.
"All three of us are serving in different kinds of ministry contexts,” Nemni said. "Ministry can be really lonely and hard, and it is really nice to know that we have each other and we're supporting one another."
Neel looks forward to talking to his best friends every week as they have become two of the closest relationships he has outside of his family.
As the podcast continues into the second season, they are looking forward to having even more engaging conversations and camaraderie that shines a light on Christ.
