“We need to return to square one…”
- Eugene Peterson
Square One Groups
In a talk given at Seattle Pacific University in 2011, Eugene Peterson addressed what it means to be “shaped and formed by the creative genius of God revealed in scripture.” Peterson said, “… we need to return to square one." (Peterson Talk- click here to listen)
For Peterson, “square one” is referring to a return to knowing the Bible and to holding our sacred text front and center. What Peterson was diagnosing in 2011 is no different than in 2023- people don’t know it, or at least not well enough. Our hope is our Square One program will help address this need and hopefully better equip people of faith to know and be transformed by what we read in the Bible.
Fall 2023 Groups
Square One Groups
Tuesday Square One in person group will meet from 6:30-8PM at St. Thomas More. The first meeting is on Tuesday, September 12. This group will meet a total of 10 times with the last meeting on Tuesday, December 5. Revelation
Thursday Square One virtual group will meet on Zoom from 7:30-9PM EST. The first meeting is on Thursday, September 14. This group will meet a total of 10 times with the last meeting on Thursday, December 6. Texts on “Courage”
Thursday Square One in person group meeting at the Orange County North Carolina Men’s Correctional Facility. This group is being offered in partnership with the Alamance/Orange Prison Ministry and their chaplain, Josh LeRoy. This group will meet on Thursdays from 12-1PM at the correctional facility. This group is for the men in the facility. The first meeting will be on Thursday, October 5. Miracles
Ministry Leaders Groups
Tuesday Ministry Leaders in person group will meet from 11:30-1:30PM at the home of our Associate Director, Janise. The first meeting is on Tuesday, September 12. This group will meet a total of 10 times with the last meeting on Tuesday, December 5. Revelation
Thursday Ministry Leaders virtual group will meet on Zoom from 9-10AM EST. The first meeting is on Thursday, September 14. This group will meet a total of 10 times with the last meeting on Thursday, November 30. Texts on “Courage”
Winter/Spring 2024 Groups
Each of our groups this winter/spring will be reflecting on the same texts and our theme is, "Anxious for Nothing." Our desire is to spend time reflecting on a variety of texts in scripture where we see an individual or group of people responding to a challenge. Our focal text will be from Philippians 4, but we will reflect on other texts that can speak into this topic as well. How are they instructed? Where do they find their peace? What can we learn from their and the Lord's response in that moment? What do we notice in scripture that can encourage us at a time when levels of anxiety are at an all time high? We invite you to join us as we sit with a variety of texts and with one another where we can find both encouragement and a model for faithfulness in times where we need extra strength.
Square One Groups
Monday Square One College Group will meet from 9:30-10:30PM EST over 4 sessions from January 29- February 19. This group will meet virtually on Zoom.
Tuesday Square One in person group will meet from 6:30-8PM at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Chapel Hill. The first meeting is on Tuesday, January 16. This group will meet a total of 8 times with the last meeting on Tuesday, May 7.
Thursday Square One virtual group will meet on Zoom from 7:30-9PM EST. The first meeting is on Thursday, January 18. This group will meet a total of 8 times with the last meeting on Thursday, May 9.
Ministry Leaders Groups
Tuesday Ministry Leaders in person group will meet from 11:30-1:30PM at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Chapel Hill. The first meeting is on Tuesday, January 16. This group will meet a total of 8 times with the last meeting on Tuesday, May 7.
Thursday Ministry Leaders virtual group will meet on Zoom from 8:45-9:45AM EST. The first meeting is on Thursday, January 18. This group will meet a total of 8 times with the last meeting on Thursday, May 9.
Peterson House Out & About
We have been on the road supporting the church responding to a variety of requests to facilitate a different experience with the Bible. This ranges from our facilitating a winter series for a church over 4 weeks to creating and leading a summer program to work alongside a pastor taking a sabbatical for the congregation where they serve. It is exciting to help support the church in ways that is an extension of what we are doing for ministry leaders and laity within our own program offerings. We are all ears and would love to listen to you and how we might assist your commitment to those you serve giving them more time in the text to shape their discipleship in your community.
Our groups usually range in size from 6-12 participants and we do our best to create groups that bring a rich diversity representing different parts of the body of Christ. We believe that such diversity can elevate what we are experiencing in the text. A facilitator will organize and moderate, though, will not be seen as a “teacher” or “lecturer” on the text. Our hope is the facilitator will be able to organize and moderate the time and bring out the insight of the group while also honoring the background of the text. The purpose of our gatherings are less consumption of content, rather, participation and voice about the text yourself. What we have learned from our groups is that this program is best when the pace is slow and the reading and reflecting feels purposeful and with depth. Even if you are not familiar with lectio divina, you will soon be excited for a space to sit still with the text with a feeling of unhurried delight.
What do you notice? How do we pay attention to each other and what we are hearing in the text? The facilitator may give some helpful background and keep the conversation organized, but mostly the facilitator is someone who loves the text and wants to help others engage in it as well. Our gatherings are less academic and more experiential. This is not a class. It is an immersive time together giving space to let the Word take on flesh in your life. The pace is thoughtful, intentional, contemplative, and probably slower than your stereotypical Bible study/class. Participants are less “student” and more invested contributor. A prerequisite for a participant is not that you are a scholar or that you may have read the Bible 100+ times. What we want is a group of people who are committed to reflecting on the Bible in a new way (but not really new at all) where through the diversity of the group and the pace of the read, we can sense a larger perspective of what the Lord is at work doing in the world, in the church, and in us.
Our “Square One” program is at the heart and soul of what Peterson House aims to do- bringing small groups of people together to read and reflect on a particular scriptural text — where through the lens of the group and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, participants will be shaped by the Word they are consuming together. A bit of lectio divina (holy reading) meets southern cover dish Sunday meal, “Square One” gatherings will be thoughtful, intentional, and soulful.
