Our hope for these groups:
We know you carry a lot. We have been there too in other ministry settings. Far too often when things get full what gets left out is the care of your own soul. It is a “nice to have” conditioning if there aren’t emails to respond to, people to visit, or sermons to prepare for. You will suffer though. Like that stationary bike you walk past as if it looks at you with a threat instead of an invitation to live better. Those you want to serve will also suffer. The kingdom will suffer. We want to help.
Eugene Peterson in, “Working the Angles,” puts it this way: “The pastors of America have metamorphosed into a company of shopkeepers, and the shops they keep are churches. They are preoccupied with shopkeeper’s concerns - how to keep customers happy, how to lure customers away from competitors down the street, how to package the goods so that the customers will lay out more money… And there must be any number of shopkeepers who by now are finding the pottage that they acquired in exchange for their ordination birthright pretty tasteless stuff and are growing wistful for a restoration to their calling. Is the wistfulness an ember strong enough to blaze into a fierce repudiation of their defection, allowing the word of God again to become fire in their mouths?”
We want to fan that flame and maybe help you leap up and off that rock like the video above. Our hope is that returning to reflecting on Scripture alongside others where nothing is expected other than an attentiveness to it, that we would be restored together- walking with a renewed purpose. We can’t change the fact that you will continue to carry much, but we can change the pattern of not caring for your soul. We believe that the church is better when you protect time to be in the text less as a student and more as a disciple. We want to reorient you to the feet of Jesus where you can be renewed by the words that inspired him. You should join us for this practice of unhurried delight.
Peterson House is excited for this opportunity to support ministry leaders in the United Methodist Church. Check out one of the small groups below. We would love to have you participate whether you are an ordained clergy or lay ministry leader.
Winter/Spring 2026- Group One
“An Earthy King”
10 Sessions- Wednesdays from 9-10AM EST
January 13 and 27, February 10 and 24, March 10 and 24, April 7 and 21, and May 5 and 19.
We are excited to offer a new series, “An Earthy King, Reflecting on the Life of David.” Reading through Eugene Peterson’s reflections on the earthiness of David in Leap Over A Wall, stirred something in us. What can we learn about God’s work in our lives from how God was at work in David’s? We are given a disproportionate amount of information on David in Scripture so there is a lot to pay attention to. So many situations in his life from innocence to failure, to dancing to hiding. David is a “man after God’s own heart.” And what in the world does that mean? We want to reflect on this person who is certainly no perfect king and quite honestly a sinner in need of God’s redeeming. Is this not true of us? This series will draw both from the historic books in the Hebrew canon about David’s life as well as pairing it with a Psalm attributed to David.
The per person cost for this group is covered by the generous support from the Western NC Conference.
Spring 2026- Group Two
“Not What We Imagined”
8 Sessions- Mondays from 9-10AM EST
February 23, March 2, 9, 16 and 23, April 13 and 20, and May 4
There seems to be a heaviness to what we are carrying these days. Often a heavier one as ministry leaders aiming to shepherd a congregation or community of some kind. Where might we turn to receive a little encouragement for the job? We need words of truth not so much as accurate judgment, but life-giving words that will rebuild us. So we turn to the prophets. We will reflect on 8 texts from 7 different prophets over 8 sessions. We will sit with their words slowly, deliberately, attentively, with one another, and see what the Spirit wants to accomplish.
NOTHING IS ASKED OF YOU TO PARTICIPATE. No homework. No books to read. No exegesis or perusing a commentary or two. No. It’s Monday morning and the last thing we want you to do on a Sunday night is have anything to do other than maybe going to bed early. Think of this as a way to center yourself into your week with a grounding in the text and a repeated promise of God’s blessing over you. The prophets remind us that we are not the first servants to say yes to the Lord who have had contexts that weigh on us. The Lord wants to speak to us in that place.
Each session there will be a short pericope as a lectio from one of the prophets (mostly post exilic). This is not a study of these books or a continuing education offering to train you to offer this for your ministry setting. This is for you. For the buttressing of your spirit. We borrow from the Ignatian practices to sit with a morsel of the text an have it read over us multiple times, sit with it in a quiet space, and if you want offer what it is you are noticing. Simple, sure, but often quite beautiful and life giving.
The cost for this group is $250 and will cover all 8 sessions as well as a Peterson House journal and a book or two if you would like them. You don’t have to read them for our sessions. The Western NC Conference Leadership Development Team will be offering spiritual renewal funds later in February that will cover the registration cost. Once you apply, Kim Ingram will send funds directly to Peterson House on your behalf. Thank you to the Western NC Conference for its support of this initiative and supporting its ministry leaders so well.
What Some Participants Are Saying:
"My hope for participating in this group was to be better connected with others. This has been so important and a scheduled time for scriptural reflection and prayer (if it’s on the calendar I am more likely to do it) has certainly aided in my spiritual growth."
-Suzanne Dornsmith (Cokesbury UMC Charlotte)
"Being in my first solo pastor role, I have been craving the connection, camaraderie, and support that comes from working on staff. I was worried about being isolated and not having any accountability partners reminding me to take a deep breath so I was looking for a group to plug into. Also, I have been shocked by the visio every week because I have not done that practice before. I thought it would be distracting for me, but instead I have found it helps stir up new and deeper dimensions of reflection."
-Patrick Neitzey (First Rutherfordton UMC)
"Back in September I was hoping for a weekly experience that would get me back in the groove, spiritually. My Mom died in August, and after three years of caring for her while working full time, I had let my spiritual practices go by the wayside. Even though it took me until the third session to actually participate, I can’t imagine missing it now. Just having the space to pause, with nothing asked of me but to be present, has been a tremendous gift. It has re-awoken the desire to connect with God, and with others as well. Thank you!"
-Cheryl Skinner (First Lexington UMC)
Group Facilitators:
Janise Matyas Smith
Janise is the associate director of Peterson House. She is a wife, a mom to four kids, a pastor and a Certified Spiritual Director. She makes her home in Durham NC, where she spends her days caring for her four children, offering Spiritual Direction and enjoying every opportunity to preach, teach, and engage in spiritual formation. She is a lover of God's Word, and one of her greatest joys is leading and guiding others in exploring Scripture and helping them listen to God's voice who is always speaking through His Word. She is particularly excited to be a part of the Peterson House and it's work to create space to read, reflect and listen to God's Word, and lean in to the ways God is seeking to transform us as we gather and listen to His sacred text together.
John Rogers
John is the director of Peterson House. He previously served as campus pastor at University Presbyterian Church in Chapel Hill, NC. John Also served as the campus chaplain at McCallie School in Chattanooga, TN and as the pastor at Center Presbyterian Church in Tellico Plains, TN. John Lives in Carrboro, NC with his family. It is a joy of his to help create small groups for a wide range of people to sit in Scripture with others in unhurried delight. John is not sure if anyone really understands what he is doing in ministry these days, but simply, he is helping people have a deep and meaningful experience with the text on its own terms. He hopes your work brings you as much satisfaction Peterson House does for him.