Jeff & Kerri Peterson-Davis
Co-Pastors
Jeff and Kerri have been the pastors of Pioneer Church since December 2006. Originally from Southern California, they came to Pioneer after living and serving congregations in Atlanta for seventeen years. Their daughter, Katie, is in elemetary school in Solon. In addition to their passion for ministry, they love good Mexican food, sea kayaking, gourmet cooking, and reading.
From Kerri and Jeff:
Welcome to Pioneer's website! We hope you're learning a bit about this wonderful congregation and its many ministries -- from welcoming newcomers with open arms and caring for the church family, to serving our neighbors here in NE Ohio and around the world.
We are privileged to serve this congregation. It is a church with diversity of ages, races, perspectives, and passions. There are kids everywhere around Pioneer, and there is an honored place for our oldest members. Young couples, singles, families, parents, grandparents, children, and youth -- there are places for everyone at Pioneer.
Something that is very important to Pioneer and to us as its pastors is that we are committed to bringing our whole selves to our faith. We don't check our brains at the doors into the church and we work with our hands to bring the love and justice of God to our neighbors. We feel deeply together in times of joy and sorrow. And we seek to let God's Spirit lead us to be faithful followers of Christ in every part of our lives.
"Traditional in a New Way." That's how we describe Pioneer to people who don't know about the church. We sit in pews and we sing hymns with an organ. But we also sing contemporary songs with guitar and piano. We wear our minister's robes when we lead worship. But we are casual and laugh a lot in the Sunday service. We say the Apostles' Creed and the Lord's Prayer. But we also quote Jon Stewart, Barbara Kingsolver, and Homer Simpson. There is much about our Presbyterian tradition that is alive and rich for today. And there is much that our modern culture can bring to our faith as well. So we're traditional, but in a very new way.
We hope you'll come and participate in the life, ministry, and mission of Pioneer Church. There is a place for you at Pioneer.
-- Jeff & Kerri
Little Known Facts about Jeff and Kerri
Jeff is a graduate of Columbia Theological Seminary (twice!), Westmont College, and Thelma Bedell Elementary School. His doctorate in Gospel and Culture from Columbia included his dissertation, "Wine and Faith: Gospel and Culture in the Cup." When he isn't riding his Triumph motorcycle or paddling a sea kayak, he can be found preparing gourmet meals, cooking on the Big Green Egg, playing music, or riding through the Metroparks. You can read a bit more about some of Jeff's doctoral work on his blog or ask him for a glass of the wine he makes under the label Total Depravity.