NEWIM-Fuller Formation Cohort
NEWIM-Fuller Formation Cohort
“I am the Vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit” (John 15:5).
Registration will begin in March 2024 for the 2024-25 cohort. For questions or to nominate yourself, please email Luann Budd, NEWIM president, to let her know you are interested. The cost is $250 to register. This is a 50% discount based on generous donations we have received to help underwrite the program.
Luann Budd and Heidi Glynn will be hosting an informational session via zoom on Thursday, March 21, 5-5:30 pm PST / 8-8:30 pm EST. Come hear about the program and ask questions. Use the button below to rsvp. We’ll send you the zoom link.
Luann Budd, President of NEWIM, shares the benefits she received from being in a Formation Group
This ten-month cohort of women from NEWIM’s network is designed to strengthen our spiritual and missional formation. NEWIM-Fuller Formation Groups (NFFG) are a hands-on, relational way to learn and nurture spiritual practices that equip us to deepen our connection to Christ and his work in this world.
Have you heard concerns about spiritual formation? Read Dr. Steve Porter’s article “Sanctification in a New Key” (Rosemead School of Psychology and Talbot School of Theology—Biola University). Or watch Dr. Porter’s address, “Knowing Christ Today: the Shape of Christian Spiritual Formation.” Dr. Porter is now the Senior Research Fellow and Executive Director of the Martin Center, Westmont College. Spiritual formation is about Christ being formed in us so that we might grow in our inner being to be increasing more like Christ, loving God, loving others, bearing fruit (John 15:16, Mark 9:20-29).
During the yearlong program, in the context of community, we explore God’s calling for us and the ways he has designed and gifted us. We also practice ways to engage the Scriptures and prayer that draw us near to Jesus and help us listen to the quiet voice of the Spirit. We also establish the rhythm of regular retreats. We have regular, monthly, serious Christian conversations with our small group of trusted friends.
We know from recent research, women who go the distance, staying in ministry until the Lord calls them home, have various, life-giving ways to approach the Scripture and prayer. They call upon and adapt their spiritual practices during different seasons of their life. They also have a regular pattern of retreating with the Lord for a day or two of silence and solitude so that they can listen to the Holy Spirit and draw near to the heart of Jesus. And finally, they have a small group of safe, trusted peers they journey with. During the NEWIM-Fuller Formation Group, we practice a variety of ways to pray and various ways to engage the Scriptures in community and on retreat.
Luann Budd describes what women need to thrive in ministry—and how NEWIM-Fuller Formation Groups provide these opportunities.
The cohort includes these four required retreats
Virtual Retreat (August 23-24, 2024) - cost included in registration fee
The Springs Retreat (Oct. 23-25, 2024) - $349 (two nights) register separately
The Springs Retreat (April 2-4, 2025) - $349 (two nights) register separately
Virtual Retreat (May 30-31, 2025) - cost included in registration fee
Leadership can be a lonely venture. Our prayer is that we can journey together as redeemed sisters in Christ and expand our toolbox so that we might flourish as we serve.
Registration
The registration fee covers the curriculum, two virtual 2-day retreats, monthly facilitated small group meetings, technical support, and licensing fees. The registration fee Fuller charges is $525 but we have been fundraising to help underwrite some of the costs. Registration Fee for 2024 cohort is $250. Half price!
Attendance at two, in-person Springs Retreats is also required. Travel and Registration for the in-person retreats are not included in the registration fee and must be paid separately. Each in-person retreat costs $349 for two-nights, private room and bath, at St. Anthony’s Retreat Center in Three Rivers, California.
Step 1: Registration for the NEWIM-Fuller Formation Group opens April 2024
If you receive an invitation to the 2024-25 group, please register.
The $250 fee can be paid online.
Full and partial payment is accepted. Please pay the full registration fee by August 15.
Step 2: Register for the first in-person Springs Retreat - Track 4.
Please register for the Oct. 23-25, 2024 Springs retreat and pay your $50 deposit right away. (The full cost of the retreat is: $349 for two nights, private room and bath, full program. Add-ons of additional nights are also available.) The nearest airport is Fresno, CA. The retreat center is about a 4-hour drive from the San Jose airport.
If you would like to request a scholarship or have questions, please email LuannBudd@newim.org.
God’s invitation to us is to draw near to Jesus.
Nurturing our life-sustaining relationship with Jesus requires us to pay attention to our hearts. During this program, you will add to your toolbox ways to draw near to God. You will have the opportunity to practice various ways to read Scripture and pray and find ways to adapt these spiritual practices to meet your particular personality and season of life.
Besides engaging in devotional activities, you will have a conversation with trusted women in your small group about your spiritual journey every 4 weeks. And you’ll attend four retreats, establishing that regular rhythm of getting away to a quiet place to be with the Lord so you can rest and commune with him.
These are the life-giving ways we have found to stay connected to the Vine: engage in devotional activities, have a mentor or small group of friends who get together for the purpose of talking about where they see God in their lives, and regularly go on retreats to draw near to Jesus in silence and solitude. The Christian life is about service AND drawing near to God. If all we do is serve, we run the serious risk of not being able to run our race to the finish line. We have to stay connected to Jesus in order to flourish in lifelong ministry. Remember the Lord’s words:
Apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
This video was created by the Fuller Center for Spiritual Formation. Learn more about Fuller Formation Groups at https://spiritualformation.fuller.edu/.