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 is closed for the 2024-25 cohort. For questions or to nominate yourself for the next cohort, please email Luann Budd, NEWIM president, to let her know you are interested. The cost will be between $250 - $525 to register depending on the donations we receive to help underwrite the program.

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 participate in his work in this world.

Curious about what spiritual formation is all about? Watch “Knowing Christ Today: the Shape of Christian Spiritual Formation.” Dr. Porter is the 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 increasingly more like Christ, loving God, loving others, and bearing fruit (John 15:16, Mark 9:20-29).

The cohort includes four required retreats

Virtual Retreat (TBD) - cost included in registration fee

Virtual Retreat (TBD) - cost included in registration fee

The Springs Retreat (TBD) - $449 (two nights) register separately

Virtual Retreat (TBD) - 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, three 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.

Attendance at one, in-person Springs Retreats is also required. Travel and Registration for the in-person retreat is not included in the registration fee and must be paid separately.

Step 1: Registration for the NEWIM-Fuller Formation Group opens April 2025

If you receive an invitation to the 2024-25 group, please register.

The 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 retreat and pay your $50 deposit right away.

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)

Finding Friendship and So Much More

by Audrey Holifield, 2023/24 Cohort

After relocating to the Sacramento area in June 2020 and attending church on-line until January 2022, I found myself feeling very isolated and in need of connection. I started to get involved in various organizations, but I quickly found that it is very difficult to make friends when you're older. It takes a lot of energy and several of the friendships I made seemed more draining than energizing. I needed something richer, something deeper, something that allowed me to be my true self, something mutually supportive. I also started feeling very insecure, continually wrestling with the question, "Why would God actually love me just as I am?" when I've never felt good enough. Earlier this year, I started to feel the nudge to start chipping away at the voices of inadequacy that have been weighing me down, but I didn't know what to do on my own.

When I was invited into the NEWIM-Fuller Spiritual Formation Cohort and learned what it would entail, I was intrigued by the idea, although finding the time to participate seemed challenging. Not only would the cohort provide the connection I was looking for, but it would start me on a road to developing the confidence I so desperately desired to truly live in freedom as a child of God. I was nervous at first about fitting in and whether there would be "realness" in the group, but I was fascinated at the instant level of openness, vulnerability, and togetherness I experienced with my small group. It was refreshing and life-giving just to be able to share honestly in a safe space, to listen and be heard with grace and understanding, and to pray for each other. I am looking forward to journeying with my cohort and seeing how God reshapes me through this experience.

What I Learned

By Ruth Cramer, 2023/24 Cohort 

Driving alone the hour-and-some drive from home to Three Rivers, I had plenty of time to wonder: what would it be like, seeing my small group of women in person for the first time? How would we get along? Would they be “super spiritual”? To be sure, we had met three times on Zoom, but this was up-close and personal. With fear and trembling, I pulled into St. Anthony’s, sighed, put up my guard, and walked in to register.  

What was it like?

The program’s overall structure consisted of four two-day retreats and 10 monthly small group meetings on Zoom. Each month, a different topic was introduced, and the assignments were Learn, Practice, Reflect and Share (with our small groups). Each lesson included thought-provoking questions that were an encouragement to think more deeply and consider the topic more carefully. At the end of each topic, there was time for personal reflection and sharing with our group what we discovered about the topic and ourselves.

For example, an initial lesson was on the importance of structure in our spiritual formation. The instructor introduced the metaphor of a trellis, or the regular spiritual practices that support the resultant spiritual fruit that will grow in our lives. That elicited a spirited discussion of the disciplines we practiced and what difficulties we had with busy schedules.

Over the 10 months, we learned about various ways to engage in Scripture and prayer. These small group meetings, on Zoom and in-person, made the biggest contribution to our spiritual growth. All along, we were encouraged to share our insights and experiences with our small group. If the disciplines put you in a place where the Spirit of God can do his work of transforming you, then the small group of 5 women was definitely a spiritual discipline. In an informal poll of my group, I asked, “What are one or two words that come to mind when you think about the past few months?” They immediately replied:  trust, acceptance, grace, loving accountability, understanding, and growth. 

What I learned

• It was amazing to learn that I’m not alone in my struggles.  Sharing in a small group setting allowed a positive shift in perspective, and I now see things in a different light.

• Loving acceptance can be transformative. 

• Community can be a spiritual discipline.  I discovered that I like, appreciate, and enjoy the company of like-minded women. 

• The spiritual disciplines can be deeply joyful and meaningful. They are a means to living the spirit-filled life of God.

• I’m easily distracted and careless in my commitment.  It will take structure and planning to fully put myself in a place that allows the transforming work of the Holy Spirit.

Looking back at the completion of our ten months together, I have to laugh at myself for my fears. This has been a time of growth, both relationally and spiritually. While apprehensive and anxious at the beginning, I’m grateful and thankful for the experience and for the loving relationships that were forged in our small group. 

I encourage anyone who senses a longing for a deeper and more intimate relationship with our Lord to consider participating in a Fuller Spiritual Formation Cohort.

Learning the Easy Yoke of Jesus

By A Participant in the 2023/24 Cohort

Last fall the NEWIM Spiritual Formation Cohort kicked off with a question, “How are you arriving at this experience?” Since honesty was a prerequisite for participation in the cohort, I had to admit I was coming in feeling exhausted and utterly depleted, with nothing to give. Um, sorry small group, you drew the short straw!

Just a few weeks prior, I had dragged myself across the finish line of completing an advanced degree. I began my studies just before the pandemic shut down our schools, churches, and places of business. The abrupt changes to school and routine, along with the interpersonal conflicts that ensued were difficult for our whole family, but particularly our children. Even a year after life had returned to normal, I still hadn’t recovered from it all. The wounds from broken relationships hadn’t yet healed and caring for a child through a mental health crisis had taken a toll on me emotionally and physically. Without time to tend to myself, I had simply pushed through to finish school. Meanwhile, my relationship with God had grown distant. I knew God loved me and I felt open to God, but it seemed something had gotten in the way.

“What is the invitation Jesus has for you this morning?” Luann asked that first morning, after reading from the third chapter of Mark’s gospel. The words, “they came to him” rang in my heart. A dam broke inside at the echo from Matthew’s, “Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” I ugly cried through much of our first session.

In the months to follow, we were introduced to many spiritual disciplines and given space to practice them, reflect upon our experiences, and share with others in Christian community. Our first discipline was to discern our calling. At the time, I felt no initiative. I returned to my journal from the initial retreat and jotted down the only thing I could muster, “I feel called to learn from Jesus.” To this end, I began rereading the gospels and was soon reminded of how Jesus received the Father’s proclamation about him before beginning his ministry. Members of my small group affirmed my strengths, allowing me to recognize that my calling flowed from who I was designed to be, rather than simply what I could do. As we practiced gratitude, I experienced God’s gifts as expressions of love for me and my gratitude as an offering of love in return. During our practice of lament, I was able to process my anger, grief, and confusion, bringing to God things that had once felt too difficult to face. And in practicing confession and forgiveness, I experienced a great deal of healing.

At our final retreat, each member of the NEWIM Spiritual Formation Cohort brought an object that represented our time together. My object? A blanket. The experience of walking through a year of spiritual formation in community was a gift of God’s grace for my weary soul. It provided the comfort, warmth, and rest that I desperately needed. In many ways, this happened through our practices, but in many others, it happened through the support of my small group. These women encouraged and affirmed me, shared in my joys and sorrows, and became conduits of God’s love in ways I could never have fathomed. Although our time together has officially ended, on days when I struggle to rest in God’s grace, I am grateful I can still count on these friends to point me back to the easy yoke of Jesus.