What a full and inspiring year it has been at Goldenwood! Enjoy this visual review of the people and programs that animate our mission of cultivating a new vision for work.
Did you know? Program fees cover only 20% of Goldenwood’s operating costs. This work is made possible by the unwavering commitment of generous individuals who want to see our innovative offerings extended to hundreds of others, transforming work for generations to come. Join this generative community by partnering with us!
NAUTILUS: Cultivating Vision
This unique 7-month program helps participants develop a holistic vision for their life and work. By integrating daily spiritual practices, weekly listening quads and group sessions, monthly companioning, and three intensive retreats, Nautilus guides individuals on a journey of spiritual formation toward clarity of calling. This year, we welcomed individuals from New York and Honolulu, Athens and Los Angeles, Nashville, Dallas, and many cities in between.
By adapting historic Christian rhythms for today and blending individual reflection with communal discernment, the program cultivates inner vitality and empowers an expanded gospel vision for contributing to God’s dream of shalom in meaningful and generative ways.
DREAM FORUM: Cultivating Dreams
In June we held our first annual Dreamer Retreat, inviting past year Dreamers to spend a day together, sharing Dream developments, providing new ideas and collaborative connections, and encouraging one another in listening prayer. In November, we held our 3rd annual Dream Forum, highlighting the unfolding dreams of 12 Dreamers, our largest class to date. Be inspired by this year’s Dreamers as you hear about the diverse ways God is instilling new vision for cultivating this world in ways that reflect His character and embody His glory. You can also read more about the Dreamer experience #InsidetheDreamPod.
We are celebrating the way God’s Spirit is urging us to lean into listening, a seemingly paradoxical approach to societal change and renewal. As a community, we’ve been learning how important it is to receive and not achieve as God gives his people dreams and visions for how the world could and, one day, will be.
A big thank you to our partner, Two Tunics Legacy Fund, whose shared vision and investment in the cultivation of dreams continues to be invaluable.
LISTENING RETREATS (Quarterly)
This year was our fifth year of continuing this quarterly practice with the Goldenwood community and we were thrilled to be back fully in-person in: New York City (WINTER: From Fasting to Feasting with Re-well), Princeton, NJ (SPRING: Healing Work Wounds), and Lancaster PA (SUMMER: Fallowing) for these seasonal times of stillness.
Our listening retreats provide a safe and relaxed environment to process important life issues that often go unaddressed in our hurried lives, asking God questions and cultivating regular times in our lives to listen for God’s voice so that we might walk forward confidently in our calling, with faith and trust in His abounding love and grace.
VISION COLLECTIVE (Monthly)
The purpose of our Vision Collective is to “Cultivate Ecosystems of Hope” that develop a long-term vision for renewal in our cities. Countering the immediacy and isolating individualism that dominates our culture today, we hope to foster attentive communities that joyfully manifest a legacy of hope. This year we launched the very first Vision Collective in New York City, with the hope of implementing this model in other cities in the years to come.
TRELLIS (Daily)
A two-week experience designed to orient us toward hearing the voice of God above all others in the midst of our everyday work lives, Trellis creates a sustainable structure for holistic flourishing. The five Trellis offerings in 2023 served over 130 individuals from cities around the country in a wide-range of vocational fields, with sequential themes of: Reviving Calling, Listening for God, Knowing Yourself, Knowing Others, and New Vision for Work.
The simple individual daily exercises combined with communal guided listening three times a week provide a much-needed pattern of pausing to listen, slowing our spirits down to hear the voice of the God who calls us to Himself, reviving our work with Love.
GOLDENWOOD AFTER-WORK
There’s nothing better than opening the doors of Goldenwood Commons and seeing who walks in! This monthly ritual has become a highlight for the community, cultivating generative connections and fostering collaborative conversations to spur one another on toward new, hope-fueled vision for work. Tune in to our Events Page for upcoming dates and drop by!
GENERATIVE EVENTS
Goldenwood participated in a host of collaborative events around the country this year, partnering with like-spirited organizations toward the shared goal of seeing the work of individuals and organizations revived by love.
Glimpses below include facilitating a Kintsugi workshop in Princeton, leading a Generative AI workshop for worship leaders in Nashville, participating in The Hope Summit at Belmont University, hosting an evening of Poetry and Song with the Center for Contemplative Leadership, guiding a time of listening at Parson School of Fashion’s conference on Faith & Fashion, conversing with wise friends around Legacy and Hope, and crafting a beautiful evening of Story and Song with our friend and colleague Sandra McCracken.
CULTIVATING RELATIONSHIPS
Goldenwood is much more than programs. It is a community driven by a shared vision of renewal. We have witnessed how communal spiritual rhythms of listening forge trusted relationships and invigorate hope. Our innovative cross-vocational experiences are rejuvenating daily lives and cultivating renewed vision for our collective calling to love and serve this world through the work of our hands.
GLOBAL CONNECTIONS
It was a joy to have opportunities to cultivate new work in London, Cambridge, and the Vatican this year. Consider returning with us to Cambridge, UK for our 2024 Spring Fallow Retreat.
GOLDENWOOD INSTITUTE “PEEK”
On October 21, we gathered from around the country to experience a sneak peek of the Goldenwood Institute. The day was filled with enlivening community and stimulating conversation, setting forth a bold and expansive vision for how the gospel can transform the future of work. Read more…
SOMETHING NEW IS COMING IN 2024…
We’re excited to share more about the Goldenwood Institute as it develops. Enjoy some behind-the-scenes footage from the filming sessions with the Institute Deans and videographer Nate Mancini.
We are praising God for a year of newness and joy evidenced in the vibrancy of this community committed to seeing work revived by love. As we grow into 2024, we are seeking to raise $250,000 by Dec 31. Come alongside us in partnership! Thank you for your prayers and support.
Goldenwood Board (From Left to Right): Stephen Bailey, Shann Ray, David Kim, Haejin Shim Fujimura, Amilee Watkins, Richard Leong (not pictured: C.J. Masimore)
