A yearning for depth is what drew me to the Newbigin Fellowship. As a fairly young Christian, I jumped into Newbigin because I wanted to deepen my intellectual understanding of my faith, enter into more authentic relationship with my community at City Church, and develop a better understanding of myself and how I relate to God. The experience taught me how the Gospel sheds light on the grandest and the most intimate parts of life. Reading Lesslie Newbigin made me seriously reassess the assumptions behind my own faith, and grapple with what it means for the church to be in mission amidst our culture. Other authors taught me to envision the role that faith can play in social justice, and how to think productively about the relationship between faith and science. Ultimately though, I grew the most from what I learnt about myself amidst a community of intentional believers who were willing to be vulnerable and love each other as Jesus commanded. It taught me how the Gospel redeems my own brokenness, and how I can love people better given what Jesus has done for me. While I come away from the Fellowship with more questions than I began, I also move forward with more personal and intellectual confidence in Jesus than I've ever had.

- SJ Lu

Newbigin Fellowship Alumni 2011-12