Who Is ALPHA For?
ALPHA is for everyone! People attend from many different backgrounds, religions, ages, and viewpoints. They attend for a variety of reasons. Some want to investigate whether God really exists and what, if any, point there is to life. Others are concerned about what happens after death. Still others may have attended church all their lives, but feel they would like a better understanding of the basics of the Christian faith.
Alpha is the course for everyone who thinks there may be more to life than meets the eye. The purpose of Alpha is to offer possible answers to the Questions of Life, and allow people through friendly, open discussion periods to seek their own answers while making some new friends.
ALPHA stands for:
A is for anyone
L is for learning and laughter
P is for pasta, pizza, potatoes, and paella
H is for helping others
A is for ask anything
What Happens at ALPHA?
Alpha courses run in a wide variety of locations and at different schedules, but the following is the one we will use at First Presbyterian Church on Tuesday evenings:
Dinner begins at 6:00 p.m. – 40 minutes of food, fun, and friendly conversation
DVD Talk – 35-45 minutes by Nicky Gumbell—teaching time like no other with witty British humor
Coffee and small group discussion – 45 minutes of discuss-anything-time, ending promptly at 8:30 p.m.
Alpha Course Schedule
Who Is Jesus?
Why Did Jesus Die?
How Can I Be Sure of My Faith?
Why and How Do I Pray?
Why and How Should I Read the Bible?
How Does God Guide Us?
Weekend Retreat The Holy Spirit (Friday evening & all day Saturday)
How Can I Resist Evil?
Why and How Should I Tell Other?
Does God Heal Today?
What About the Church?
Celebration Dinner—Christianity: Boring, Untrue, and Irrelevant?
How Much Will It Cost?
The ALPHA course is free, although, a small contribution may be requested for the meals, and to cover the cost of weekend retreat.
What About Childcare?
Yes there will be childcare available.
What if the schedule for this course is not convenient for me?
A third course will be offered in 2009 beginning September 15th - November 24th.
If these dates are not good for you, be sure to check back later for 2010 schedule.
What do people say about ALPHA?
What Course Attendees Say:
Mark: "When I first heard about the ALPHA course I was at a stage when I was searching for something 'out there'. I really needed to ask questions and not feel like I was getting a hard-sell pitched at me. Now I perceive things differently and just feel so at peace. I have also met a wonderful bunch of new friends on the course."
Graham: "The first evening surprised me completely. The people were from all walks of life, from different races, classes and abilities. During the first evening, there were no prayers or heavy preaching. We were just given the opportunity to listen to the talk and then discuss anything we wanted. I chose to ask some challenging and confrontational questions, but they were welcomed, and I was made to feel valued and appreciated. I enjoyed the evening so much that I couldn't wait to go back the following week..."
Maria: “Before I had always thought you had to do good to be a Christian, and I knew I was not good enough. But the people in ALPHA helped smash that idea. No one is better than the next.”
Marta: “9/11 hit and my life changed. While I was fortunate not to lose anyone I loved, my company went out of business, and my fiancé and I broke off our engagement as a result of the tension…I had "issues" with organized religion. Christianity is not the religion I grew up in, and I had hostility to religion to begin with, so I had a lot of questions, but I learned a lot.”
Anthony: "I didn’t expect the warm welcome I received, the interesting discussions or the lack of pressure to speak in the small groups that followed. I found that I could express any doubts about Christianity, and that my opinions would be respected. If I had an issue with something, I had a forum to voice it with no need to apologize."
John: "Over the years, church became more of a social club… I’m still figuring it out. I was nervous the first week but was placed at a table with other young people, many of whom were going through the same stuff I was. But now God is a daily part of my life. The friends from Alpha have become some of the closest friends I’ve ever had."
What the Media Says:
The New York Times: "A novel approach to Christian education that has been catching on nationwide."
Time Magazine: "...many claim ALPHA has changed their lives and appear genuinely happier for the experience."
The Independent Newspaper (UK): "The world's most popular course in Christianity."
The Guardian (UK): "What ALPHA offers, and what is attracting thousands of people, is permission, rare in secular culture, to discuss the big questions – life, death and their meaning.”
The Express (UK): "ALPHA makes Christianity relevant to modern life.”
A Registration Form to mail in may be found below:
