"Alpha kick-started my faith so I am back on the road" "My journey in faith had stalled somewhat; I wasn't moving forward. I had reached stumbling blocks, hadn't got over them and had stopped even trying. Alpha kick-started my faith so I am back on the road. I haven't found all the answers; I never will whilst alive but I am enjoying the journey in the company of the Lord."
This moving testimony is one of many powerful stories from local people being changed through the Alpha Course. But what is Alpha and how has it generated this effect? Back in September over four hundred people involved, or interested, in Alpha met at the Ardoe House Hotel, Aberdeen, for a sumptuous meal and talk on by one of the co-founders Rev Sandy Millar. It was not only astonishing to see so many people gathered but also to pick up their enthusiasm. Cameron, Channel 4's Big Brother's winner, gave a moving account as to how Alpha helped him encounter God as a reality and that Christianity is not boring, irrelevant, and untrue.
The evening emphasised Alpha's growing popularity beyond evangelical circles and its adoption by a wide range of churches, included Roman Catholics, and mainstream presbyterians as well as broad church Anglicans. At this launch - members from St Devenicks Beildside, St Peters - Peterhead, St. Clements - Mastrick, and Trinity Westhill attended. Certainly a good deal of networking was already going on and many local organisers seemed to be effortlessly skipping denominational boundaries and swapping notes.
The course was assembled at Holy Trinity Church Brompton and revised and updated by ex-barrister and Anglican curate, Nicky Gumble. It comprises of ten meetings and the recommended format is to including an informal meal, talk, and group discussion. For ease most Alpha groups watch the video series instead of preparing their own talk. The material covers the basics of Christianity 'Who is Jesus?' 'What is the Bible' 'Why Did Jesus Die?' . To quote the experience of a recent Episcopalian participant: "It is a wonderful opportunity to discuss questions you might have about Christianity. It is good to hear other people's opinions about God, the afterlife etc and there really aren't many other forums for such discussion. I always struggle with questions like "Why does God allow suffering?" and although I don't have a perfect answer I have some ideas now. It is a good way to find guidance in the Bible on various issues."
The heart of the Alpha course is the Holy Spirit weekend which is a kind of retreat held two-thirds in. Someone in one of our city churches praised it highly : "It was like an oasis in my busy life: a time of prayer with a wonderfully relaxed and peaceful atmosphere. We worshipped, we prayed, we questioned and we discussed. Nothing was rushed or unnatural but by the end of the afternoon we had learned an awful lot about the Holy Spirit. We experienced the Lord's presence in a very tangible and real way." Naturally, there will be criticisms of Alpha - some will no doubt perceive it as too prescriptive on doctrinal and moral teaching or that it focuses too much on the person of the Holy Spirit.
But what we cannot deny is that this course has been carefully put together and has borne great fruit in this country and now abroad. There are over 7,000 courses alone in the UK of which the vast majority are run by lay people. If you are interested why not contact one of the above churches and see when their next course starts - the proof is in the pudding? For more information about the Alpha Course see their website is www.alphacourse.org.uk