1Giving everybody the opportunity to hear about Christ

“How then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how

can they believe in the one they have not heard?”

Romans 10:14

So, what is

Alpha?

The Alpha Course is a 10-week

practical introduction to the Christian faith designed primarily for

Non-church goers &

New Christians

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What does Alpha do?

The Alpha Course equips the local church with a culturally relevant

method of evangelization...

So that everybody has the opportunity to hear about Jesus Christ

How is the Alpha Course a culturally relevant means of evangelism?

IT IS CULLTURALLY RELEVANT THROUGH

• Food and Fellowship

• Teaching

• Laughing and Fun

• Small Group Discussion

• Belonging before Believing

By introducing people to Jesus Christ in a way that is non-threatening, supportive,

and fun

Alpha Changes Lives and Transforms Churches

Joan, Texas, took the Alpha Course in 2001

• Born in England

• Came to the US as a nanny, worked for several

families, ending up in Texas, was never married

• Moved into a retirement facility and was brought

“reluctantly” to church by some friends

• Martha invited her to the Alpha Course

• Joan has a new ministry in the church

A Changed Life: Joan

At age 84, her life was changed for ever

A Renewed Life: Larry

Larry, Texastook the Alpha Course in 2001

For Larry, life is now happy, joyful, passionate & worth living

• TV Producer for the Brownsville Independent School District

• Re-Married, 2 children from first marriage

• Grew up attending church, son of a Methodist music minister

• Brought his wife with him to the Alpha course after a visit from

his local priest who had never seen him in church

• During Alpha noticed amazing changes in his personality,

marriage, work, and self-esteem

• Larry has a new understanding of his faith and readily wants to

share his faith with others

A Transformed Church:St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church

• Of 970 Alpha Participants half of them were complete strangers to St. Bart’s

• Sunday Service attendance has risen from 250 to 1000 people

• 600 Participants have become further involved with St. Bart's

• 315 Participants became givers of record

• The annual pledge given has increased from $450K to $4M

The History of Alpha

Alpha has evolved from a course for new Christians at

Holy Trinity Brompton, London, in 1976 to a world-wide ministry aimed primarily to those outside

the church.

The Evolution of Alpha• Basic Course in Christianity becomes tool for evangelism

• New attention given to method of welcome

• Atmosphere for dinner: improve the food, seating, flowers

• Small Groups: All questions encouraged

No question considered trivial, threatening, or illogical

• No one pursued

• Growth of the Team

In the USA:• 1991 – 0 Courses

• 1996 – 202 Courses

• 2002 – 5,893 Courses

• 1991 – 0 Courses

• 1996 – 3,000 Participants

• 2002 – 1,000,000 Participants

The Growth of Alpha …cumulatively

Globally:• 1991 – 4 Courses

• 1996 – 5,000 Courses

• 2002 – 24,184 Courses

• 1991 – 500 Participants

• 1996 – 259,850 Participants

• 2002 – 5,000,000 Participants

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Why & How does Alpha work?

Introducing the Alpha Course into a church has

been shown to dramatically revitalize and

transform congregations because

new Christians become passionate, vibrant and

actively involved in church life.

Each session of an Alpha Course consists of:

Dinner, a Talk, Coffee and a Small Group meeting.

During the Alpha Course there is a Weekend Retreat

Dinner (45 minutes)

Having Dinner with the Small Group helps participants to relax and get to know one another

• Christianity: Boring, Untrue

and Irrelevant?

• Who is Jesus?

• Why did Jesus die?

• How can I be sure of my faith?

• How and why should I read

the Bible?

• How and why should I pray?

• How does God guide us?

• Who is the Holy Spirit?

• What does the Holy Spirit do?

• How can I be filled with the Holy

Spirit?

• How can I make the most of the life?

• How can I resist evil?

• Why and how should I tell others?

• Does God heal today?

• What about the Church?

Alpha talks (45 min) are about:

Small Groups (45 min)

Alpha Participants meet with the same Small Group each week.

Small Groups discuss the Alpha Talk, and bring up questions.

…become closely bonded and remain friends.

Alpha Holy Spirit Retreat (1, 2 or 3 days)

Each Alpha Course includes a Weekend Retreat where the person and work of the Holy Spirit are examined.

Many Alpha participants’ lives are transformed during the Weekend Retreat.

                                                       

                                           

Alpha in Prisons Alpha in the Boardroom

Alpha on Campus

Alpha for Youth

Alpha Courses are Flexible:In addition to the traditional Alpha Course, Alpha offers...

Alpha works in all Denominations:

Baptist Covenant Episcopal Lutheran Methodist Congregational

Non-denominational Pentecostal Presbyterian Vineyard Roman Catholic …and many others

Alpha presents the core truth of the Christian faith around which all major denominations unite.

Resources Available for Alpha Courses:

Videos of talks

Questions of Life, Course Manual

Training Videos and Leaders Guides

Director’s Guide

The Principles of Alpha

Principle 1:Evangelism is most effective through the local church

• What you see is what you get• Mobilizes a whole army of evangelists• Friendship-based• The more checkouts, the more customers

Principle 2:Evangelism is a process

• New Testament expressions

• Process operates at two levels• Gradually seeing the picture• Building trust

Principle 3:Evangelism involves the whole person

• Appeal to the head

• Appeal to the heart

• Appeal to the will

Principle 4:Models of evangelism in the New Testament include Classical, Holistic, and Power Evangelism

• Classical Evangelism (Words)• Holistic Evangelism (Works)• Power Evangelism (Wonders)

Principle 5:Evangelism in the Power of the Holy Spirit is both dynamic and effective

• The Book of Acts and Pentecost

• Questionnaire responses

Principle 6:Effective evangelism requires the filling and refilling of the Spirit

• The filling of the Spirit is not a one time experience• We all need more of the Holy Spirit

Come to the Houston

Alpha Conference!March 1-2, 2004

Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church

Contact: The Alpha Houston Office at

713-960-9701 or alphahouston.organd get connected with an

Alpha Advisor…or a Resource Church

There are 42 Conferences across the United States each year

For more information, or to sign up for an Alpha Training Conference, please contact Alpha at:

1-866-872-5742or

www.alphausa.org