SHARE LIFE, Faith, Hope, and jesus.

Alpha began at a church called Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) in London in 1977, it was taken by Nicky Gumbel in 1990 and repositioned as a course for those outside the church. The number of people attending Alpha at HTB grew quickly into the hundreds and attracted the attention of other churches across denominations seeking to find an effective tool for evangelism.

This led to the first Alpha conference in 1993 at HTB where over 1000 church leaders attended to learn about Alpha and how to use it in their congregation. As interest grew Alpha conferences were organized internationally and the original Alpha Film Series was filmed in 1994 to make it accessible to the widest possible audience.

Now all over the world millions of people have tried Alpha and it has been translated into 112 different languages. The Alpha Talks have been repackaged for today’s audience in the Alpha Film Series and the Alpha Youth Series was created to reach a younger generation with the Gospel. Even as times have changed, the Alpha course has continued to be used by the church as an effective tool to reach the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Many Christians see evangelism as uncomfortable, unnatural or only for a select few experts.

In fact, a recent Angus Reid study showed only 29% of religiously-committed people in Canada view evangelism positively.

80% of guests attend Alpha because of a personal invitation from someone they know. And they keep attending because of the relationships that develop during Alpha.

Evangelism is always relational and not just informational. This relational dimension of Alpha is what speaks loudest to a culture that suffers from increasing feelings of loneliness and social isolation, where the primary question is no longer “What do I believe?” but “Where do I belong?”

There are 3 main ingredients of Alpha sessions:

CONNECTION

Whether it’s a group of friends gathered around a kitchen table, or a quick online catch-up, times of connecting are important. It’s no different at Alpha: all sessions start with a time to connect, relax and build friendships.

CONTENT

The Alpha talks are short videos designed to engage people from all walks of life and inspire conversation. They explore the big issues of life and faith and unpack the basics of Christian belief, addressing questions like “Who is Jesus?”, “Why and how do I pray?” and “How does God guide us?”

CONVERSATION

The discussion time is an opportunity for people to respond to the talk, hear from others, and contribute their own perspectives in an honest, friendly, and open environment.