Alpha 2026
There is a word that will be used multiple times within this article, and that word is JOURNEY. It’s one of those words that is perhaps overused and a bit cliche, however there is no better word to explain and express Alpha.
We launched Alpha on Thursday 15th January and had an overwhelming response. Over 40 attended the first night! We weren’t sure exactly how many we would get because Alpha had been done before and many parishoners had attended a course at one time or another. Yet we saw some who wanted to do it again, some who didn’t get a chance to do it last time, and we even had several people from the community come along. It truly was a blessing to see so many and it was exciting to see what God would do in the lives of those who came.
The usual pattern that happens, as the weeks go on, is that you loose some of those who started the journey. However, we noticed that we lost very few to other commitments and retained our strong numbers all the way through. We had an average attendance of around 35 each week.
Each week, the conversations went deeper and the laughter got louder. God was working at each table and each heart that was open. Friendships were forming and the Holy Spirit was softening hearts to hear the good news of the Gospel.
Some of those memorable moments included the session when we talked about forgiveness. It was incredible to see the genuine amazement of how Christ died on the cross to forgive us, and we wrestled with the challenge that we too are called to forgive.
As the weeks went on, we began to see a hunger for more. More opportunities to chat, more amazing content from the videos, and more buns and coffee. God was truly taking people on a journey of discovering who they were in Christ. Whether they had been saved for 20 years, or hadn’t made a commitment before, the waters were being stirred.
That leads us up to our Away Day. Set in the idilic location of Murlough House in County Down, we were treated to 5 star hospitality. Enough tea and coffee to sink a small ship, and food that was simply incredible. This set the scene for a truly special day.
Typically, the Alpha Away Day focuses on the topic of the Holy Spirit, and with a venue that personified peace and comfort, we couldn’t have asked for a better location.
As we watched the videos, chatted through the questions, and had the opportunity to walk around the gorunds of Murlough house on what seemed to be the first good weather day of the year, it was clear to see that the Holy Spirit was working and moving already in people’s lives.
“I’ve never experienced peace like it”
“God has been speaking to me and it’s been amazing”
“I just want more”
These were some of the things that our participants were saying after we spent time in prayer and worship. God has moved people to tears, surrounded others with comfort, and poured out His Spirit on all who had gathered.
The Holy Spirit has this amazing ability to just gently invade our spaces when we invite Him. He makes His presence known in a number of ways, but the overwhelming weight of peace was the way that the Spirit blessed us on our away day. This wasn’t a simple peace, it unexplainable and inexpressable. When we invitied the Spirit to dwell among us, it was almost like a blanket was dropped over us that surrounded us in comfort, joy, and contentment. We were able to undeniably say that we met with the Lord in that room.
I mentioned at the start that Alpha is a journey. We watched a group of people, journey from scepticism and anxiety, to openess and excitement. Each week the vail came down a little further and people began to embrace what God was doing in that room and in their lives. Picture a time-lapse of a closed flower, bursting to life as each petal unfolds. This illustration is an accurate representation of our journey. Each night another petal opened up to reveal an amazing and beautiful flower.
As the course came to a close, the resounding echo from the participants was. . . “what’s next?”. One table have decided to become Bible Study group, others have decided to commit to coming to church more often, some have already signed up for our next course, The Transformation project. For the majority, their journey doesn’t end with Alpha.
It’s been incredible to see people grow in their faith, become more Rooted in Jesus, and Alive in the Spirit. This is just the beginning for this group of people and it could be the beginning for you. If you would like to sign up for our next course, you can do so by clicking the button below. Or if you would like to register your interest for the next Alpha, or the next “Speak Jesus” course then please click the link below.
The Transformation Project
This is a 4 week discipleship course that is aimed at those who want to go deeper in their faith. It is a roadmap that will lead you towards becoming a disciple and serving God’s Church. The next course begins on Thursday 14th May at 7pm!
If you’d like to sign up for our next Alpha or find out more about our “Let’s Speak Jesus'“ Course, then click below and scroll to the”courses” section.
It would be wrong of me if i didn’t say thank you to 2 groups of people. The first is the amazing team of 6 volunteers who week in week out, helped to set up the room, make tea and coffee, bring buns, lead the small groups, as well as a million other tasks. Their hard work and dedication made this Alpha as sucessful as it was and without them it wouldn’t have been possible. Anna, Johnny, John, Oonagh, Diane, and Daniel. You are amazing!
Secondly, i would like to thank our select vestry for their support and for blessing us with such an amazing away day. We are grateful to have a vestry who truly get the heart of discipleship and evangelism and who are willing to support our efforts to see Lives transformed.
And lastly, thank you to everyone who attended the course, who prayed in the background, and who supported us so graciously. We are truly blessed and forever grateful.
Yours in Christ,
Raymond