Alpha? 

You may have heard of the Alpha course? Maybe you've attended one? But did you know it can also be used as a lifegroup resource?
Please see below an interview with a lifegroup leader who used Alpha in their lifegroup!

Interview with a lifegroup leader:

GREG: Hi Simon, thanks for agreeing to come and talk about using Alpha in your lifegroup!  First please can you tell us a bit about your experience with lifegroups and where and what your current group is up to?

SIMON: Yes sure, Carol and I joined New Life in 2020, we moved up to live in Richmond having been in the Cotswolds for the last 10 years, where we were active members of house groups in our previous church, so were keen to join a group here.  We were fortunate to join the South Otterington group (SoNlife). We managed a few face to face meetings before Covid struck and we moved to zoom.  

The groups leader, Richard Cutting and his wife Annabel did the reverse of us and moved to the Cotswolds from here and as no one particularly wanted to be the designated leader, we opted share out the responsibilities.  Carol and I coordinate and help get dates in diaries and we rotate the leading and hosting of sessions - now that we can meet face to face again. So far its been working well.

G: Wow, what a time to join us and well done for hitting the ground running and taking on those responsibilities whilst settling into North Yorks! :)  So the Alpha course material is typically used as an outreach resource for churches to engage in conversation with folks who are curious about Jesus, why did your group opt to use this as a lifegroup resource and how have your group found it helpful?

S: We chose Alpha for two main reasons.  The first because it’s interesting and well-structured which lends itself to both face to face and zoom meeting's. That flexibility has proved most useful during these strange times.  Mostly, however,  we saw it as a means to help us to answer questions from people who are seeking.  In this respect it has proven to be a great prompt and resource for speaking with friends and family and has certainly prompted really interesting and informative discussions within the group. 

G: Specifically on the material - do you feel the material has helped you all as a group?  Did you find the discussions challenging and shaping you?  Could you tell us about a favorite session/discussion that Alpha has prompted?

S: Yes the material has been excellent and has really prompted some good discussions.   As we have said our aim as a group was to help us answer questions about our faith with family and friends and the material is great for revealing real life examples from within the group.  By answering questions well we hope that we will be able to spread the good news.  I'm sure each in the group have their own favorite session but Carol particularly enjoyed leading the session on "Why pray?" As prayer often strikes a chord even with those who don’t know Jesus.

G: It sounds like you're group has engaged well with the material Simon, a very 'equipping' resource by the sounds of it and it's been of use with loved ones beyond your group, that's ace!  I enjoyed attending an alpha course with a mate in 2019, and I agree it's stimulating and well structured, the videos are well presented and really up to date.  Thank you for this personal recommendation Simon and we look forward to hearing more from you here in the future!

S: Thanks for the chance to share the experience of our life group, we have certainly enjoyed using the Alpha material so far and we have a couple of sessions still to cover.  The material is well put together and really prompts good discussion.  I really hope this share encourages others to try the material

All Alpha materials (videos and training sessions if needed) are available for free from the Alpha website.
Alternatively to find out more about Alpha or attending a course, please click here.