Alpha Course Press Release

September 3^rd, 2008

• EVERYONE IN AIRDRIE IS INVITED TO SUPPER ON TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 6:30 P.M.  AT THE ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION TO LAUNCH THE ALPHA COURSE IN AIRDRIE THIS FALL

The Alpha course is set to run this fall in Airdrie and will kick off with a free dinner event open to people of all ages. The launch event is designed to introduce people living in Airdrie and its environs to the Alpha course, which provides an opportunity to explore the meaning of life. The course is free and open to everyone.

Over Eleven million people around the world are already estimated to have taken part in local Alpha courses which are now running at over 37,000 churches of all denominations.

The Alpha course is a practical and contemporary introduction to the Christian faith and provides a relaxed and informal opportunity for participants to make up their own mind about Christianity. It is constructed around one meeting a week for ten weeks and has become increasingly successful around the world over the last 10 years.

It is designed to help Canadians find a safe, no pressure way to explore the spiritual side of life.

Why am I here on earth? Is there life after death?  How do I pray to God? Can I really have an encounter with God?  What is the purpose of my life? Most of us have these and other questions at some time or other, but most of us don’t dwell on them.  Perhaps because we’re not really sure it’s possible to find answers to such questions.  So it’s maybe better not to go there.  But sometimes, if we let them, these questions linger.

More than three quarters of a million Canadians from all backgrounds have already taken the Alpha Course?

This fall thousands more people will attend Alpha courses across the country – in pubs, in homes, in student union buildings, in community centres, in church halls and inside prison walls. People from all walks of life will be exploring the meaning of life with others on similar spiritual journeys, eating a meal together and looking at and discussing such topics as: Who is Jesus and what evidence is there that he lived? How do I pray to a God I can’t see or touch or feel? Does God heal people today? Can I expect to have an experience of God’s presence? Does God speak to us?

Airdrie dwellers will not be left out as the Alpha course will be holding at the Royal Canadian Legion #288, Airdrie starting Tuesday September 16^th at 6:30pm.

Alpha is a 15-session practical introduction to the Christian faith designed primarily for non-churchgoers and new Christians and is being run by churches of every denomination. Most courses take place in the evening with a meal followed by a talk central to the Christian faith. After the talk, participants divide into groups of about ten or twelve people to discuss the talk in an environment where each person is free to ask or express whatever they wish.

Since 1992 the Alpha course has seen astonishing growth, both in the United Kingdom and internationally. From just five courses running in the UK in 1992, to over 7 33,092 courses worldwide in over 160 countries. It is estimated that 11 million people have now been on the course worldwide.

The Rev’d Nicky Gumbel, who presents the Alpha material, said: ‘We have heard so many wonderful stories of people – many of them young – whose lives have been changed by God through the Alpha course in churches of all denominations throughout the country.’

ENDS

For further information, contact:  Abraham in Airdrie, 4034205575

The growth of Alpha worldwide