By Tan Yee Sern
What is Alpha? Alpha is a community of people meeting together to explore the questions of life and to know God. Attendees are introduced to the basics of Christianity and offered a presentation of what it means to live as a Christian.
Who is Alpha for? It is primarily for seekers and new believers, and also for seasoned believers who want to refresh their perspective.
Motivated by knowing Christ further through sharing it with others, I volunteered to serve for this year’s Alpha.
Once the programme was announced to the larger congregation, invitations were sent from church members to friends and acquaintances. Among those invited, some responded and attended. And among those who attended, some stayed throughout the programme. This year, for Alpha 27, our attendees came from various walks of life: students, working adults and retirees, and locals and foreigners. We thank God for them, as it required their time and dedication to follow through this course for two months. We had the most engagement during the weekend away towards the end of course, where we prayed for the Holy Spirit to minister to everyone present.
The Alpha Team
In order to support and guide the attendees, our Alpha team consisted of various roles. Under the leadership and pastoral care, there were:
- The prayer team who interceded at every session;
- The leaders who conducted group discussions and maintained contact with our guests;
- The helpers who welcomed and engaged the guests; and
- Others such as volunteers for the catering, ice-breaking, worship and childcare teams.
Talents are utilised to make the guests feel welcomed and engaged. We ushered and welcome them with hearty refreshments. They participated in ice breakers and sang worship songs. The videos, courtesy of Nicky Gumbel of Alpha International, were shown to bring into context the topic of the session.
Small Group Discussions
Following the videos, the guests were assigned into two age groups for group discussions. The atmosphere at every session was lively and open for our guests to ask questions and express their views. A wide range of topics was discussed, such as Christian beliefs and living, familial beliefs, life struggles, and worldviews. From these discussions, we also each shared about our life journeys, how we have experienced God, and about the knowledge of truth.
We rejoice at what God has done. Some of the guests committed to follow Christ. Some renewed their commitments. Some gleaned more knowledge of their faith. We made friends by sharing our time with them. Together we learned and experienced a blessed life.
Get Involved
❓Interested in Alpha? Alpha is a safe space where we invite friends, co-workers and relatives to a conversation about faith, life and Christianity. Stay tuned for Alpha 28.
💻 Watch the recap here.