Some members from the last St. Peter’s Alpha course have shared their experience in the hope it may encourage others to attend.
“When I joined up to start the Alpha group I honestly didn’t know what to expect, you could say that I was sat on the fence and didn’t have a faith. When I was younger I had gone to some church services, especially around Christmas and I had also been part of a church Youth Group. However, I had only started to go to church regularly in January and at first it was to feel part of a community and I also enjoyed the singing aspect. One thing that I did notice however, was that as soon as I went into church, I felt a sense of calm and peace and during that time I was in the moment.
I had heard Alpha being mentioned a few times during church services and didn’t really give it a second thought until after one Sunday when I had gone for prayer and during that prayer I felt the weight of God trying to push me to my knees. I thought I was imagining this sensation until I mentioned it to others.
So, I then decided to go for the first session of Alpha and in all honesty didn’t think I would attend the others, how wrong was I!! I have found and learnt so much through doing Alpha and have also found my faith. Throughout the course I asked what I thought were silly questions but they weren’t and if I hadn’t have asked I wouldn’t have the knowledge of my faith that I do now. I also shared this experience with my amazing Alpha family. My faith continues to grow every day.
I urge anyone that is thinking about doing Alpha to give it a go, especially if you are sat on the fence like I was.
God Bless”
“I had never heard of Alpha before, so when I saw it flash up on the screens at church before service one Sunday, it got my attention. I watched a short video clip on Facebook and it looked interesting. So, I went along to the first session at the vicarage. I felt really nervous as I barely knew anyone at church. I needn’t have worried as by the end of the evening I knew I had just found a lovely group of new friends.
Over the next few weeks we enjoyed watching the DVDs and discussing the topics, as well as sharing personal experiences and great conversations.
My favourite session was The Holy Spirit. A whole morning spent with my ‘Alpha family’ and receiving prayer for the first time, where I experienced the Holy Spirit, will forever be one of my best memories.
Alpha lead me to my confirmation, alongside some of those from our group. Another amazing day I would never have experienced without Alpha.
We now meet once a week and have started our own home group. We have grown so close during our journey through Alpha and are enjoying reading the Bible together and sharing in our love for Jesus.”
“I feel I am that kind of person who always have lots of questions with life and also have a lot of passion with life too. During my searching for my answers I have find my favourite job—-Acupuncture Therapist. I experiencing love and understanding love, and the most important of all is that I have find my religion. I really appreciate everyone’s honesty in the group; “easy ” doesn’t appear in grown up’s life, we need faith and bravery to experience life and enjoy life.”
“Alpha was something that caught my attention when I was 16 years old; 16 years later I finally got around to going! Even then though, I still needed a lot of nudges. I didn’t think I could fit it in around work and home but after it kept appearing everywhere and was on my mind, I figured God was telling me something and it was time to go. I took the leap and booked on to the course, and invited a friend along for the ride.
The leap was definitely worth it and I needn’t have worried about fitting it in, everything fell into place! Through Alpha I have learnt so much about my faith, I’ve heard different people’s opinions and some beautiful testimonies. Alpha gave me the knowledge and comfort to talk to my non-Christian friends about my faith, in fact it made my faith grow and grow. With knowledge comes a sense of security; this security has given me a new confidence in myself and my faith. It’s made me want to seek more and more knowledge, continually growing and strengthening my faith through further exploration.
It was on Alpha that I had my first encounter with the Holy Spirit. In St. Peter’s one Saturday morning, whilst receiving prayer, I felt a force so powerful it brought me to the ground; it was incredible. Experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit was an emotional experience, and one I am blessed to say has occurred regularly since Alpha.
My journey through Alpha brought something else special into my life; my Alpha family. As the weeks passed the group grew closer together, choosing to share life experiences, comforting and encouraging one another. The friendships built during Alpha are very special and each member of the Alpha family holds a special place in my heart. We still meet every week and have now formed the Post Alpha Home Group, where we continue to learn together and support one another.
Alpha truly blessed me. Even the mention of the name, Alpha, fills me with an excitement and enthusiasm to encourage others to just give it a try. Don’t wait as long as I did, today is as good a day as any.”
Our next Alpha course starts on Wednesday 17th October, 7.30pm, at SPC. We’d love to see you there.
Please get in touch if you have any questions.