- Introduction
- Next Alpha Course
- Alpha course content
- Language
- Alpha evening
- Alpha Weekend
- Cost of course
- Life after Alpha
- How can you help with Alpha
- Contact the Alpha team
Introduction
Many people are asking themselves the questions: Why am I here? What is the point of my life? Is there not more to life?, Is there a God? You may have attended a church for most of your life but you may have never really understood what Christianity is all about. If this is how you are thinking we can offer you help and a direction for your life by inviting you to follow the Alpha Course.
The Alpha Course allows you together with a small group of about 8-10 others to be introduced to the basis of the Christian faith in an informal and relaxed way. The course is informative, fun-filled and starts every evening with a meal. It is a dynamic course that can be life-changing.
The Alpha Course has been followed by over 13 million people world-wide in 163 countries and explores the meaning of life and some of the basic truths of the Christian faith such as “Who is Jesus?”, “Why should I read the bible?” and “Does God heal today?”. It is scripturally-based and has the backing of all Christian denominations. It is for those searching for the meaning of life, newcomers to the church and those wanting to explore their faith. Whether you attend Thousand Hills Hilversum or not you will be made welcome at the Alpha Course.
Next Alpha Course
The next Alpha Course will be starting at Thousand Hills Hilversum on September 3rd 2013. Before the course starts there will be two open informational introductory meetings in church on Sunday September 1st. One in Dutch and one in English. These meetings will provide anyone who is interested or just curious with further details about the course. The Alpha Introductory DVD “Is Christianity Dull, Boring or Irrelevant?” will be shown. There will also be some participants from the last Alpha course available to relate their experiences and to answer any questions.
The Alpha Course will continue every Tuesday evening for 10 weeks and does also involve a weekend away which covers 25% of the course. The first evening session will start on September 3rd 2013 at Thousand Hills. Registration forms are available at the Alpha table and any questions can be directed to them or sent to alpha@thousandhills.cc.
Alpha course content
The course involves fifteen talks held on Tuesday evenings and during the weekend away.
Evening talks
Who is Jesus?
Why did Jesus die?
How can we have faith?
Why and how should I read the Bible?
Why and how do I pray?
Weekend talks
Who is the Holy Spirit?
What does the Holy Spirit do?
How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit?
How can I make the most of the rest of my life?
Evening talks
How does God guide us?
How can I resist evil?
Why and how should we tell others?
Does God heal today?
What about the Church?
Language
In the course we will use English videos with Dutch subtitles and work books can be available in both English and Dutch. Depending on the requirement, the discussion will be performed in English and in Dutch.
Alpha evening
The evening begins at 18.45 with the meal. At 20.00 there is an Alpha DVD in which Nicky Gumbel, pastor of Holy Trinity Church Brompton London, who developed the course, talks about the subject for the evening. After coffee there is an informal discussion in the group about the evening’s topic. The evening always closes at 22.00.
Alpha Weekend
The Alpha weekend activities start at 09.30 on the Saturday morning and continue until 15.00 on the Sunday afternoon. There is a chance to come on the Friday evening also. As the weekend consists of about a quarter of the course material it is highly recommended that everyone attends this essential part of the course.
Cost of course
The course is essentially free but you may be asked to provide part of the meal on some evenings and to give a donation towards the cost of the weekend.
Life after Alpha
After the Alpha course there are additional materials written by Nicky Gumbel, which could be used in a follow-up so-called “Beta” course. These are intended to help Alpha participants to develop their faith further. Examples of these are “Challenging Lifestyles” or “A Life worth Living”. These can be followed by the same group of ex-Alpha people in a variety of settings.
Other helpful courses prepared by Alpha that could be offered in the future by Thousand Hills Hilversum are as follows:
- The Marriage Preparation Course
- The Marriage Course
- The Parenting Course
See www.htb.org.uk/alpha for more details of the content of these courses.
How can you help with Alpha
“Friends of Alpha” are required to faithfully support the Alpha Course in prayer and to provide meals for the evenings and the weekend. If you would like to help in this way please contact us at the Alpha table.
Contact the Alpha team
If you have any additional questions or are willing to help in some way with the Alpha Course please contact us at the Alpha table on a Sunday or send your request to alpha@thousandhills.cc and your request will be answered as soon as possible.
