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Return to Alpha Program main page

Continue to Alpha Program Second Year

It will be necessary to have a core Alpha group with knowledge of how to run the course and lead the small groups. The following steps should be taken in order to help ensure a sucessful course:

1. Hang and "Alpha Is Coming" banner in front of the location where the course is to be held at least 2 weeks prior to the beginning of the course.
2. Change the banner to the "Alpha Is Here" banner the week the course begins and continue to display this banner for the first two weeks of the course. After the two week period the banner should be removed.
3. Depending on the number of persons enrolled and the timing of the next course the Celebration Dinner can be held at the beginning of the course or at the end of the course. The Celebration Dinner is designed as an invitation to "come and see" what the course is all about. It is a recruiting tool for the course as well as a celebration of the completion of the course. The Celebration Dinner program would include dinner, the introduction clip from the Alpha Program video (cd) and a short discussion time.
4. The course runs about 14 weeks. There are a couple of lessons that are grouped together and done at a retreat, which can be held either on site or off site, or with another church. Each week would include dinner, music or short story as told by the coordinator (or a pastor), the video clip and the small group discussion.
5. Celebration Dinner (if not held at the beginning). The attendees who have completed the class are then asked to facilitate the next scheduled class. This allows them to share what they've learned and it introduces new leaders/facilitators to the program.

Having one course a year in the first few years of the church should be sufficient. However, if the need is large enough, it is possible to have three per year. This is very difficult. As the classes finish it is imperative that new facilitators are recruited to prevent burnout. Some people enjoy facilitating and will want to continue to do so time and again. However, it is always good to get fresh new faces at each course.

The course can be held at any time that is convenient to the church and/or congregation. It can be done as part of a larger program plan or as a stand alone class. It is possible to do the program on a Sunday morning but it is not advisable. Doing this program on a Sunday morning produces a number of obstacles that even seasoned Alpha coordinators have difficulties overcoming.

The program is set up to encourage a safe place where questions can be asked/answered, communities formed and relationships enriched. It is set up in such a way that if followed exactly it will be sucessful. The parts of the program are as follows:

1. Facilitator Training: This helps the facilitators to be prepared for questions of all types and to learn how to facilitate a small group without feeling the need to answer all the questions themselves. (Pastor do not necessarily make good facilitators as the attendees look to them for the "answers" instead of looking for them within themselves.)
2. Meals: Breaking bread together is a crucial part of the fellowship that takes place within the program. The meals can be provided by catering, potluck (where each participant and facilitator brings a dish to share) or by a group of volunteers (aka a food committee). This is the time when participants bond socially without planned topics to discuss.
3. Music/Short Story: This is usually a good lead in to the video.
4. Video: These are pre-recorded lessons by Nicky Gumbel that are very thought provoking, are in simple and easy to understand language and generate great discussion.
5. Small Groups: This is a safe place where questions (ideally a group consists of only 6-7 persons including the facilitator) of all types can be asked without judgement, in a non threatening environment. If followed correctly you can expect to gain new core members who are "on fire" to spread the gospel and bring others to Alpha.

(If a class is started with 20 attendees and only 5 remain for the duration of the program then you may want to wait about 2 months before doing the next program. If however, 10-15 of those who started the program remain and are willing to lead the next round you would want to start the next program within 4-6 weeks. This keeps the facilitators (the ones returning from the first group) of the program to remain excited about the program. That excitement is transferred to the new participants of the next class.)