Alpha Invitation Guide 2016/17
JOIN THE ADVENTURE
OVER
29,000,000 PEOPLE HAVE TRIED ALPHA
FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER WE ARE COMING TOGETHER TO INVITE THE WORLD TO TRY ALPHA
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Alpha Invitation Guide 2016/17
Alpha.org.au
WELCOME Welcome to the Alpha Invitation Church Guide. This guide outlines all you need to know about effectively launching Alpha in your local community. Alpha is a tool designed to encourage anyone to explore life and the basics of the Christian faith, in a friendly, open and informal environment.
Alpha.org.au
We are so thankful for your partnership. We know that the church is where Alpha comes to life!
Grylls together with the brand new Alpha Film Series, will be greater than any previous year in history.
We have now seen over 29 million people around the world try Alpha, but are praying for millions more to come to know Jesus through Alpha and would love you to be involved. With your help, the reach of Alpha, through using the new invitation materials featuring Bear
Please know that we are always here to help you and want to ensure you have all the support you need. Thank you and here’s to inviting people to #TryAlpha! Bonnie Yule-Kuehne Global Vice President, Alpha
Alpha Invitation Guide 2016/17
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JOIN THE ADVENTURE
What is Alpha?
Why does Alpha look like?
A Global Alpha Campaign?
Alpha is a series of sessions exploring the basics of the Christian faith. All over the world, from Tijuana to Tokyo, people run Alpha and invite their local community to explore the Christian faith. Over 27 million people in 169 countries and 112 languages have tried Alpha.
There isn’t really an average Alpha. Alpha is run in local communities all around the world, and everyone’s welcome. It runs in cafés, churches, bars, prisons, parks, universities, schools, homes— you name it. No two Alphas look the same, but generally they have three key things in common: food, a talk and good conversation.
Alpha’s first-ever global invitation to try Alpha will be launching across regions, countries, cities, towns and villages all around the world, on 1 September 2016 and will run until 31 December 2017.
Typically run over eleven weeks, each session looks at a different question that people can have about faith and is designed to create conversation. There’s no pressure or charge; it’s just an open, informal and honest space to explore and discuss life’s big questions together.
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Alpha Invitation Guide 2016/17
How do we get involved? Go to inviteaustralia.com and let us know you’re joining the adventure!
The Global Alpha Campaign 2016/17 features world-renowned TV outdoor survivalist, Bear Grylls, and his greatest adventure—finding a simple faith in God through Alpha. Our aim is for people to be impacted by Bear’s story and be persuaded to try Alpha themselves. Invitation materials include postcards, posters, banners and a campaign video.
Alpha.org.au
MY GREATEST ADVENTURE
What does it take to live a life of adventure? The truth is, the first step is always the hardest, that’s the one that
it has struggles and it has doubts, but it’s so often brought light to a dark path, warmth to a cold mountain and strength
But I’ve learnt not to run from that fear and just do it. My Christian faith can be a little up and down, like any relationship,
I remember crawling onto the summit of Everest and clearing the snow from my mask to see the curvature of the Earth
takes the most courage.
Alpha.org.au
to a failing body.
at the edges. But finding a simple faith that empowers my life? To me that’s been my greatest adventure.
See the full story at Alpha.org.au
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FILM SERIES HOLDER
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Alpha Invitation Guide 2016/17
Alpha.org.au
WHAT IS THE ALPHA FILM SERIES?
Alpha like you’ve never seen it before. The Alpha Film Series is an exciting new resource designed to help the audience begin life’s greatest adventure— encountering Jesus through Alpha. We want to give as many people as possible this opportunity and we believe that the Alpha Film Series will be a helpful resource in their journey. Repackaged for today’s audience, the Alpha Film Series is emotive, engaging and epic in scale and scope. Nicky Gumbel and two new presenters, Toby Flint and Gemma Hunt, walk the audience through Alpha in a way that everyone can relate to.
Alpha.org.au
The beautifully shot episodes feature stories across all major denominations, interviews from all around the world, visual illustrations and motion graphics. Stories include that of Jackie Pullinger, Cardinal Schönborn from the Catholic Church, Jose Henriquez Gonzalez (one of the 33 miners trapped for 69 days at the San Jose mine in Chile) and Scott Harrison, founder of Charity: Water. Anyone can use the Alpha Film Series to run Alpha. It contains fifteen episodes and two training videos, each lasting 30 minutes. There is also a 10-minute introduction to the Alpha weekend. The Alpha Film Series will be free to download in April 2016 from Alpha.org.au/Run. Visit Alpha.org.au/ AlphaFilmSeries for more information.
How to run...
1. Register: In order to download the
Alpha Film Series you’ll need to register your Alpha on Alpha.org.au/Run. Here you can access training videos, all the episodes and small group notes.
2. Invite: You can’t use the Alpha Film
Series to run Alpha without first inviting people! From September 2016, don’t forget to use the invitation materials featuring Bear Grylls. Order them online on run.alpha.org.au
3. Run: The format will work the same
as any other Alpha, beginning with food, then a talk and finally, good discussion. The talk is where the Alpha Film Series comes into play. Watch the episode on a screen of your choice and have fun!
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Alpha is a chance to ask some of the big questions and, for me, that was really important.’ I did it with Shara when we’d just got married and it was a really low-pressure,
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Alpha Invitation Guide 2016/17
cool, mellow, fun chance to ask some of these questions. It doesn’t matter what you say, you’ve just to to be yourself and be honest. It’s an amazing thing to be a part of and it’s an amazing thing to have done. I’ve seen it help so many people
find that kind of quiet, simple, straightforward faith. For me it’s easy to recommend because it has helped me. . See Bear’s story at alpha.org.au
Alpha.org.au
Bear has become known as the face of adventure and outdoor survival. He has climbed Mount Everest and ventured to the depths of Antarctica. With 1.5 billion viewers worldwide, he is recognised from New York to New Delhi, and his fastest growing market is now China. His show Man vs. Wild was the no.1 ranked reality show in the US last year and he’s authored six best-selling books. As well as this, Bear is a former Alpha guest and describes his greatest adventure as finding a simple faith that empowers his life.
Alpha.org.au
His message At Alpha, we feature real people with real stories as the face of our invitation. Bear is passionate about Alpha and having been a guest himself he knows the impact it can have on a person’s walk to faith. Through the campaign video and materials, Bear will challenge the perception of being a fearless outdoor adventurer by sharing an untold story of his inner adventure to faith.
Our research tells us that men in their 20s are the most difficult to reach so if we can engage with them, we can engage with everyone. Bear is the voice challenging this guest to be bold and try Alpha.
‘I’ve crawled onto the roof of the world…But finding a simple faith? That’s been my greatest adventure yet.’
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JOIN THE ADVENTURE
INVITEAUSTRALIA.COM
#TryAlpha Alpha.org.au