EVANGELISATION OF THE NATIONS, REVITALIZATION OF THE CHURCH, TRANSFORMATION OF SOCIETY | INDIA.ALPHA.ORG
ALPHA INDIA NEWS VOLUME 6, ISSUE 2 | APRIL - JUNE 2016
A QUARTERLY NEWSPAPER
FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION ONLY
TRAINING ACROSS THE NATION:
PRAYER MEET
ALPHA'S ACROSS THE NATION
Equipping the Church to reap the harvest
First of its kind prayer meet brings organizations and leaders under one roof
Retrained, re-envisioned and celebrating a joyful graduation day
Page 7
Page 10
Page 4
REBUILDING PARTNERSHIPS
GO AND PROCLAIM In a world which is fast changing and Christian world which is caught in between the cross fires of activities, Jacob Isaac urges us, the Body of Christ to respond to the God's love and the precious blood that Jesus shed on the Cross. Being reminded that we are indebted and obligated to those around us and proclaim the Good News eagerly without being ashamed. Read more on Pg 3
Revisiting our partnerships with the CNI Moderator - Rev. P.K. Samantaroy, Bishops Rt. Rev. Younas Massey, Ludhiana and Bishop Ashok Biswas of Kolkata sets new horizon to our collaboration.
ALPHA - CATHOLIC
Read more on page 8
A FUN FILLED AYFS
MARRIAGE COURSES Run in over 70 countries A parish renewal programme
Compliments catechetical classes Strengthens existing Small Christian Communities
alpha.org/catholics catholics@alphaindia.org
Here's another story showcasing Alpha's effectiveness in a rural setting. Alpha was introduced to Pas. Solomon Raja by Pas. Sampath, who ran Alpha first in his church. Though apprehensive at the beginning Pas. Raj went on to run Alpha for the youth and realized that Alpha was nothing but a blessing to his church. Seeing these young lives transformed he is now set to start five Alphas for Youth riding in on the success of the first one. Read more on Pg 11
The Marriage Course training and courses were conducted across seven locations in three states of the North East region. A total of ten training events were done within a span of fifteen days. Couples representing various churches and organizations participated enthusiastically. They were trained to run The Marriage Course in their homes and churches. Many came to know for the first time that it was simple to actually start Marriage Courses inside homes and churches using the resources. Read more on Pg 9
CONTENTS Editorial
Pg 3
From the field
Pg 4
My Story
Pg 5
Worship Central
Pg 6
Prayer - The steering wheel
Pg 7
Rebuilding Partnerships
Pg 8
The Marriage Course
Pg 9
In close communion
Pg 10
A visual treat, a soul-getter
Pg 11
"No one ever joins Alpha. Alpha has no members. People encounter Jesus through Alpha and they join the church" - Nicky Gumbel
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ALPHA NOTES
ALPHA INDIA NEWS APRIL - JUNE 2016
NEW BOARD MEMBERS
DEAR READERS Thank you for the testimonies, stories and photos that were sent to us. Once again in this issue your stories have been printed throughout the newspaper, along with other encouraging stories that we have received from across the nation.
Please send your stories to: stories@alphaindia.org Postal address: Alpha India, 219, 5th A Main Road, HRBR 2nd Block, Kalyan Nagar, Bangalore - 560 043 Tel : +91 80 2542 0902 / 0899 / 0881 Email : contact@alphaindia.org
ARUN SAMUEL Chairman and Managing Director Wings Group of Companies
Alpha India directory: NATIONAL DIRECTOR: Rev. Jacob G Isaac
Mr J Varadaraj Global Ambassador of Alpha India
BOARD MEMBERS:
CHURCH ADVISORY BOARD:
Mr Scott Norling Chairman-Alpha India
Archbishop (Emeritus) Vincent Concessao
Mr Rajeev Menon Senior Investments Head - Expat Group
Rev. Dr. D. Mohan, Superintendent of AOG India
BIJU THAMPY Senior Pastor The Gateway Church, Mumbai
Mr Jaccob Thomas CEO, Malaysia MP Capital Advisory
ELCA GROBLER Founder - My Choices Foundation
CONNECT WITH US NCR - DELHI Ashish Mishra +91 98995 92929 SOUTH REGION Andhra Pradesh Nathaniel R +91 90882 2365 Tamil Nadu John Rajan D +91 98434 95572 Samuel Sundar +91 93808 06974 Marky Gnanadeepan +91 98414 08286 Karnataka Thomson G +91 93424 41399 Alpha - Catholic Robert M Amirtharaj +91 98864 88687 The Marriage Courses Phillip N David +91 98844 36364 EAST REGION 4/4B, Bank Colony Dhakuria, (Behind Ram Roy School), Kolkata 700 031 WEST BENGAL Prabir Mandal Ph: +91 96744-61951
Dilip Debnath +91 98742 07760 Subrata Halder +91 94335 56315 Atmanand Singh +91 90515 12161 Priya Ranjan Bag +91 80172 88279 George Muller +91 94310 16124 Tushar K Behera +91 93371-41600 WEST REGION Near Salvation Army Church, Maninagar East, Ahmedabad - 380008, GUJARAT Jimmy Harshkant +91 98254-44197 Silvester S Christian +91 94266 16601 Arpit Rathod +91 98794 75765 Kamlesh Parmar +91 99830 03637 Johnson James +91 98290 77374 Caleb J Ellis +91 98209 72519 Shailendra B +91 99230 94656
NORTH - WEST REGION No.5623, Modern Housing Board Duplex, Mani Majra, Chandigarh 160 101 PUNJAB
NEW STAFF UPDATE
Rupak K Nayak 093189 02997 Vikram Satyarahi +91 98763 70480 Arun Gautham +91 081969 57126 Dehradun, Uttarkhand Inosh Karad +91 98976 44709 NORTH - EAST REGION 1071, Peseyie Complex, 2 Floor, Near Town Baptist Church, Nyamo Lotha Road, Dimapur, Nagaland 797112
SHAILENDRA B TRIBHUVAN Regional Co-ordinator, Pune Shailendra comes to us with 10 years of diverse experience in sales, inside sales, marketing and other customer relationship management sectors. He has worked with Fortune 500 companies as Team lead.
Balajied N Syiem +91 87942 98633 Ninghor K Shimray +91 090851 57153 Subhas Lyngdoh +91 97740 59873 Worshon Kashung +91 84149 28416 Eyingbemo E Ngullie +91 098566 16680 Ezra Pamei +91 76201 17270
Š Alpha India 2016, edited and published by Rev. Jacob G Isaac for Alpha India
ROBERT M AMRITHARAJ Regional Co-ordinator, Bangalore Robert is a lay missionary who has been involved in youth pastoral ministry in the Catholic Church for about 17 years. Prior to this he was a Regional Aftercare Manager with International Justice Mission (IJM), a Christian human-rights organisation.
ALPHA INDIA NEWS APRIL - JUNE 2016
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DIRECTOR’S PAGE
From the desk of the National Director
GO AND PROCLAIM being obligated, eager & not ashamed
Dear friends of Alpha, Global trends are fast changing the way we think and act. In fact, the rapidity of change does not give us room to think – only act. We therefore live in an action driven world. If you create the right buzz, it is believed that whatever you want to do can be achieved successfully. No wonder we see the Christian world caught in the crossfire of activity on one hand and trying to play catch up on the other. At times we see activities but very little growth, a lot of sparks but no fire. So, is it the lack of laborers or is it a matter of inappropriate tools. One would never know. When you read Romans 1:14-17, there are three key words and phrases that attract my attention. They are: 1. Obligated 2. Eager 3. Not Ashamed Obligated: The book of Romans reminds us that Paul felt obligated. In response to the love of Christ and the precious blood he shed on the Cross, we ought to be indebted and obligated to those around us. To share the love of Christ selflessly and not to fill our lives with endless number of activities. Eager: This sense of obligation could weigh you down with guilt and paralyze you with
the enormity of the task. But, there is hope, if we understand this scripture rightly. It’s true that the harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few. it is not asking us to therefore do some more activities. The key word to be noticed is the word “Pray”. Yes, the Word of God says, “pray that the Lord of the harvest will send forth the laborers”. Eagerness to preach should start at the point of prayer. Prayer moves the heart that moves the world. Prayer is essential to move us away from self-centered existence to outward directed living. The cure for mindless activism. As I travel to various parts of India, I see the hand of God moving in the midst of His people. When I ask them what's the secret of this move of God, they answer that it is ‘prayer’. Not ashamed: When we truly pray, we have the assurance of the presence of God with us. When the presence of God is with us, we have boldness to preach the Gospel unashamedly. Therefore, these are indeed exciting times for all of us. Prayer is making a difference in our vast nation. We rejoice as we see the Gospel making inroads into India. Partnerships being fostered with various denominations give me the assurance that the country is keen to engage with their
Regional meeting - East
At Katalyst, Singapore
With Rev. Sumesh, St. Paul's, Pune
friends and neighbors the message of the Gospel. Added to that are the introduction of new tools for effective evangelism in a typical Alpha setting of ‘Food, Talk and Discussion’ gives room for the message of the Gospel to blossom into very engaging moments. Similarly, the Alpha Youth Film Series (AYFS) now dubbed in Hindi and Tamil has had a very positive response across the nation. Close on the heels of this launch comes the Alpha Film Series (AFS) a new generation product much like the AYFS but aimed at the 18 to 24 year olds. I was at the launch in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and the contagious excitement around it was something worth experiencing. These tools will certainly give us a powerful opportunity to engage with the English speaking urban populace and the vast regions of semiurban India. Would you make prayer a priority and seek the Lord of the harvest to continue sending forth laborers? Blessings Rev. Jacob G Isaac National Director
Regional meeting - West
IT Consultation - US
Regional meeting - South
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ALPHA INDIA NEWS APRIL - JUNE 2016
FROM THE FIELD
WARANGAL LEADERS MEET One of Telangana's key city Warrangal, witnessed a large gathering of leaders on the 29th of February. Under the leadership of Mr. Stephen Chittibabu and Karunakar, around 800 leaders gathered in Centenary Baptist Church, Hanmakonda. Alpha India's Chairman Rev. Scott Norling shared the word of God. Mr. Prabhakar Sam, Joyce Meyer Ministries, shared on the need for political and social awareness among the servants of God. Bro. Nathaniel, Alpha's Regional Coordinator shared on Alpha and its impact on the church. He shared the various contexts of Alpha and how it caters to today's church. The event turned out to be a blessing to all present and many leaders have come forward to run Alpha in their respective churches. - Nathaniel K, Regional Coordinator
MASTER TRAINING PROGRAM
INDIAN MISSIONARY SOCIETY
GEMS CITY CHURCH
We had a wonderful two days Master training program on 28th and 29th January in Oddanchatram, Tamil Nadu.
On 18th February, twenty-ďŹ ve delegates were trained to run Alpha at IMS Belgam Pas. Caleb who was familiar with Alpha and its resources, shared on how the material impacted him and that it can be a great tool to evangelize. The leaders agreed that the strategy of Alpha is compatible with their church and that it will surely help in church growth and be a blessing to the church.
GEMS City Church, Patna, hosted its ďŹ rst ever Alpha training on the 26th of Jan. Over forty-seven leaders from twelve churches across the city participated. Seventeen courses are registered.
Thirty three delegates from different districts and denomination participated. They were motivated and equipped to train the Body of Christ. - John Rajan, Regional Coordinator
- George Muller, Regional Coordinator
PRAISE & PRAYER
- Thomson, Regional Coordinator
ASSEMBLIES OF GOD CHURCH
Praise Points
DUDHI CHRISTIAN CHURCH
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God's provision and guidance during the last quarter
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Alpha Youth Film Series launch in Hindi and Tamil
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For all the partnerships and connections fostered
Prayer Points A l p h a h a d a n e ff e c t i v e t r a i n i n g a t Assemblies of God church, Karnal, Haryana. Thirty-four leaders from the church participated. The delegates were enthusiastic and were attentive through all the sessions. They actively participated in all the activities. Sr. Pas. Joshua said that he will recommend Alpha to neighboring churches upon seeing the effectiveness of Alpha in his church. By the end of the training the delegates admitted that Alpha is simple and an effective tool to win the lost for Christ. - Rupak Kumar, Regional Manager
Dudhi Christian Church, led by Pas. Mithilesh Masih, opened doors for us to train their leaders and elders to run Alpha on the 3rd of February. The church has faced many trials and struggles from within and outside the church. The pastor saw the need to equip the leaders of the church and to help them strengthen spiritually. His desire was to see the church laity get involved in this mission of evangelism. Forty-one leaders were trained and nine Alphas have been registered.
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Pray for the organizational goals and targets set for the year to be accomplished
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Pray for new partnerships and existing partners
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For all those who are continuing to support us
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For God's protection over staff and family, Master trainers, Churches and organizations running Alpha
ALPHA INDIA NEWS APRIL - JUNE 2016
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MY STORY
faith in Jesus. We know only Jesus could have done this. - Rev. Paul Paradisi, Telangana
STRONG AND CONFIDENT
TRULY KNOWING GOD I am working as an administrator and teacher at a school in Selakui. I was raised in a Christian family but little did I know about having a personal relationship w i t h G o d . I n November'15 I and my wife did Alpha in a church. Since then our perspective towards life and its purpose has changed. We witnessed growth and changes in our spiritual life. Alpha really helped myself and my wife to understand the true meaning of knowing God. I was struggling in a lot of areas in my life. But when I did Alpha I found a new direction and freedom. Now I am excited to do something for the Lord, starting from my neighborhood, especially among youngsters, giving them an opportunity to try Jesus. - Joshva, Dehradun
A CHANGED LIFE I was brought up in a Christian family, but was without Christ. I was living a superficial life and had no joy. I was restless. My parents are good Christians and they attend church regularly. A friend of mine requested me to attend Alpha in Zion Grace Church. Reluctantly I accepted their invitation. As I began to attend Alpha every week, God started
I was introduced to Alpha by Rev. Paul Paradisi. And I began attending Alpha in his church in early January. When I started it seemed like the topics were too simple but as I continued I realized that I was being strengthened in the basics of my faith.
working in my life and showed me that I was not saved even though I was thinking that I am a Christian just because I was born in a Christian family. As Alpha progressed, God touched and changed me. I accepted Jesus by the end of Alpha. I then decided to get baptized and I am now a member of the Church carrying out my responsibilities. I have been actively involved in church and have even shared with my friends how Jesus changed my life through Alpha. My life is different now. Thanks to Jesus and Alpha.
The sessions were interesting and it helped me to become strong and confident in what I believe. The Pastor encouraged me to run Alpha in my youth group. The guests were all college students and of them eight found Jesus. They are even willing to be baptized to proclaim their new found faith and this relationship with God. I am very encouraged and excited.
-Andrew Roy, Shillong
- Sis. Sujatha, Vijayawada
LIVING AN INVITATIONAL LIFE
ASSURED OF GROWTH I am ministering in Kodurupadu near Vijayawada. When I heard about Alpha I was so much moved by the vision and desired to get trained on how to run it. I invited my church believers and set date for training. Twenty-five of our leaders were trained. We began Alpha and around the 3rd topic – Why did Jesus die? one of our guest Padma, gave her life to Jesus and came forward to take baptism. This assured us that Alpha will strengthen our church and were greatly encouraged. On completion of the first run of Alpha we decided to run the second one among nonChristians. The guests showed much interest and eight of them were regular. One of our guests (name not disclosed) accepted Jesus as her personal Savior against her family's opposition and testified about her
MIRACLE STORY IN ONE OF OUR ALPHA Mrs. Jayanthi regularly attended our Alpha. Her elder daughter named Dharsini, studying 1st standard, suffered from a disease that altered her genes. It caused hair fall and she looked bald. Medicines gave them no hope. At Alpha we prayed for God's healing. In few weeks we saw new black hairs growing. Now the Lord has healed her baldness and she is looking beautiful. - John Rajan, Regional Coordinator
I have been a regular church goer and was satisfied that I am saved. I was invited to attend the introduction to Alpha which I thought was just another Christian meeting. But the introduction changed me and I realized that I have been living my life like any normal person. I enrolled for training and I realized that I have to do something for God. Alpha encouraged me to live an invitational life. I learnt how important it is to share the message of Christ to others. I have decided to share the Gospel to everyone I know and we as a family are encouraged to go through Alpha before we run it for others. - Jyothi, Sathenapalli
FINANCIAL PARTNERSHIP We appreciate your financial partnership. If you are inspired to support Alpha India, please use the details below, or contact Josy Joseph at the Alpha India Office.
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 911020054880929
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ALPHA INDIA NEWS APRIL - JUNE 2016
WORSHIP CENTRAL
AO BAPTIST AROGO MUNGDANG WORSHIP CENTRAL COURSE TRAINING
The Ao Baptist Arogo Mungdang (ABAM) is a Church Association of more than two lakhs Christian brothers and sisters who worship in more than 157 constituent congregations in the Indian states of Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya and Delhi. From 15th-17th March, worship team members and leaders from over thirty-five churches gathered at Oasis Youth Center, Dimapur for an intensive study of worship and how it relates to the whole of our lives. The Worship Central Course comprising of seven sessions was run for the participants to give them a firsthand experience of using the course material and replicating the same in their respective local churches.
Toshi Sanglir, Youth Secretary, ABAM, welcomed the leaders and shared on the need for true worship among worshipers. After a brief introduction to the course we delved straight into the first session “Why Worship Central?”. Seventy participants were divided to small groups to facilitate meaningful discussion in manageable numbers.
worship in different ways. Toshi, the Youth Secretary also took a couple of sessions which fit in so well into the whole program. It was an exciting collaboration. Mr. Bendang, Youth Promoter, kept the atmosphere alive as he conversed with the gathering in the Ao dialect. Many of the participants felt encouraged as they stepped up and shared their feedback.
The following day we continued with sessions from Alpha and spread the small groups to move around in the campus for discussion. Some were under trees, some in the open lawn and some even beside the still pond. All of them were engaged and excited to be sharing their thoughts on worship and how each one of them viewed
Those who came for the training started a group on WhatsApp and regularly update, encourage and connect with one another. This is a beautiful beginning and we are certain God has so much more for ABAM and also the other local churches in the North-East.
FROM PARTICIPANT TO AN ORGANISER My experience with worship central has been ecstatic. I have always wanted to know how worship should be expressed, especially as a worship leader. This course has opened my eyes to the fine details and professional touches that I needed as a worship leader and as worship team member. I enrolled for this course when it was conducted for the worship team at the River of Life Assemblies Church and enjoyed every moment of the course and it's teaching. I loved the way the course was conducted for us through the expert guidance of Tim Hughes and Al Gordon themselves and it was overwhelming to learn from them. The sheer variety of topics covered and the easy learning curve really helped me and got me engrossed and involved. The group discussions also created a sense of bonding and felt good sharing our thoughts with each other. I was really blessed through this course and now I am helping conduct Worship Central course at the Kurla Methodist Church near my house. Many of the young worship team leaders and members attending this course have been coming up to me and giving me a great feedback. I am so glad that this course by Worship Central has been a blessing to me and to many more. - Fiona, Mumbai
- Jied Syiem, Regional Manager
ALPHA INDIA NEWS APRIL - JUNE 2016
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FROM THE FIELD
“PRAYER - THE STEERING WHEEL OF SPIRITUAL LIFE." FEEDBACK I had backslidden in my prayer life but attending this Prayer Day and hearing the Word and praying together recharged and revived me. - Joseph Benjamin C.F.I. Teacher Udaipur
First of its kind in Rajasthan, Alpha Prayer Day was organized on 23rd of March at the campus of Compassion for India at Udaipur, in partnership with CFI. Hundred and twentyeight Pastors and prayer warriors representing twelve churches and Organizations participated. Our vision was to raise prayer warriors for Alpha's work in Rajasthan and also to bring about an ecumenical spirit and sense of unity among the denominations and organizations. The event began with worship by Lyob and his team from Philadelphia Church. The Word of God was shared by Rev. Dr. Paul Mathews from Rajasthan Pentecostal Church who spoke on the prayer life of Jesus. We also got the opportunity to share the vision and mission of Alpha and its various contexts. Organizational heads/pastors also shared their prayer concerns which was later prayed for. Bro. Jimmy, Regional Manager encouraged the guests to continue praying for churches in Rajasthan, Missions and also for Alpha India and its staff. The leaders appreciated Alpha's efforts and were grateful. - North West Region
Alpha Prayer Day enabled me to understand the importance of intercessory prayer for the city, state and the nation. I also understood that unity brings answers. It was really a blessed day for me and we will remember the various ministries of Alpha India in our prayers. - Rev. Wilcent Raghwan C.F.I. Udaipur & President of Udaipur Christian Prayer Network The very idea of setting aside a Prayer Day is really appreciable and the concept of bringing all the denominations together on one stage and to pray for one another was a great success. The desire to pray in unity is again revived. - Rev. Benjamin Frank Church of Nazarein, Udaipur
ENDORSEMENTS AND TESTIMONY EFFICIENT IN EVANGELIZATION I have been pastoring and preaching the Gospel for last 15 years and went through hard time bringing people to the Lord. I used many strategies and tools but failed. I attended an Alpha training in 2013 held at Puri, came back and started Alpha in September'13 with 10 people. By God's grace I have so far run seven Alphas and about 60 guests have come to the Lord and have been added to different churches. Alpha has been a great blessing to me in doing the Lord's work. After witnessing how God is using Alpha to reap the harvest I now know that this tool is effective and efficient in evangelization and church growth. - Rev. Jeetendriya Nanda, Odisha
PASSION AND PRESENTATION KEYS FOR TRANSFORMATION
any community is the key to transformation. And this I see in Alpha's components and so I am excited to use Alpha to reach my community. - Pas. Mohammed Johnny Bethel Church, Kakinada, AP
CONFIDENT TO SHARE
I am from a non-Christian community and I came to Christian faith. After being called to serve I moved to Kakinada town and began to serve the Lord among my own community. I was introduced to Alpha in Tuni during Introductory meeting. I am very excited to use this tool to reach others. I realized that not just having a passion to share the Gospel but presenting it in the right way to
My pastor Mohammad Johnny invited me to attend Alpha. On completion I was challenged by God to share about Him to nonChristians. I am glad that I attended Alpha, the best way to share the Gospel in a very light and nonconfrontational environment. I can now share Gospel confidently without any fear. - Prasanna Bethel Church, Kakinada, AP
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ALPHA INDIA NEWS APRIL - JUNE 2016
FROM THE FIELD
REBUILDING PARTNERSHIPS
A series of meetings with the Bishops and Moderator of the Church of North India paved way for renewed vision and passion for the Region. On the 1st of March we met up with the M o d e r a t o r f o r t h e C N I R e v. P. K . Samantaroy and the meet was fruitful. The purpose of the visit was to reconnect with the Bishop and see how we can work a fresh under his leadership with the CNI. The Bishop welcomed us and shared that he is always open to the ministry of Alpha and is willing to endorse its contexts. We discussed on how we could approach the CNI and partner with the local churches by envisioning them on Alpha. His recommendation to us was to visit local pastors under each diocese and train and
equip the leaders. He has also assured us that a meeting with all the CNI Bishops to reenvision them and embark on fresh partnership, will be organized. Mr. Samantaroy is also happy to endorse Alpha and be a part of the church advisory board. We also had the privilege of meeting Rt. Rev. Younas Massey of Ludhiana diocese on March 2nd. After a brief meet with him and his key leaders on Alpha, the Bishop was keen on implementing AYFS and The Marriage Course among the churches under his diocese. Mr. Rupak, our Regional Manager will revisit the Bishop and pastors to officially roll out Alpha. On 11th March, Rev. Jacob Isaac, National Director, Bro. Rajesh, COO, Regional Manager Mr. Prabir and our Regional
AMRITSAR CHRIST CHURCH
Coordinator Mr. Atmanand met the respected Bishop Ashoke Biswas of Kolkata Diocese. Rev. Isaac introduced Alpha and also presented a few resources to him and the Bishop was much encouraged. and will be inviting us to address all of his clergy at the end of April. Praising God for birthing such opportunities to progress His work. - Team Alpha
Alpha FAQs 1. How do I run Alpha? Prayer is vital to the planning, preparation and effectiveness of Alpha. Find a group of people who will pray for every aspect of your Alpha. Step 1 - Pray Step 2 - Participate Step 3 - Plan your Alpha Step 4 - Prepare your team Step 5 - Procure your resources Step 6 - Persevere Step 7 - Pass on the vision 2. How do I run Alpha outside my church? Using the same Alpha content and structure, you can run an Alpha at schools, colleges, workplaces, prisons, hospitals, homeless shelters, army bases, slums, among eunuchs and in red light districts. 3. What are the resources and training opportunities available to me?
Amritsar Christ Church (CNI) is so much thankful to God and Alpha for doing marvelous things in our church. We have run 4 Alphas and the last run of Alpha saw 30 guests. It was run by around 22 lay leaders of the church. The team was greatly encouraged to see lives being transformed on Alpha that the church Committee decided to run Alpha twice a year. On the Alpha Graduation day thirty of our guests received their certificates. The
Pastor, Rev. Vijay Kumar with heartfelt gratitude said that the church is growing both spiritually and in numbers. So far sixty non-Christians have come to know the Lord and have been added to the Church. With the support and guidance of our Pastor the leaders are geared up to seek opportunities to introduce and run Alpha in other churches of Amritsar Diocese. - Rupak Kumar, Regional Manager
Access to Alpha's national training conferences and local training events
Access to a full array of products through the Alpha India website to promote, run and augment Alpha
Access to a network of Alpha coordinators and Alpha advisors
4. How do I contact Alpha India? Your rst point of contact is:
Your local State Coordinator, then
The Regional Office and finally
The Alpha India National Office
They can all help you locate a training event happening near you.
ALPHA INDIA NEWS APRIL - JUNE 2016
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THE MARRIAGE COURSE
VENTURING INTO NORTH - EAST INDIA The Marriage Course training and courses were conducted across seven locations in three states of the North East region. A total of ten training events were done within a span of fifteen days. Tura a city in the Eastern part of Meghalaya is located in the Garo hills. Couples from districts surrounding Tura came for the course and training. Leaders from the 'Tura Family church' and 'Christ Revival church' were trained on 10th & 11th February. In Shillong the 'Church of Jesus Christ' hosted a training on 13th of February. In the
all three training sessions, the senior pastor of the church with his wife participated. The training event on 14th February was in the 'Full Gospel Fellowship', Shillong. Leaders from different churches and organizations participated. In Nagaland, events were conducted in Dimapur and Kohima. At both the locations pastors and leaders from the city gathered and some were first-timers for an Alpha event. Dimapur Christian Fellowship hosted the training on 17th February. The City Church in Kohima played the lead-role in hosting this event.
In Manipur we had training events in Ukhrul, Imphal and Kakching between 20th and 24th. Trainings in United Baptist Church, Ukhrul, Manipur Baptist Council and Langol Baptist Church, Imphal and Kakching Baptist Church, Kakching were attended by leader-couples within the church. Some courses started within a few weeks. Many came to know for the first time that it was simple to actually start Marriage Courses inside homes and churches using the resources. - Phillip David, National Coordinator, TMC
LAUNCH OF THE MARRIAGE COURSE BOOK IN MALAYALAM Resources in English have some reach. But when they are made available in the vernacular, the reach is much greater, especially in India, where for the majority of the population, English is not the primary language of communication. In July 2015, during the introductary Event in the national convention of the New India Church of God (NICOG) Sr. Pas. Biju Thampy came forward to help with the initial support required to print the resources for The Marriage Course. In March 2016, The Marriage Book and Guest Manuals for running The Marriage Course were printed and were ready for use. We thought it would be appropriate to pray and release these resources. On 24th March at the Leaders' Meet of the NICOG in Bangalore the resources were blessed, prayedover and released. ABOUT THE RESOURCES: The Marriage Course Guest Manual: This is for the couples attending The Marriage Course. It contains the summary of the talks of the seven lessons and (I) Highly interactive exercises for the couples to do during the course. These exercises allow the couple to apply the truths that they learn (II) Exercises for the couple to do at home; this is an application of the lessons to be practiced at home between two lessons The Marriage Book: This is an easy-to-read material with twenty chapters of rich life-principles flowing out of 24 (now 40 years) years of married life, four children and many grandchildren. Nicky and Sila's book can also be used as a textbook by the leaders for running the courses. - Philip David, National Coordinator, TMC
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ALPHA INDIA NEWS APRIL - JUNE 2016
FROM THE FIELD
IN CLOSE COMMUNION
King's Glorious Church, Bidar, organized their Weekend Away on the 29th of February at a local park. The weekend was also open for church believers who desired to know more about the Holy Spirit. The church had a wonderful fellowship time and learning on the personhood of the Holy Spirit. The Alpha guests especially were revived in their spirit, two of them also experienced the filling of the Spirit and testified that the Lord has been good to them. Bro. Sumith, a member of the church said that a day away like this as a church will definitely help them in having close communion with the Trinity and with fellow believers.
CHANGE AND GROWTH
I am serving the Lord in Chhutmolepur, Sharanpur. I thank God for Alpha. It was such a blessing to us as a church. Our church has been running Alpha since last year and we have seen tremendous changes. I have also been running Alpha in our church neighborhood. As a result of these Alphas more than 30 believers were added to our church. Alpha is now being run at 4 different locations. - Pas. Rajkumar, Uttarakhand
ALPHA GRADUATION DAY
- Thomson, Regional Coordinator
CHRISTO JEEVAN JYOTI CHURCH
I thank and praise God for Christo Jeevan Jyoti (Believer's) Church. God has been faithful to this fellowship because I see the church grow. Alpha had the privilege to retrain their leaders. Pas. George Supriyo Mondal and Bro. Asim Sarkar were much encouraged to know about Alpha and its way of reaching the unreached in a nonthreatening and no pressure environment. When they went through a training last year, eighteen Alphas were registered to run but on follow up we realized that only one Alpha was running due to various reasons. We had to continue praying for the church and they needed guidance and support in seeing Alphas start. As a follow up the Pastor met with us again for discussion and brainstorming. He was able to set a date to retrain the leaders. They were prayerfully able to start another Alpha on the 14th of February. - Priya Ranjan Bag, Regional Coordinator
INDIAN EVANGELICAL TEAM (IET) KANPUR
In the month of August'15, Indian Evangelical Team (IET), multi-faceted ministry, invited Alpha to train its leaders and elders. Upon completion of the training they started 5 Alphas at the main church. With much planning the team led by Pas. Rev. C. K. George completed its first run of Alpha among 60 non-Christians. The church saw a great response from the guests as they began to attend church services regularly and dedicated their lives to the Lord. The new believers had a desire to grow more in Christ and their faith in Him.
Alpha was run at CNI Vishwasipura Church, Anand District of Gujarat State. Twenty Five guests completed Alpha. Celebration day was held on 13th March at CNI Vishwasipura Church. Rev. Sanjeev Christian, the pastor of the church and Mr. Rajan Christian was the program administrator. They are planning to start new Alpha in April16 at the CNI Barklipur Church. - Arpit Rathod Regional Coordinator
This encouraged the Pastor and the church committee who decided to train 40 pastors on running Alpha in Kanpur and its outskirts. The Pastors were trained and envisioned to reach out to those in need for hope and purpose in their life. - Rupak Kumar Regional Manager
#TryAlpha
ALPHA INDIA NEWS APRIL - JUNE 2016
11
ALPHA - YOUTH
PRACTICAL AND FUN FILLED TRAINING
A VISUAL TREAT
Under the leadership of Rev. John K David, from Tuni, Alpha for Youth training was organized. Hundred and fifty members from various churches attended the training.
Pas. Sampath who ran Alpha in his Church introduced it to me in January. I was a bit apprehensive about the tool being of any use in a rural setting like ours but it turned out to be a blessing while executing it. The boys have been turning up for Alpha which we started in the second week of January. We have concluded our first series of Alpha for Youth last weekend with a fun filled ' C e l e b r a t i o n We e k ' a n d h o p e w i t h anticipation that the youth will come to Church in the following weeks. We used to run weekly sessions for the youth boys but were unsure as to how we could connect with them systematically. That was when we heard about Youth Alpha. It had a step by step approach to help them understand the basics of the Christian faith. The Holy Spirit weekend was done amidst very tough spiritual opposition but the boys experienced God in a very special way on that day. What was unique about Youth Alpha was that it was simple. The Alpha Youth Film Series (AYFS) makes the information transfer easier, the Day Away brought out a lot of excitement in the boys and experiencing the Holy Spirit even before becoming a part of the Church was a bonus. The visual presentation of the AYFS is great in communicating the message to the youth conveniently. It was a bit western for the audience outside the urban setting like ours. However, the tool sure is a soul getter for anyone who wants to share the Gospel to
young people and it does bring them to the Church gradually. This is what some of the youth who attended Alpha had to say: “It was very useful, helped me to know about Jesus and understand the benets of knowing God personally. It helped us to share views without dissent about Jesus with each other, ask lots of questions and play games.”
It was a one-day event and the youth had a good time. Ice breakers, team building games and other fun filled activities engaged them. They were challenged to grow in the Lord and share Gospel where ever they are. - Nathaniel K, Regional Coordinator
ALPHA TRAINING FOR YOUTH DEPARTMENT
- Vimal Raj “I came to know who Jesus was; learnt about faith, Prayer, how to pray, why pray and lots more. The Holy spirit weekend was amazing helping me to know who Holy Spirit is. Going out with friends made the day very special. I want to share what I have learnt with my friends and bring them to Alpha so that they can also have their questions answered.” - Vijay We are now planning to start about 5 Alphas for the Youth this month, riding in on the success of the first series. - Pas Solomon Raja AG Church, Thirukachoor, Chennai
INVITE A GENERATION TO
EXPLORE LIFE, FAITH & GOD
ayfs@alphainindia.org | alphayouthfilmseries.com
YOUTH FILM SERIES
Our host, the Chang Baptist Lashong Thangyen organized a memorable Alpha training. Pas. Razo from Dimapur was instrumental setting up the training. Youth pastors and directors from as many as thirty-five different churches gathered for 2 days of Alpha training. Most of them have never heard of Alpha but were eager to know its essential elements - food, talk and discussion. After going through the background of Alpha, the audience went on a demo session lead by Pas. Razo on “How does God guide us?”. After the group discussion each small group leader shared their experience of leading the group and the effectiveness of having an open discussion. The joy of being able to express opinions without feeling threatened or judged was setting in the conference hall. Next morning each of the small group leaders led a talk and another member led the small group discussion. In being able to run three sample session, the training was effective and we are hopeful that the churches will continue to meet and talk about life, faith and God. - Jied Syeim, Regional Manager