Alpha India Quarterly Newsletter Oct' 2016

VOLUME 6, ISSUE 4, OCT - DEC 2016

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QUARTERLY NEWSPAPER

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FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION ONLY

ALPHA INDIA NEWS No. 219, 5th A Main Road, HRBR 2nd Block, Kalyan Nagar, Bangalore - 560 043, India Tel: + 91 80 2542 0902, 0899, 0881 | alpha.org/ india

Reaching a generation with AYFS and Alpha for students & Living0ston’s story

A Weekend Away, Alpha at Theological Institute and Training CEA

The Marriage and Parenting Courses impacting and building relationships across our Nation

Pgs 2 & 3

Pg 4

Pgs 8 & 9

FESTIVAL OF LIFE - CHENNAI 2017 We are delighted to announce that the Alpha Course pioneer, Rev. Nicky Gumbel, Vicar of HTB will be teaching and sharing at the conference. One of his bestselling books ‘Questions of Life’ – the Alpha course in book form - has sold more than a million copies worldwide.

Tom Mullins, the founding pastor of Christ Fellowship Church will also be speaking at the conference. Christ Fellowship is a multi-site church of 25,000 people meeting on seven campuses around South Florida and online around the world.

Joyce Meyer, one of the world’s leading practical Bible teachers, a New York Times bestselling author, TV and radio show host of Enjoying Everyday Life will be in India for her Festival of Life Conference on 20th & 21st January 2017 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. More than 25 thousand footfall is expected during the two-day event.

GOD AT WORK From achieving academic excellence to getting addicted to substance abuse, pornography and smart phones, students today are faced with challenges which were never faced by any other generation. The challenges faced by the 21st century Teachers teaching a ‘Google Generation’ are also enormous. The challenge of a teacher is to not just be an educator but also a moral and spiritual guide to their students. Helping teachers achieve this excellence was the objective of the God at Work Seminar for Teachers at Faith Academy.

Read more on Pg 10

The event will also serve as a platform to invite churches to run Alpha. We urge our partners, Alpha churches and well-wishers to uphold the conference in your prayers and join us in being a part of this life-changing event for the audience. (Pg 12)

ANNOUNCEMENT! Dear Readers, Alpha India’s newsletter will be moving to digital publishing platform with effect from January 2017. We would still love to share with you the great things God is doing in our nation, so kindly share your email ids to subscribe to our e-newsletter.

You can write to contact@alphaindia.org or call us at 080-25420902/881.

Alpha Notes - pg 2 | AYFS - pgs 3 & 4 | Alpha stories - pgs 5 & 7 | The Marriage & The Parenting Course - pgs 8 & 9 God at Work - pg 10 | My greatest adventure - Bear Grylls - pg 11

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ALPHA INDIA NEWS OCT - DEC 2016

ALPHA NOTES

CONTACT US NCR - DELHI

WEST REGION

Ashish Mishra +91 98995 92929

Jimmy Harshkant +91 98254-44197

SOUTH REGION

Silvester S Christian +91 94266 16601

Andhra Pradesh Nathaniel R K +91 99088 22365 Tamil Nadu John Rajan D +91 98434 95572 Samuel Sundar +91 93808 06974 Marky Gnanadeepan +91 98414 08286 Karnataka Thomson G +91 93424 41399 Deepak Chander 9731436727 The Marriage Courses Phillip N David +91 98844 36364 WEST BENGAL Prabir Mandal +91 96744-61951 Dilip Debnath +91 98742 07760 Subrata Halder +91 94335 56315 Atmanand Singh +91 90515 12161 George Muller +91 94310 16124 Tushar K Behera +91 93371-41600

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

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Bible In One Year Start your day with the Bible in One Year, a free Bible reading app with commentary by Nicky and Pippa Gumbel. Nicky Gumbel is the Vicar of HTB in London and pioneer of Alpha.

Deepak Kumar +91 90047 47818 NORTH WEST REGION Rupak K Nayak 093189 02997 Vikram Satyarahi +91 98763 70480 Dehradun, Uttarkhand Inosh Karad +91 98976 44709 NORTH - EAST REGION

Now with NEW audio commentary

Free to download

Ninghor Shimrey +91 84149 28416 Eyingbemo E Ngullie +91 098566 16680

Merry Christmas And a Blessed New Year And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” - Luke 2:10 © Alpha India 2016, edited and published at Alpha India

ALPHA INDIA NEWS OCT - DEC 2016

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ALPHA - YOUTH

Holy Spirit Day at Living God Church - New Delhi

AYFS was a huge success among the youth of Living God Church (LGC), New Delhi. Week after week, young people flocked together to have fun, fellowship and learn precious truths of the Gospel. The Holy Spirit Day was participated by youth from various Churches. They had loads of fun and enjoyed the many games and activities spread throughout the day.

The highlight of the day was the AYFS videos on the Holy Spirit. After viewing the talks by Ben and Jason, youth were led into an encounter session with the Holy Spirit. As we welcomed the Holy Spirit, the power of God came down and touched everyone. Each one experienced God in their own way. While some received a word of knowledge, others were filled by the

Holy Spirit and received new gifts. The presence and power of God brought about deliverance in many lives. Pas. Avinash David Mishra said, “We have been tremendously blessed by Alpha in our Church. Alpha is a great tool for our times.” God is using the AYFS tool powerfully to connect with the Y-generation in a contemporary way.

- Alpha Team, Delhi - NCR

Alpha Youth Film Series @ LiveJam AYFS training was conducted on 5th August 2016 at LiveJam training center, New Delhi. LiveJam is a youth movement working among urban youth in India and globally through music and media. The participants had come from across India to get a specialized training in a LiveJam program called DNA. The training was loads of fun as well as learning about evangelism with a particular focus on relationship based evangelism. AYFS being a highly interactive visual based program engages young people to discuss deep questions about faith in a fun-filled and visually stimulating atmosphere.

The group discussion became emotionally intense when the question on “what one would want to do if only 24 hours were left to live”- came up. The participants found the approach of eating food, chatting in groups while watching professionally done videos on the Christian faith very effective.

The AYFS at Methodist Church - Umreth The District Superintendent for Methodist Churches organized a one-day Alpha Team Training for the churches under his leadership on the 15th of August. The Team Training was organized at Umreth Methodist Church where youth leaders and Pastors from 10 different churches took part. All together 50 youth took part and were very encouraged and have set dates to start Alphas in their respective churches.

- Alpha Team, West

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ALPHA - YOUTH

ALPHA INDIA NEWS OCT - DEC 2016

Alpha for Students – Faith Academy

Alpha Youth Film Series (AYFS) is a great tool for engaging young minds by providing them a space for asking questions, share their opinion and tap into the hidden potential and talents they are brimming with while sharing with them valuable truths of the Gospel.

The Massey Auditorium at Faith Academy was packed with students who looked forward the seemingly animated session. Nearly 600 senior students joined in Alpha on 1st July. The session began with a touching mono act entitled ‘I am a Champion’. An inspiring Talk on “How to face your future with GOD” by Philip David followed. He drew from examples of famous and successful people who became such when they honored God in their lives. Students exuberantly participated in peppy action songs. The highlight of the day

was the AYFS. Students, mostly from other faiths, enjoyed Ben and Jason’s journey into asking one of the greatest questions asked in the last 2000 years: ‘Who is Jesus?’. It was a blessing to see how these young people engaged in meaningful conversations about life, its meaning and God’s love. The group had interesting answers to the questions that popped up on the screen. Many interesting remarks were made by the students. Bright and profound questions and conversations surfaced. The school management endorsed Alpha and appreciated its simplicity, insightfulness and relevance in modern times. We are very grateful to God for giving us the opportunity to share the love of Jesus with these young and bright students.

- Team Alpha

“Never thought I would evangelise” I was a guy who just visited church, who would not stick around for the Youth Fellowship and as some may put a hopeless case, before Alpha. But all that turned upside down in the last 2 months when I was invited to Alpha Youth Film Series in my church.

The very first day, I walked in expecting the usual droning speeches and prayers that were more like punishments. But what I saw was something interesting, there were snacks, then the fun activities and following it was a surprise ‘Movie Time’ with opportunities to share my thoughts over snacks. I had one heck of a good

time. I enjoyed every bit of it and had to pinch myself to make sure I was really sitting in a church. The next 10 weeks was a dream ride. First time in my life, I had attended 10 consecutive weeks of anything and sat through sessions till the end. I learnt all about Jesus, His death, faith, prayer, bible and how to overcome evil.

The Holy Spirit Weekend in specific helped me experience God in a whole new way. I felt a burden that my friends should also experience this joy and peace. Today I am excited to be part of two Alphas – one in which my friends and me attend and another, which I run for a group of friends. I can’t believe that this is me.

I have been reading the Bible and praying for the first time in my life and now I know that my life does have a purpose. I know there is still a lot more

for me to learn but that does not stop me from reaching out to my friends.

My prayer is to see each of my friends find Christ, the way I found Him. God helps me to stay away from sin and gets me to stay on course through the Holy Spirit.

With Alpha I am glad that I could continue to reach out to my friends all my life while I continue to learn and grow myself. All Glory be to God.

- Livingston, Trinity Full Gospel Church, Kolathur

ALPHA INDIA NEWS OCT - DEC 2016

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ALPHA

Got Questions about Life Alpha creates a space that encourages conversation in a relaxed, friendly and open environment

Alpha @ Caleb Institute of Theology Alpha training was conducted on 1st Sep’16 for students enrolled in the M.A in Christian Studies program at Caleb Institute of Theology, New Delhi. The session began with an interesting icebreaker activity and soon moved into introduction of Alpha as a successful tool for evangelism and discipleship.

The approach of relationship based evangelism with an emphasis on seeker friendly environment was appreciated. The participants saw value in the ‘hospitality ministry’ of Alpha where seekers are treated as Guests while the Believers become a Host to their non-believing friends and introduce them to the Christian faith in a friendly and non-threatening environment.

The group discussion, a valuable part of the Alpha recipe, was lively and engaging. The idea of reaching the Youth of today through the means of Alpha Youth Film Series was liked by everyone. A demo session was done to orient the participants to use AYFS. Overall the participants found the training to be encouraging and valuable. Many students said they are planning to use Alpha tools in their forthcoming ministry.

- Team Alpha, Delhi - NCR

Alpha Training for Pastors & Leaders at CEA, New Delhi

Holy Spirit Weekend at Agape Church

Christian Evangelical Assembly (CEA) is a vibrant group of Churches in North India. The Church leadership strongly believes in evangelism and invests in training its Leaders to reach out. The training at CEA was a time for training and equipping the Pastors & Leaders with Alpha. The participants were glad to learn about the friendly platform that Alpha creates to give an opportunity to everyone to hear the Gospel message. Pas. John Varghese endorsed Alpha as an effective way to reach out. The Church is planning to start Alpha, Youth Film Series and Marriage Course soon. One of the Leaders said, “Today I learnt many new things on telling others about my faith. I’m glad and thankful.”

The Agape Church, Tambaram celebrated their Holy Spirit Weekend on the 5th of September at Manna Farm, Padappai. The Participants were from different backgrounds such as business men, engineers, students, administrative and non–teaching staff from colleges. Our video series were used for the sessions and Sam, our Regional Coordinator, and Mr. Sampath, our Master Trainer, led the guests in a time of prayer and preparing them to welcome the Holy Spirit. Many of our guests experienced the power of the Holy Spirit for the first time and a few shared that they received the gifts of healing. Pas. Samuel, Agape Church shared that Alpha is a powerful tool to encourage and enhance the new and non-believers in their walk of faith.

- Team Alpha, Delhi - NCR

- Team Alpha, South

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ALPHA

ALPHA INDIA NEWS OCT - DEC 2016

Alpha at a Hospital

Grace (name changed) was one among the participants at the Alpha happened which happened in her church. After Alpha in her church, while her husband started an Alpha for small men’s group in her church, Grace was inspired to run it in the Hospital where she worked as a nurse.

Inviting a couple of her colleagues she decided to run Alpha on Tuesdays at 8 PM between their work shifts. A simple

invitation to explore the basics of Christianity, led to a door of blessings and transformation in the lives of the participants.

The team went on to do the Holy Spirit weekend where they were mightily touched by the Spirit and few claimed to have seen visions and being filled with tongues. This is just the beginning she says.

Introducing Alpha at Annual Pastor’s meet - Theni

An annual fasting prayer organized by the Asia International Ministers Fellowship was participated by 600+ Pastors from Chennai and other parts of the state of Tamil Nadu. The conference was organized at District of Theni, TN between 9th and 13th of October. The fasting prayer was organized by a core team of twelve members hailing from different

parts of TN. We had the privilege of introducing Alpha at the conference and have received a very positive feedback.

Requests for training have come in and will be followed up in the coming days. About 7 members from the core team came forward to get trained and are now running Alpha - Alpha Team, South

ALPHA INDIA NEWS OCT - DEC 2016

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ALPHA

ALPHA STORIES Recommitted and restored – story of a church Secretary Having been brought up in a Christian family I led a very nominal Christian life.

My childhood was spent with non-Christian friends and was influenced by their values and beliefs. Attending church services, reading the Bible, prayer was just a routine. Since I was from a small village and our church was set in a remote area at times I headed the secretarial aspects of the church. Every Sunday I would repent and involve in church activates but by the end of the week I would have gone back to my sinful life. So amidst all of this I had a very strong feeling of not

being worthy of this calling to carry out my responsibilities as the Secretary of the Church. And I found myself longing to find out a way for me to get back to God, renew my faith and have a brand new start. That’s when I heard about Alpha being run at Anand by House of Prayer. I signed up for Alpha and I knew I was at the right place on the introductory day. I was on the process of finding my purpose and I did by the end of Alpha.

I realized the power of the cross and asked for forgiveness from God and my life was restored to a new level.

I recommitted my life to God and was born again. I got a whole new perspective on my life and I know my life will never be the same again. I also learnt how to present the Gospel to others during the ‘Why and how

Being bashful and reserved to a leader at the front I have attended Alpha in the year 2014 with my wife Liza Christian. It was a great experience for both of us.

Alpha is a tool of evangelism which is an effective tool and has proved to be beyond my imagination. Alpha is a blend of Fellowship, recreation, and a unique way to save lost souls. I admire this course a lot because it also leads in discipleship, which I feel is very effective in today’s time. I am blessed through the course.

should I tell others’ session. I then met the Pastor of House of Prayer Church - Mr. Vinfred and shared my desire with him who guided me and helped me in seeing this desire come true. I was a Host in one of the Alpha small group discussion, run by the same church and later started running an Alpha. I have been visiting 3 villages sharing the Gospel and I also share the Word at two different churches.

My life has changed completely since Alpha and even my wife and children came to know the Lord on Alpha and recommitted their life. And I also began giving live talks in three Alphas started by my family. I thank God for I get to serve with my family who help in hosting the small group discussions.

- Rajnikanth Natvarlala Christian Chavdapura, Anand

Countless medications but healed at Alpha I suffered from chronic head aches and joint pain for almost three years. I tried every medication available but in vain.

Nothing seemed to relieve me from my sickness. A few days earlier I was invited to Alpha and the setting was quite different to me. Everyone were singing and they listened to a talk which was quite simple and then they discussed about the talk.

Myself and my wife also ran an Alpha where I had the privilege of being a speaker and in another one as an administrator. For someone like me who is very shy and afraid of public speaking, this is an achievement. I now see myself as a leader and I have become a member of the mission team in my church

I continued to attend and at the end of one of the sessions the person who gave the talk asked for those with sicknesses to come forward for prayer. I went up and shared my need with him. He prayed for me along with few of his helpers and I experienced complete healing from that instant. This was truly liberating from the pain I experienced for three long years of my life. I completed Alpha and I have come to believe that Jesus is my saviour.

I desire to grow even deeper in the Lord.

Rajan and Liza, Anand, Gujarat

- Dilip Kumar, Ara-Bhojpur- Bihar.

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ALPHA INDIA NEWS OCT - DEC 2016

THE MARRIAGE & PARENTING COURSES

An opportunity to invest in the future of your relationship TMC training at CNI Church

The Alpha Marriage Course one-day training was organized and hosted

by CNI church Nadiad, Gujarat on 29th May’16. Ten Couples attended the training and were very blessed.

They shared that it was a very new and different experience as they have learned so many things specially the Marriage Time.

Resource persons were Arpit and Nilofer Rathod and Jatin and Swetal Kharadi. Rev. Shailesh Christian the pastor of the Church was so excited for the training and also looking forward to AYFS for their church Youth.

The training was fruitful as after that the church has planned to start The Marriage Course in their church for the couples.

- Team Alpha, West

Our God is a God of restoration and has done it for us

We have been married for 6 years, but there was a time when we thought our marriage would end forever. Even though we were Christians and also serving in church, no one would have ever known by the way we behaved toward each other in our personal life.

We both were going through serious marital problems. None of us were working hard to save the marriage.

However, God had other plans for us. Since we were Christians, we felt that we should give a try to save our relationship once more. So we met our church leaders and made a decision of giving one more try. In between all this, there was a couple’s house church that started and we both mutually decided to be a part of it.

Alpha was a blessing to both of us.

We learnt to pray together and for each other. We also have realized the importance of communicating things to each other irrespective of our behavior and also to have our marriage time. We realized the importance of resolving issues or differences as much as possible on the same day itself before going to bed. Now we both pray together as much as possible and most importantly for each other. Also we do make an effort to have our marriage time i.e. go out twice in a month and spend time together.

Prayer is a powerful weapon we all have. During this time, our hearts have been changed towards each other.

We are able to forgive each other and love each other unconditionally. To an extent Lord has also healed us from our past issues. Our God is a God of restoration and has done it for us.

Nothing is impossible with God. We are grateful that God gave us a second chance. We are grateful to God for this Alpha and The Marriage Course which has drawn us close to the Lord and to each other.

Lord spoke to us with this scripture Proverbs 3:5-6 : Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. We did the same and Lord did it for us too.

- Sajju & Disha, Mumbai

Marriage Course Training at Amreli A one day Marriage Training at Amreli was organized on 6th July 16. All Together 10 Couples attended the Training. Pas. Julius Christian of Ashirvadam Charitable Trust organized the training and couples from his churches were invited.

A training of this kind is conducted for these couples for the first time. The whole program was fruitful and blessed.

All the couples are first generation believers and they are planning to do the Pre-Marriage Course training in the coming days.

- Team Alpha, West

ALPHA INDIA NEWS OCT - DEC 2016

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THE MARRIAGE & PARENTING COURSES

“Every married couple should attend The Marriage Course” My wife Rhitu & I have just completed The Marriage Course and we are certain that our relationship has been further strengthened through it. I was a little hesitant at first to attend these sessions, but I’m so glad we did this. We would like to thank Regi & Rose Thomas who facilitated the course for us and Nicky & Sila Lee for these fantastic sessions.

The concept of Marriage Time really appealed to us. Prior to the course, we would make time for each other, but it wasn’t structured. We still struggle with keeping the schedule, but

it’s something we make a conscious effort to follow. I highly recommend Marriage Time for every couple to keep them connected to each other, for communication to flow easily, to spend quality time with each other and to enhance the bond of love between husband and wife.

When we heard about Love Languages and how it works, we were just blown away. Every married couple should understand this concept at the beginning of their marriage, so that they do not spend years trying to do the right thing to please their spouse. That’s such a cruel waste of time. Just prioritizing and understanding your spouse’s love language and working towards it will just add happy years to your marriage.

The other sessions were very helpful too and we would like to praise God for bringing Rhitu and me even closer during these sessions.

- Regi & Rose, Pune

Parenting Seminar at Shiloh Church - Pune

Parenting seminar was conducted at Shiloh church of Christ, Dhobi Ghat (Pune) on 27th August 2016 A one A

About 30 Couples from Shiloh Church (Pune) gathered for a full day seminar on Parenting Course. The seminar was also graced by the Senior Pastor of Shiloh Church, Pas. Robin Mahadkar and their administrator Pas. Suhas Pathre. The sessions were conducted jointly by the Alpha team comprising of Shailendra Tribhuvan and his wife Daisy Tribhuvan. Relevant and interesting topics that were covered are: 1. Building a strong foundation 2. Meeting our children’s need

3. Setting boundaries 4. Teaching healthy relationship 5. Our long term aim It was a day of learning and sharing practical experiences of parenting and how we can be better parents. By the end of the sessions the parents were happy with the content of the course and the objectives of the seminar. They were enlightened on many day to day issues of parenting. All the sessions were informative as well as interactive, due to which, the participants were alert and receptive. The day concluded

with a Q & A session during which a large number of parents opened up about the challenges of parenting and their questions on the same.

Overall, the parents were very happy with the course and had a lot of their parenting needs met with the help they required for bringing up their children in the right manner.

Many participants shared that the seminar was indeed an eye opener and they were truly blessed and would like to continue to have such meetings.

- Team Alpha, West

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GOD AT WORK

ALPHA INDIA NEWS OCT - DEC 2016

‘GOD AT WORK’ AT FAITH ACADEMY

What is ‘GOD AT WORK’ God calls us to the work we are doing. He’s interested not only in what we do but how we do it.

Yet, finding purpose at work is one of the greatest challenges in our world today, and many of us struggle to live out our faith from Monday to Friday.

The God at Work training was conducted on 29th & 30th June 2016 for 250 Teaching and Administrative staff of Faith Academy School in New Delhi. The sessions were inspiring, educative and full of activities and fun. The first day began with an introduction of the many challenges and pressures faced by today’s students. The most excellent way to do this, as depicted in the ‘God at Work’ program, is through the methods given by the ‘Greatest Teacher’ in and through His Word. The ‘Work Matters’ session showed how one can find meaning and purpose at the workplace and threw light on workplace theology.

Throughout the Bible, God is depicted as a worker. From a Gardner in Eden to a Shepherd and a King, God tells us that He has blessed work and wants us to excel in what we do. Participants were encouraged to learn that God considers all work sacred. There are no secular or sacred jobs for God. He gives equal place to all that we do when we ‘do it as unto Him’. Everyone found the session on ‘Stress and Work Life Balance’ useful. The participants were able to diagnose the stress areas of their lives and learned internal and external approaches to dealing with stress.

God’s wellness model for work life balance is portrayed in the Sabbath rest He had instituted for man. Resting in His presence can help us achieve more than we can ever do in our own strength. Practical tips were shared and action plans were made to achieve work life balance. Participants were encouraged to make exercise and meditation on God’s Word an integral part of their lifestyle.

Philip David, National Coordinator for The Marriage and Parenting Courses, shared how God leads us in our everyday life and the dynamite power in the Word of God and prayer. Insights were given into patterns of misbehavior as studied in children, the underlying emotional needs and tips to handle them.

Developing character and life skills in students by turning mistakes into learning opportunities was a key learning for many Teachers.

The training had several interesting activities and group work for participants that helped them in self-evaluation. The God at Work training program was appreciated by the participants as well as School Management. One Teacher said, “I feel refreshed and look forward to the new term with new energy and God’s perspective on Work.” We thank God for His wonderful work at Faith Academy.

- Team Alpha

Our practical and authentic resources are intended to equip you for your unique challenges and opportunities. Learn from the expertise of many, including Ken Costa, the founder of God at Work, who has been working in finance for over 40 years.

GOD AT WORK AT LITTLE STAR SCHOOL

Little Star School started God at Work Course for their teachers on the 5th of July. Around ten non-Christian teachers completed the course. The trustee of the school Mr. Gershom Christian showed much enthusiasm and said that the God At Work course will definitely help the teachers grow in their field and become even more efficient in their work which will result in the school being benefitted.

- Team Alpha, West

ALPHA INDIA NEWS OCT - DEC 2016

ALPHA

My greatest adventure

Watch Bear’s story

Alpha.org/india

We know that people are far more likely to try Alpha when invited by others. This year, Bear Grylls, a British adventurer, writer and television presenter with over 1.5 billion fans worldwide, has shared his personal story of finding faith and true adventure on Alpha. Bear will be featured on all our physical and digital invitation assets in order to help churches across the globe invite people to try Alpha. We’d love for you to be part of this.

For more information write to us at :

contact@alphaindia.org or reach us on 080-2542 0902/881

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