Alpha India January 2012 News Letter

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alpha india news

VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1 | JANUARY - MARCH 2012

NEWS IN BRIEF

Alpha in Prisons: Alpha team transforming lives in prisons Pg. 4 Church growth in Meghalaya: Alpha course helps church grow from a small group to healthy size Pg. 5 Alpha course in Tamil Nadu: Trainings takes place in Salem, Perundurai and Namakkal Pg. 5 Growing Partnerships: Growth of Alpha in the CNI & CSI churches.

Pg. 6 Alpha in the Workplace: Alpha course is running in colleges, institutes and organisations across the country Pg. 7 National Alpha Training: Ahmedabad hosted the first National Alpha Training Pg. 8

THE QUARTERLY NEWSPAPER OF ALPHA INDIA

GROWING PARTNERSHIPS & DEVELOPMENTS Church of North India Church of South India Mennonite Brethren Mission Alpha in the Workplace Alpha in Prisons Read more on Pg 6

Pg 5

Pg 6

Pg 7

Pg 4

God at Work: Ambition and Life Choices -Ken Costa Pg. 10-11 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.

Alpha India Account: Account Number: 911020054880929 NAME: ALPHA INDIA BANK NAME : AXIS BANK LTD IFSC CODE : UTIB0000734 BRANCH : KALYAN NAGAR BANGALORE.

Acc Type: Current Account

Having trained over 1500 youth leaders across the country in the year 2011, many of the youth leaders and pastors felt the need to equip the church to be able to conduct their own team training before every course...

Read more inside

2 National Alpha Office contact details:

Alpha India: 219, 5th A Main Road, HRBR 2nd Block, Kalyan Nagar, Bangalore - 560 043 Tel: 080 2542 0902 IDD: +91 80 2542 0902 Email: contact@alphaindia.org, Web: www.alphaindia.org

National Director: Mr J. Varadaraj Board Members:

Chris Sadler, chris@alphaap.org Scott Norling, scottworld@aol.com J Varadaraj, thetoolmen@gmail.com Don Anderson, India Country Head-Shell Lubricants Clarissa Anderson, Entreprenuer and Invester Rajan Mathews, Director-General, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI)

alpha notes

ALPHA INDIA NEWS JANUARY- MARCH 2012

READERS’ STORIES&PHOTOS Many thanks for the testimonies, stories and photos that have been posted to us. Once again in this issue your stories have been printed throughout the newspaper, together with other encouraging stories we have collected from across the nation.

Please send your stories to, Email: stories.alphaindia@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/alphacourseindia Postal address: Alpha India National Office 219, 5th A Main Road HRBR 2nd Block, Kalyan Nagar, Bangalore - 560 043

Grace Mathews, Vice Chair of the Lausanne Movement Mathew Anthony, Secretary for Evangelisation, Archdiocese of Delhi

Church Advisory Board:

Archbishop Vincent Concessao Bishop Rt. Rev. V. M. Malaviya Rev. Dr. D. Mohan, Superintendant of AOG India

Alpha India Regional Offices:

Thomas Mathew, North West Region, Chandigarh Email : thomas.alphaindia@gmail.com Ph : 91-172-2601188 Mob : 081465-67573 West Region, Ahmedabad: Jimmy Harshkant, Email : damorejimmy@gmail.com Ph : 09825-444197 East Region, Kolkata: Prabir Mondal, Email : prabir.alphaindia@gmail.com Ph : 096744-61951 North East Region, Shillong : Ranjit De, Email : ranjitde@alphaindia.org Ph : 094347-59794

National Coordinator’s Contact details: Alpha in the Workplace: Santosh Chettri Mob: 090070-22889 Alpha for Prisons: Peace & Anik Khapai Mob: 09597-421832 Youth Alpha: Melissa Thomas Mob: 0959196-6293 Student Alpha : David Simpson Mob : 099455-79198 North-East Diaspora: M Rampan Mob : 099029-90313

Coordinators’ Contact details:

Andhra Pradesh: Susheel K Chattar Mob: 098660-99184 Andhra Pradesh - Hindupur: Paul J L Mob: 094408-61979 Bihar: George Muller Mob: 094310-16124 Himachal Pradesh: Rupak K Nayak Mob: 093189-02997 Jammu & Kashmir: Mushtaq Ahmad Mob: 099066-84250 Kerala: Binu N. Philip Mob: 093882-04322 Karnataka: Sam Victor Mob: 099646-98118 Odisha: Tushar K Behera Mob: 093371-41600 Odisha: Jayadeep Samantroy Mob: 098535-03813 Rajasthan: Kamlesh Parmar Mob: 099830-03637 Uttarakhand: Janus Peter Mob: 095920-24511 Uttar Pradesh: Vinay P Dayal Mob: 093594-86843 West Bengal: Dilip and Kakali Debnath Mob: 098742-07760 North-East : Kenneth Arun Louis Mob : 088847-42624 Tamil Nadu : John Rajan Mob : 091501-85413 Marriage Course, Kerala : Mon C George Mob: 094474-13163 Youth Alpha, North: Ashraye David Mob: 099849-62345 Youth Alpha, Chandigarh : Sameer Mob: 081461-07973

© Alpha India 2011, edited and published

by J.V. Raj for Alpha India

RESPONSE CARDS These are a few responses from people who have attended Alpha

ü Great job, especially among the youth. Keep the fire burning, all glory to God. ü A turning point in my life. ü I felt very comfortable and happy. Everyone got the opportunity to express his/her opinion. ü My life is now better and blessed and I will give all that I got from this session. ü We had a great time with each other. We learned many things about Jesus and Alpha.

Alpha India Staff updates

MON C GEORGE Marriage Course Co-ordinator Kerala

ASHRAYE DAVID Youth Alpha Co-ordinator North, Lucknow

KENNETH ARUN LOUIS Regional Co-ordinator North East, Guwahati

SAMEER Associate Youth Co-ordinator Chandigarh

JOHN RAJAN Associate Regional Co-ordinator Tamil Nadu

ALPHA INDIA NEWS JANUARY- MARCH 2012

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alpha notes

From the National Director

Musings of a traveller The Siloam Retreat Center in Barapani, some 25 kms before Shillong from Guwahati, is an exquisite place beside a lake encased in a range of mountains. The misty mornings were ideal for the Staff Retreat. Fr George and his lovely staff ensured that we were well cared for. The Lord drew near us as we drew near Him in quietness and restful confidence.

It was a time of gathered silence (reminiscent of the Quakers). We recognized that we were a group of ordinary people with an experience of an extra ordinary God. As we pondered the word, holding the pieces of a puzzle in our hands to piece them together, we saw that a stone, normally a stumbling block, became a pillar to build a temple of God (Gen 28). Stones that hinder can be transformed into a blessing. As Fredriech Buekhner said, “the events of my life are the alphabets through which God speaks to me.”

It was a time of learning to “gather fragments of time” even as the curtain, the veil, is removed and a whole new world opens up before us.

We received many a word as we shared together in contemplation and meditation.

Faith is not staying with a set of beliefs, but a pilgrim’s endless longings, thoughts and songs. “Dynamic not Static,” as Abraham Herschel said. We received a word for the forthcoming year of 2012, perhaps for years to come: “Look ahead with Joy. Anticipate what I am creating.”

Isaiah 65, The Message Bible.

We have been encouraged.

We are to look ahead. This is an adventure.

We have not been on this route before. Every day is a possibility. Each turn is both exciting and full of surprises.

Jesus is not only our destiny but also a companion through the journey. He keeps opening our eyes as He did on the road to Emmaus. This He does to both men and women (remember they were a couple for they invite Jesus to, “come and stay with us”).

For this reason we can look ahead with joy regardless of our circumstances.

We are to anticipate, an act of faith, for He is creating afresh opportunities, friendships and provision like fresh Manna. The temptation is

to depend upon past experiences. God is not merely a God of the Past. Let us collect all our memories of the past and offer them as a bouquet to our Beloved Lord and start afresh on this journey of faith. This challenges us to be connected to the Source of Life on the journey.

We long for freshness, fullness and fruitfulness. We have a new Board, some new staff and lots of excitement. Louis Rajesh Toppo is our new Chief Operating Officer. We are glad that the work is more organised.

Shalom

Raj

Excerpts from a report by Cindy Rodriguez, Strategy Director of Alpha International The Alpha course in India has exploded over the past few years.

From 2010 to 2011, the number of courses running has grown by 32% to 18,221 courses running across the country Organisational Structure

Field Coordinators The 26 field coordinators primarily spend their time introducing Alpha to church leaders, leading trainings and following up with course leaders to collect statistics. At the moment, they are expected to run 4 trainings a month (2 funded by the NAO and 2 sponsored by a local church). Raj hopes that in the future more training events can be sponsored by the local churches.

As Alpha continues to expand in the country, Raj also expects the number of field coordinators to increase. Next year, he will be adding more coordinators Advisers There are 430 advisers spread out across India who are volunteers and provide at least one training a month (10 total in a year). They are usually based out of a local church but represent all of the major denominations.

The office now has 42 staff members (16 work at the headquarters in Bangalore and 26 are in the field). Four regional offices have also been established to look after the administrative work across the country (i.e. publishing materials, maintaining relationships with the field staff and advisers). Lastly, there are 430 advisers spread out across India who support training.

Regional Managers The four regional managers oversee the development of Alpha in a particular area of India, usually across multiple states. They look after the translation and publication of materials as well as the field staff and advisers.

At the moment, the advisers report to the field coordinators but Raj is thinking of releasing them from their oversight which he thinks will enable them to do more trainings a month.

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from the field

ALPHA INDIA NEWS JANUARY- MARCH 2012

TRANFORMING LIVES IN PRISONS “SMALL THINGS DONE WITH GREAT LOVE”

- Mother Teresa

- Peace and Anik In 2010 we attended an Alpha training and met with Mr. J. Varadaraj, the National Director. He encouraged us to pray about joining Alpha. Since we are from the North East and don’t speak the local language we weren’t very confident. Added to this challenge we were asked if we could introduce Alpha to prisons, something in which we had no experience whatsoever. We prayed about this and decided to take up the challenge and give it a try. We joined Alpha in December of 2010. Just as we began work I was diagnosed with Tuberculosis and the doctor advised rest for the next 6 months. This break was a blessing in disguise was able to spend time with my wife, to pray and plan for the ministry. By the end of my rest period we had built networks with pastors and churches who shared the same interest to work in prisons. God restored my health and began His ministry in His time, in His way.

Alpha prison gained momentum in the month of September 2011. These are the stories which have taken place in the last 3 months (September-November). We are at present engaged in 5 prisons in the states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. In Karnataka, the prison running Alpha are: Nanjangud Central Prison, Chamrajnagar Central Prison and Mysore Central Prison. In Tamil Nadu, Alpha is runs at Coimbatore Protective Home, Coimbatore Central. Out of these five Prison Centres the Alpha course runs at three for 160 inmates, 40 woman at Coimbatore, 70 men inmates at Chamrajnagar and 50 at Nanjangud. Of late we have permission to conduct the Alpha course inside the Mysore Central Prison and Coimbatore central prison. In the beginning we were not allowed to teach or preach. But after continued visitating, counselling and praying for the inmates in the last three months God, in His grace, has given us favor from the prison authorities. Now we run the Alpha course and handicraft training for the inmates for both the men as well as the women folk.

Of the many inmates we shared the gospel with 26 inmates from Nanjangud and Chamrajnagar Central Prison have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. 15 of them have been released from prison and now they are attending their local church with their family in Begur (ECI) every Sunday.

They travel 20 to 30kms by bus to attend the morning service. That’s how much God has transformed them with His love. These people who were once in bondage are now set free by the blood of the Lamb. They say they have never been the same after accepting Jesus in their life.

Cow comes to the rescue: Some of us who work among these prisoners collected money and donated a cow to the Mysore Central Prison. The cow was bought for Rs. 26000. This was done to help the children whose parents are inmates in prison and the children also live within the prison facility. The idea was to generate income for the inmates for their children’s school fees as well as provide nourishing milk for the children.

We raised the funds from Alpha prison partnering churches and friends who share the burden for the inmates and their families.

Now that we have gained the trust and confidence of prison authorities and friendship of inmates, we are hopeful that 2012 will be a groundbreaking year for Alpha in Prisons. The targets we hope to achieve this year are: 14 Alpha Prison Trainings for 370 leaders, 50 Prison Centres running 100 Alpha courses and thereby transforming the lives of 5000 inmates.

WHAT IS PRISON ALPHA ?

Paper Jewellery: We are also training the inmates on how to make paper jewellery. This skill development is making a lot of difference to the families of the inmates. By creating exquisite jewellery with readily available paper the income of a family is increased to meet their needs. There is a ready market for these ornaments and the inmates can earn some money for their family even while at prison. Many of them are the bread winners of the family so being able to make money and still provide for the family is a huge boost to the morale of the inmates. Earning Rs. 40 or 50 per day means a lot to them and also gives them a sense of worth within the walls.

The prison authorities are happy seeing how we are treating the inmates and seeing their lives being transforming before their very eyes.

In the last few months, we were able to raise 10 Alpha prison partners and 9 Alpha Advisors.

The Alpha course is runs in prisons of over 74 countries on all the continents around the world. The course is run successfully in all types of prisons and correctional institutions for both men and women and is also used in young offenders and juvenile institutions.

Just like the Alpha Course, Alpha for Prisons is normally run over ten weeks, although it can be presented over a shorter period of time depending on a prison’s regime. At each session there is a chance for fellowship over snacks followed by the talk. After the talk, participants divide into pre-arranged groups and a have a time of discusssion.

In India, Prison Alpha has been successfully run in Mumbai, Odisha, Karnataka, Bihar, and Tamil Nadu.

P.S: It was good to interact with Rev. John Clarke, Director, Prison Work - AAP and learn a lot.

ALPHA INDIA NEWS JANUARY- MARCH 2012

from the field

Alpha course in Bhubaneswar

The Alpha course FAQs 1. How do I get started running Alpha?

Alpha started in Bhubaneswar two years ago. The Alpha trainings have been going on regularly in the churches and fellowship centers. As a result of these trainings the Pastors and evangelists are revived to do their best for winning souls.

Under the leadership of Ps. P.K. Singh, the Alpha course is running in the Missions India Churches at Nayapalli in Bhubaneswar city.

Another independent church is also doing the Alpha course. It is run by Ps. Lajarus Naik. In another church, Ps. M.R.Senanaik has 10 to 15 members come and attend the Alpha course regularly. They learn about our Lord Jesus Christ and some of them have accepted Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour.

During 2011 there were two baptism programmes during the months of March and October where fifty members took water baptism. Now they are regularly attending the local Church and are maturing in the Lord.

Training in Goa - Francis Manuel In the month of December 2011 we had a 1 day Classic Alpha training in Goa at Don Bosco, Panjim. There were about 33 leaders who were trained. The leaders represented 13 different churches (including Independent, Methodist and other church organizations.)The training was conducted by the training manager and Alpha Resource church adviser. It was very effective because the Resource person shared his own experiences and testimonies in conducting the Alpha course.

program, which will surely help him in the growth of his church.

We had Classic Alpha Training in Namakkal, Erode and Salem. Many pastors from different denominations such as the CSI, Methodist, Catholic and Pentecostal denominations, attended the Alpha training.

They have found Alpha to be an easy and simple way to share the gospel. Any believer can run the Alpha course and bring more souls to Christ.

‘The Alpha course inspired me to take Baptism’ - Divya `The Alpha course helped me to know more about Jesus Christ and it also helped me to have a good relationship with him’ - Prince Roshan

Church growth in Meghalaya - Rev. Subhas Lyngdoh

- John Rajan We had an Alpha course in Jehovah Jireh Church, Perundurai, Erode Dist. Pastor Raja stated that the Alpha training was a real blessing for his ministry. 13 of them participated. On the Alpha day away, everybody was anointed by the Holy Spirit and during the ninth week of the course 4 of them took baptism. The pastor was keen on having more Alpha courses in his Church and he felt that it was a very useful training

Prayer is vital to the planning, preparation and effectiveness of your Alpha course. Find a group of people who will pray for every aspect of your Alpha course.

Step 1 - Pray Step 2 - Participate Step 3 - Plan your course Step 4 - Prepare your team Step 5 - Procure your resources Step 6 - Persevere Step 7 - Pass on the vision 2. How do I run the Alpha course outside of my church?

Using the same Alpha course content and structure, you can run an Alpha course at school, colleges, workplace, prisons, hospitals, homeless shelters, army bases, slums, among eunuchs and red light districts.

3. What resources and training opportunitites are avilable to me?

• 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 your Alpha course.

• Access to a network of Alpha coordinators and Alpha advisors 4. How do I contact Alpha India?

Some of the leaders planned to start the Alpha course in 2012

Alpha Training in Tamil Nadu

5

We really thank God for bringing the Alpha course to Zion Grace Church last year. One year back Mr. Ranjit De and Rev. Subhas Lyngdoh did two days of Alpha Training in our church. Since then, our church has been running the Alpha course in different settings.

You can contact Alpha India National Office, Regional Office, State cooridinators to help you locate a training event happening near your city.

Please find the contact details on Pg. 2

We had only 15 members a year ago, but now it has increased to 35 adults and 30 children. Glory to Jesus and thanks to the Alpha India!

Alpha is really bringing growth to our church.

There some more new people who are doing the Alpha course. We expect there would be more growth this year too.

GLOBAL ALPHA TRAINING BIHAR - George Muller Global Alpha Training was held at Bettiah in Bihar. A total of 155 delegates from different organizations, including the Catholic church, participated in this training programme. The GAT was inaugurated by Catholic Bishop Rt.Rev.Victor Hennry Thakur.

This four day training has inspired the hearts of participants who were from West Champaran, East Champaran, Bagaha, Shivhar, UP border district and Nepal as well. Most of them heard about Alpha for the first time and were very excited to run the course in their respective areas. The outcome of this GAT is that 76 courses began after this event. I am thankful to Ian Walker and Benjamin and Paddy Mallon who had come from Sheffield (UK) as the resource people to support us.

GROWING PARTNERSH

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CSI GROWTH DIAGRAM

Partnership with CSI Karimnagar Diocese It has been a great joy to see the work of Alpha India flourishing in Andhra Pradesh and especially in the Telangana Region. There is a partnership with CSI church Karimnagar Diocese with Bishop Surya Prakash. The vision of Bishop Surya Prakash is to reach out to the community with the gospel message through all the churches in the Diocese. The Bishop believes that Alpha Course is a wonderful tool which can work very well in his diocese. He has special interest in the Marriage Course saying “If my pastor’s and leader’s family are strong the church will be in order and they will be passionate for the work of evangelism. If the congregation’s families are strong then the church will grow very strong. If the families are broken I am sure the church also is divided and broken.”

By seeing the potential and the work of God through the Alpha Marriage course and the Classic Alpha course, Bishop Surya Prakash invited us to train all their pastors and leaders. Altogether 70 pastors and leaders attended the meeting. On the 24th of November we had the Classic Alpha course training and on 25th November we had Marriage course training. Bishop Duraisingh James was the resource person for the Marriage course. He is well experienced in running the Marriage course in his churches as well as in teaching at different seminars.

Bishop Surya Prakash has given permission to all the 300 and more church leaders to buy all the resources needed to run the Alpha course from the local church funds. Everything has been organized systematically to run the Alpha course and to see the diocese grow in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Rev. C. Ramulu Emmanuel has been appointed as the Alpha Coordinator for the Karimnagar Diocese

by Bishop Surya Prakash, who is passionate about evangelism as well as the Alpha course.

Partnership with Mennonite Brethren Mission churches

The work of God is progressing in among the 1000 churches of Mennonite Brethren Mission churches in Andhra Pradesh. So far we have trained 231 leaders and pastors of these Mission Churches.

Dr. Arnold and Rev. Dr. Lemuel have been passionate for evangelism, so they sponsored the training program to train all the pastors and leaders of their churches. Rev. Ross and Rev. Praveen have been appointed as local coordinators to take care of all the trainings in their regions.

The Mennonite Brethren Mission has 40 new Church Extension Workers. Each week they visit 5 different villages and through the Alpha course each will subsequently be establishing five churches. By the end of 2012 their target is to have 200 newly established churches in the Mission through the Alpha course. Please do remember the Leadership of MB Mission and the work of Alpha India. We pray the partnership would grow day by day to lead many souls to the Kingdom of God.

Indian Missionary Society, C.S.I. Starts 20 Alpha Courses I am Rev. K. Selvaraj, field-in-charge of Indian Missionary Society (IMS), CSI, Tirunelveli diocese.

We have about 33 missionary families working in the Belgaum and Bagalkote districts of Karnataka. After hearing about the Alpha course at Belgaum, I invited brother Sam Victor to have a training exclusively for our IMS leaders in April 2011. About 80 people underwent training and many bought Alpha resources too. In August 2011, I was invited to attend Global Alpha Training (GAT) at Bangalore, where I came to know more about how Alpha works. I found it to be an effective tool for evangelism and discipleship. Now we have started about 20 Alpha courses in Belgaum and Bagalkote districts.

HIPS & DEVELOPMENTS

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CNI GROWTH DIAGRAM

ALPHA INTRODUCTORY TRAINING FOR PASTORS AND CHURCH LEADERS - DIOCESE OF AMRITSAR - The Rt. Revd. P. K. Samantaroy, Bishop, Diocese of Amritsar The Introductory Alpha Training Programme for ministers and lay leaders was organised by Alpha India in collaboration with the Christian Institute for Religious Studies, Batala and the Diocese of Amritsar (C.N.I.) from 5th to 7th December 2011. Among the forty five participants, most of them were attending the Alpha programme for the first time. They were impressed by the potential of the Alpha course for the growth of the Church and evangelism. It was felt that the design of the course could easily be adopted in the Indian context where providing hospitality in a family is considered to be a spiritual act. The course was found to be simple enough and easily understandable by people of all categories.

The Diocese of Amritsar (C.N.I.) will surely promote the Alpha course in all its congregations. We also plan to organise an interdenominational Youth Alpha training programme in February 2012.

I am grateful to Ps. Rupak Naik, Ps. Thomas Mathew and the Alpha team for their sense of commitment and hard labour. May God continue to bless the Church and our country through Alpha!

Wherever you work, Alpha can work Achieve Fulfillment at Work, Explore the Meaning of Life - Santosh Chettri God has been opening doors for Alpha courses in multinational companies across the nation. Alpha in the work place has picked up a lot of pace from last year.

In November, Alpha in the Workplace was presented to the prayer group at Infosys, Bangalore. Infosys is the second largest IT exporter in India with 133,560 employees as of March 2011. More than 20 corporate workers attended the Alpha introduction.

They were encouraged to hear Alpha in the Workplace being run in different corporate settings like Larsen and Toubro, IIM, BPO and Engineering College.

In Mumbai, Pastor Stanley Mehta gave us the opportunity to share about Alpha in the Workplace to more than 150 leaders.

Pastor Stanley is heading Gateway Ministries International (GMI). Presently GMI has 45

satellite churches in the city suburbs of Mumbai. Today from this one church there are many church plants numbering more than 70 with many different language groups.

A satellite church of GMI in Airoli-Mumbai under the leadership of Captain Darryl Collins,DGM Jet Airways has taken up the God at Work course as a pilot project.

Young professionals look forward to have tools to reach out to their colleagues in their workplaces. We have taken God at Work course in Bengal Engineering and Science University (BESU). A group of 15 to 20 students from various fields of Engineering, Mining, Electronics and PhD students join the weekly God at Work course. A few believers in the final year of their study have been trained on running the course.

We also got the opportunity to speak to a group of 22 students including 8 international students at Indian Institute of Technology,

Kolkata. Rupa, my wife, spoke on the topic “Ambition and Life Choices�* from the book God at Work by Ken Costa, Chairman of Alpha International.

The recent Regional conference of Alpha in the Workplace in Kota-Kinabalu, Malaysia is another indicator on how the Lord is leading Alpha Workplace in the global arena. * Read more on this topic on pg. 10-11

FROM THE FIELD

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ALPHA INDIA NEWS JANUARY- MARCH 2012

National alpha training-ahmedabad - Jimmy Damore It is a joy that we had completed the National Alpha Training (NAT) with a new format of training and technique. It was a two and a half day training.

The main resource people were from Bangalore. Mr. Francis Manual, the Training Manager from the National Alpha Office, Ps. Jerald, from Zion Church, were instrumental in keeping the training lively. Ps. Jerald, with his rich experience in running the Alpha course at his church, had much to offer at the training. This training was very effective in equipping the delegates to make a head start with the Alpha course in their churches.

The NAT was attended by 86 pastors and leaders from 42 churches, which included: the Methodist, CNI, Alliance, Salvation Army, Pentecostals, Independent, T.W.R., Hebron, Holy Sanctuary, Kalvari Seva Sangh and M.E.T. The delegates traveled from different parts of Gujarat at their own expense. We got a great response from everyone as they were all excited to commence the Alpha course. At the end of the training 49 pastors indicated that they would run the Alpha course in their churches and in their homes.

The North East Diaspora in the cities - Rampan Muivah

“It gives a platform where we can share and build up our faith” B.D Agustine “It’s a very helpful course. The small group interactive discussion helps to clarify doubts, strengthen our faith in the Lord and relationship with the Almighty” D. Paotinlen “Beneficial, resourceful & practical.

Experienced the lively lectures and powerful teaching. We would love to have the action plan soon” Wanghring Rangang- Anal Christian Fellowship Delhi

Youth Alpha Master Training - Melissa Thomas In Delhi city there are 2.5 lakh students from the North East. In Bible colleges in India 90% of the students are from the North East. In Bangalore, 20% of call centre staff are said to be from the North East. We also find that the majority of staff in health care are from the North East.

Alpha India has been mobilising this Diaspora to meet together and fellowship with one another. Recently we had a new opening for an Alpha training in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. We trained about 94 leaders in Delhi, 41 leaders in Mumbai and 17 student leaders in Bangalore. Rev. Dr. Mathanmi Zimik (Delhi) & Rev. Gleever Lungleng (Mumbai) cooperated with us fully and helped organise the trainings. These two churches and other churches will soon start Alpha course through their leadership. Many of the participants were impressed with the structure of Alpha course.

Some of them have expressed their joy in these words : “We find that the Alpha course is a unique & effective way of giving out the gospel. We would love to implement it in our fellowship” R.K Joy- Maram Thangal Fellowship “A wonderful and brilliant course, life changing course” P. Livingstone Joshua

they feel it could be better. This continued on the next day, where Dr. WenChein discussed how one can be an effective trainer. In between, there were sessions on leadership and communication skills. On the last day, the different states were given time to present sessions to each other and share ideas. These were very helpful sessions as they were able to listen from other youth leaders from different parts of the country.

I thank God for His amazing presence throughout the training and for raising up such passionate leaders among the youth to take on India for Christ.

“I enjoyed this training. I have better ideas on running the Alpha course among my youth group back home” Ps. Swapan Mandal from Basanti District in West Bengal.

“A brilliant experience of my life, praise God for this amazing tool” Bhawna William from Amritsar in Punjab “Youth Alpha has been very effective in the youth ministry at our church,” Paras Kumar from Chamba district in Himachal Pradesh

Youth Alpha Training in Ranchi Having trained over 1500 youth leaders across the country in the year 2011, many of the youth leaders and pastors felt the need to equip the church to be able to conduct their own team training before every course.

Many churches that had started the Youth Alpha course wanted to learn better ways of doing the course again. Keeping these needs in mind, we decided to have a Youth Alpha master training in north India. This was held in Lucknow from 10th to 12th Nov. 2011. The master training was attended by 80 youth leaders from 11 different states in north India.

Dr. WenChien, the Regional Youth Alpha & Student Alpha Development Director for Alpha Asia Pacific, was the resource person.

The training started with group discussions and feedback from the delegates on how they have run the course so far and how

Ranchi, capital of Jharkhand, is also known at the educational hub of eastern India. In September of 2011, Ps. John Toppo of the AG church in Ranchi communicated to us that he would like to train the young people in his church to do the Youth Alpha course so that they would grow deeper their faith.

Initially there were 30 leaders who would

FROM THE FIELD

ALPHA INDIA NEWS JANUARY- MARCH 2012

attend the training. We were totally excited to see the enthusiasm of the youth because this was the very first Youth Alpha training in Ranchi. But God had a greater plan. On the day of the training, there were a total of 162 youth who sat till the end. Many of them were so excited about the group discussions. When some were called up to the front to share, they just could not contain themselves.

We have also conducted trainings in Bangalore. A number of different colleges have decided to run the course in the upcoming months. The new Student Alpha Leader’s Guide is being trialed with these groups and will continue to be developed.

Once the trialing is finished we will translate the resource into Hindi and many other languages. We are also looking forward to the visit of Jamie Faith (from HTB) in April.

Ps. John Toppo prayed and commissioned the youth. He was so happy to tell us that they had prepared lunch for 80 youth, but all of the 162 youth ate properly. We could only marvel at God’s greatness.

To hear and to express our own views convinced me of Alpha

Next day, when we met the Christian leaders in the city, we were so overwhelmed by their openness to use Alpha. We were particularly encouraged to see Fr. Jose De Cuyper taking the initiative to gather all the church leaders in Ranchi to fix training for the Christian youth in the city.

- Tusharkanta Behera

Praise Points: - for the lives that have been transformed and the churches that have grown as a result of the Alpha course.

- for the 30,000 leaders who were trained and equipped with the Alpha course last year.

Roseline

Rekha

Rekha our Youth Alpha Advisor met with Roseline Kalet of Chantiapali, Balangir District, Odisha. She was a Catholic who was baptized as an infant. Roseline was not interested in any religious matters, but when she heard of the Youth Alpha meeting at Rekha’s home she joined in every Saturday evening at her home.

Here Roseline met with ten young boys and girls. During the small group discussion time she learnt much and was very impressed.

The last quarter has seen the laying of further foundations for Student Alpha. We have had some really exciting training opportunities. On November 19th we trained 450 students at Allahabad’s Agricultural College (SHIATS). The day-long program served as an introduction to Student Alpha and we are hoping to see many courses come as a result of it. The passion for the Lord was inspiring and infectious!

Pray for Alpha in India

- for all the partnerships and the Regional Offices that were established in the last three months.

450 Students trained at Allahabad Agricultural College - David Simpson

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“I felt accepted by most of them during the fellowship time. Secondly the talk also touched my heart. Thirdly the group discussion was another joyous event. To hear and to express our own views convinced me that Alpha is a good place to learn more about the Lord Jesus.”

- for the opportunities that have opened up for Youth Alpha course last year - for youths who have come forward to invest their energy and partner with Alpha.

- for the first run of the Student Alpha Leader’s guide.

Prayer points - for new partnerships to emerge this year.

- for 18,000 master trainers who were trained last year as they make themselves available to train and equip other churches.

- for Youth and Student Alpha to reach out to the educational hubs across the nation.

- for the safety and welfare of the staff of Alpha India.

- for the work of Alpha across the globe.

Alpha India Staff Retreat The Annual Alpha India staff retreat was held in Shillong, also known as the “Scotland of the East”. A week of beautiful scenery and walking through the woods beside the Umiam lake was a real treat at the end of a productive year. Dr. Kuruvilla and his wife Dr. Susan led the Life Revision Seminar for the first three days with spaces of time between for scripture meditation and learning to rest in God. As the work of Alpha has grown across the country in the last few years, there were a good number of new staff present at the retreat.

About 22 Alpha Advisors from Shillong travelled down to the retreat centre to share their experiences and pray with us. It was a very thoughtful gesture on their part.

We look forward to a year of great harvest and God’s amazing faithfulness as we serve Him and His Kingdom in the years ahead of us.

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AMBITIONS AND LIFE CHOICES

ALPHA INDIA NEWS JANUARY- MARCH 2012

book extract

GOD AT WORK

“Ambition and Life Choices” - Ken Costa What is the course?

This course is based on Ken Costa’s book ‘God At Work’, and aims to equip Christians in finding purpose in their every day work and to live it out effectively. The course comprises of 6 sessions, with each session designed to last an hour and run on a weekly basis.

The course provides a Christian perspective on how to approach common challenges familiar to many, such as: • Purpose at Work • Ambition & Life Choices • Work-Life Balance • Stress • Failure & Hope • How to Make Tough Decisions Many Christians regard ambition for anything other than ‘saving souls’ as a distraction from our true calling to evangelism. This is a misunderstanding of the Bible: God has called us to extend his kingdom in the world in partnership with him. It is surely right to be ambitious about our contribution to this.

In 1 Chronicles 4:10, Jabez prayed that God would bless him and increase his possessions.

Christians sometimes feel it is inappropriate to pray for opportunity and success at work.

Yet Jabez is described as ‘more honourable than his brothers’ (1 Chronicles 4:9). If our ambition is aligned with what God has called us to do, then we are right to ask for his blessing on it so that we can make a difference in the world and bring him glory.

Sir Rocco Forte, who lost a hotel chain built up by his father and went on to build a chain of his own, sums up the desires of many when he reflects: ‘I don’t want to go through life and for people to say “What have you done?” and to say “Nothing”. I like to feel that I’ve made an impact, left something behind.’

Passionate and contended – what is Christian ambition?

For me, Christian ambition is the passionate and contended pursuit of challenging yet attainable God-given objectives.

Passionate Roy Hattersley, in his biography of General Booth, Blood and Fire, describes the ‘reckless enthusiasm’ that led Booth to form the Salvation Army. Similarly, our ambitions should arise from a God-given passion: to fulfil his purpose for our lives. In Philippians, Paul writes, ’It is God who works in you and to will and to act according to his good purpose’ (Philippians 2:13, italics mine).

Jean – Pierre Garnier, the head of GlaxoSmithKline, one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, puts it succinctly: ‘I don’t know anyone who is passionate and unsuccessful’.

Contented God gives us objectives that match our talents. If you are unsure of these, it may be worth using one of the many analytical tools available, such as What Color Is Your Parachute?

By Richard Bolles, or the Gallup Strengths Finder, and to talk to those who know you well. The better we know ourselves, the more we can imagine what kind of work God might be calling us to. The close link between calling and gifting helps us to be contended as we do work that suits us. Contentedness is not particular to our personality type but comes from the knowledge that we are working for God in what he has called us to do. In our ambition to fulfil God-given goals, we can rely on his strength.

Challenging My former vicar, John Collins, once told me, ‘Do not settle for black and white if God has given you a vision in colour.’ We should not worry if we feel daunted – God-inspired dreams should be challenging. Initially I was attracted by the money, travel and excitement of banking. Alongside that I became increasingly excited about seeing the kingdom of God grow in a secular society. This vision to see God at the heart of London life has developed and continues to inspire all aspects of my life.

Sir Terry Leahy, the head of Tesco, who is widely credited with having built up the Tesco business to its present commanding position, has defined this challenge as follows: ... the essence of leadership is painting a vision that others will follow. Find out the truth of the situation , paint a picture of where you want to get to, make a plan and go and do it. It applies to businesses and cities but it also applies to your own personal situation. Always believe that there is a better place and then persuade people to get there with you.

Attainable Our ambitions should stretch us but they should be achievable. I remember the original advertising campaign for Avis, the car rental company. Avis decided that their mission statement would be: ‘We will be the second largest motor rental company in the world.’

They knew that Hertz was unassailable as number one. With the slogan, ‘We try harder’, they recognized that they could grow their market share to the point where they could challenge Hertz. They were way down the pecking order so this was a tall but attainable order. We may not achieve all our ambitions, but they should be realistic. ‘One day, when I am a billionaire, I shall be able to feed millions of people’ is a worthy sentiment, but is not what I mean by Christian ambition. It is challenging, but is it attainable?

God-given Who can forget Eric Liddle’s remark in Chariots of Fire: ‘God made me for a purpose.

He made me for China, but he also made me fast and when I run, I feel his pleasure’ (1924 Olympics)? But perhaps the most frequent response we feel when we believe we are being drawn into a new venture is, ’Is this really you God?’ It is a good question to ask.

We need to know that our ambitions are initiated, sustained and, where necessary,

corrected by God as we step out in faith to do his will.

Marketing or management – how do we make career choices?

Relationship Much has been written on the subject of guidance. I have struggled myself to know God’s specific will for my life and have talked at length to many at all stages of their working lives as they too grapple with the subject.

Some of the following practical observations are distilled from these conversations.

As Christians our main reference point when making decisions is our relationship with God, developed through regular prayer and reading the Bible. A formative verse for me has been Psalm 25:14: ‘The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.’

It is an arresting thought that the Lord of all the world would choose to confide in us.

Asking for guidance is therefore not wimping out of responsibility, or passively accepting the future, but an interactive process. This process deepens our faith. As we bring the impulses of our hearts and our creative ideas to God, we are often given wide choices.

However, the language some use when speaking about guidance sometimes seems to imply that we are robots responding to the unchangeable direction of the programmer.

I am often sceptical of the introductory phrase, ‘God told me to leave my job.’ If this is shorthand for a more interactive process, that is wonderful, but it sometimes indicates a misunderstanding of guidance, or worse a passing of the buck. It is only by accepting responsibility for our actions before God that we mature as human beings.

In many discussions with people leaving university or college and trying to choose from a number of career options, I have found a recurring malaise: paralysis. This paralysis comes from the constant plea for guidance in the expectation that God will make our decisions for us. In some ways it is like trying to enter the door of a vicarage. The vicar says, ‘After you.’ In politeness the visitor replies, ‘After you.’ ‘No, no,’ replies the vicar, ‘after you.’ ‘Please, please,’ says the visitor, ‘after you.’ And so it goes on. Guidance can become a revolving door, ever turning, God expecting us to act and we expecting God to act.

However, it is as we move forward and take the first step that we sense God’s voice behind us saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it’ (Isaiah 30:21). I have no doubt that God expects us to be the first mover. This is well captured for me in a letter from a financier trying to make a critical decision: It usually helps to get a bit of motion before I can see where I am going. In a boat, it is difficult to navigate while you are still in the dock, but once out of the harbour, you can feel the currents and the wind and set a course.

(Tosin Aderemi, banker)

ALPHA INDIA NEWS JANUARY- MARCH 2012

AMBITIONS AND LIFE CHOICES

I have found it helpful to talk to trusted friends when making big decisions. Some years ago I was sitting at my desk when the telephone rang. I did not recognize the name but the caller introduced himself as a headhunter. He asked whether I would consider joining another bank in a senior position. He took me to lunch to outline the proposal. There was intense pressure from the headhunter and I could not work out what to do. The attractions of moving were that it was a promotion and financially advantageous.

Staying offered the opportunity to grow in a familiar environment in a company with integrity, along side colleagues who knew both my faults and my strengths. Talking to anyone at work was obviously impossible.

Despite my wife’s support I felt very alone in trying to make a major life choice. I called three close friends from church who had some experience of the industry. They offered to meet almost immediately. We talked. I agonized and listened. We prayed. Over time they were able to help me straighten out my thinking. Often the short-term advantages, especially remuneration, can cloud our judgement-and friends can help cut through that by providing an objective viewpoint.

Ultimately the choice and the responsibility for making the choice was mine, but I felt stronger for having talked. In the end, I stayed put, which was the right decision.

When I was 32, I found it very difficult to decide whether to ask Fi to marry me. When I prayed, it seemed that God was in the relationship and that he was asking me to take a step of faith, but whenever I reasoned, everything seemed unclear. I rang my father, who told me that a relationship was not a balance sheet, and I would therefore never be able to balance the pros and cons! There were uncertainties that I could not give proper weight to. The idea of commitment frightened me. One evening we went to the opera. I still have the programme with most of the print on the cover wiped out from the sweat on my palms. We then went out for dinner. I had asked the waiter to have both Perrier and champagne available. The choice would depend on whether I would pluck up the courage to ask, and of course on what Fi’s reply would be. She said yes, the champagne arrived and the relief was overwhelming. I felt on top of the world. Almost immediately, however, and for the only time in our marriage, I doubted the decision. The thought of lifelong commitment suddenly dawned on me. It all seemed to much and I wanted to run for cover. Forty-eight hours later Fi and her family wanted to put an engagement announcement in the newspaper. I baulked at this idea, preferring to keep things a little more flexible! But deep down I knew the decision was right and there was little point in delaying. The announcements went in!

This marked a point of no return, making a step of faith into a public act. Immediately afterwards, a huge peace came over me as I realized that God was in that decision. I have never looked back and w are fortunate to have a wonderful marriage.

Timing You cannot squeeze a fruit ripe. The prophet Isaiah comments, ‘I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly’ (Isaiah 60:22, italics mine) Often people struggle with the timing of answers to prayers for guidance. We ask ourselves, `Why can’t I just press a button and receive an immediate answer?’ We want to fast-forward the video to the conclusion.

But the fact is that our perceptions do not change immediately. We need time to distil and consider new insights, and often a clearer understanding of our motivations filters through the spectrum of everyday activities.

Even as a child I knew I could write. After a few career diversions where I became distracted by the appeal of earning regular money for such luxuries as rent and food, I finally committed myself to writing at the age of 30. Still enthralled to the concept of actually being paid for my work, I wrote anything that made money: jokes for radio shows, cheesy rhymes for greeting cards, terrible short stories for women’s magazines. Eventually I returned to the idea of writing as a calling, a vocation, and began to take it more seriously.

There followed seven fruitless years as I attempted to write my Great Novel, win the Booker Prize, humbly receive the acclaim of the intellectual elite and take my rightful place in literary salons. As I sank into a financial abyss, I experienced every form of publisher’s rejection from the tactful to the downright insulting. Then it was time to take stock (the threatening letters from my bank manager played a valuable part in this decision). Taking a more realistic look at my life and made me realise that I had confused the deceptively similar qualities of perseverance and stubbornness.

When I prayed I still believed that God wanted me to be a writer, but felt that my approach might have been wrong.

Rather than give up and find a safe nine-to-five job where creativity was smothered at birth, I persevered - but changed my approach. By writing a lighter, more commercial novel, not only did I experience my first success but also the sense that this was what I had been created to do.

I was 40 when I had my first novel published and my sixth book is now due out this year. Perhaps the most telling comment came from a friend who said, `When I read your books, I can hear your voice as clearly as if you were speaking to me in person.’

It wasn’t the voice I had planned on communicating years ago but, she was right, it was my voice.

(Julie West, Novelist) If it seems that we are being led out of one job into another, it may take time for the groundwork to be prepared. We are sometimes restless for change but may lack the foundations that will sustain a changed set of circumstances. Often a first step is the loosening of the roots that attach us to a particular job. But over time we will also experience a quickening of our spirit in a positive sense, an inclination towards another job or another sector or another way of life.

As the one slackens, so the other strengthens.

We are not just called out of situations but we are called in to new openings and challenges.

In 1 Corinthians 7:17, Paul tells us to, `Retain the place in life that the Lord has assigned [you] and to which God has called [you].’ The process of guidance is as important as the guidance itself. That’s how we truly learn to trust and to listen.

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Signs Is it right to ask for God to give a guidance sign? Often the sign comes in the form of God-given peace, not just the sense of relief at a choice made, but a peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7). However, sometimes the sign is more unusual. Gideon laid a fleece before the Lord to test a decision (Judges 6:36-40). But it is important to note that the fleece was laid after the decision had been made - it was not a way of shirking responsibility. Requests for signs should be confirmatory rather than predictive and need only be made in special cases.

About one year after I became a Christian, I felt that God was calling me out of my management consultant’s job, and in to working full-time for my church. The leaders of the church were very keen for me to join the staff, but the problem was there was no `immediate opening, or budget to pay me.

It was July, and we agreed to review the situation later in the year when the next year’s budget was being drawn up.

As time went on I felt that my heart was no longer in my job and it didn’t seem fair not to reveal my plans to my boss (let’s call him Ben). I was fairly sure that I’d soon either be working for my church or in another ministry.

On the other hand, I didn’t yet have a firm offer so in a sense there were no plans to tell him. I started to doubt whether I had heard God right, and I prayed each day that he would show me the right time to tell Ben about my longer-term intention.

I became convinced that the `right time’ would be after Ben came back from holiday in September. However on 11 August, just before he went on holiday, he called a surprise meting with me to tell me that he was confused. On the one hand, he said I was doing great work. On the other, he was disturbed because he felt that my heart wasn’t in the job. `So,’ he said, `the question I have is: do you really want to do this job?’ My heart was pounding as I thought, `Well Lord, I suppose this must be the right time, but it’s not how I planned it!’ So I told him, and we agreed in about five minutes flat when and how I would leave the company. Ben was understanding and supportive, and offered to give me freelance work to bridge any time elapsing between leaving the consultancy and finding my new position.

An hour later, I was sitting alone in the office, in a state of mild shock. It had all happened so quickly. The cat was out of the bag, and suddenly I was heading for a very different life. But was this really God’s will, or just a nice idea that I and a few others had dreamed up? I got out my Bible and asked God to please speak to me about this. This had been a really tough week as I’d been dealing with a very difficult situation in my family. If this was God’s will, why had he chosen today, of all days, to bring the situation to a head?

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