FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION ONLY | transformation of our Society through Evangelisation of our Nation | | ALPHA.ORG/INDIA
alpha india news
THE QUARTERLY NEWSPAPER OF ALPHA INDIA
VOLUME 5, ISSUE 3 | JULY - SEPTEMBER 2014
NEWS IN BRIEF Telangana Birth of a new state and introduction of Alpha in this new state Page 4 Relationship Central A report on Events and an evening with Nicky & Sila Lee for couples in Bangalore Page 5 & 6 Ken Costa A brief write-up of Mr. Ken Costa’s meeting with the professionals and business leaders of Bangalore Page 7 Alpha for Youth Introducing Alpha for Youth Film Series Page 8
An Exploration in
COLLABORATION CHU
RCH
ALP
HA
HTB Leadership Conference Highlights of the Annual Leadership Conference, London. Page 10 Partnership with Alpha New Life Fellowship Church, Mumbai and Pearl City Church, Hyderabad Page 11
PARTICIPATE
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.
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: Current Account
#TryAlpha Alpha India takes on an innovative approach to cater to the spiritual dimension of the urban population.
Strong Church, Strong Relationships At the Leadership Conference 2014, Nicky and Sila Lee, Rob Parsons and Luigi Giola delivered a seminar on the importance and power of good relationships. ‘Strong Church, Strong Relationships’, is focused on how essential it is to forge and maintain healthy relationships within the Church. Nicky and Sila Lee spoke on how these close, core relationships are especially valuable in the middle of adversity, pressure and pain. Brother Luigi Giola, an Italian Benedictine monk, spoke on authenticity. He said ‘authenticity is the greatest quality of a leader’ as ‘authenticity is true humility’. It is this authenticity which is essential to real closeness and real leadership. The founder of Care for the Family, Rob Parsons spoke on vulnerability and on the importance of staying vulnerable. He described how ‘vulnerability is one of our core values’ because it ‘keeps us connected to people’. He talked about how weakness and vulnerability ‘keep us connected to God’ and concluded his contribution, quoting Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:10, ‘for when I am weak, then I am strong’. Nicky and Sila rounded up the session by speaking about the difficulties of opening up and being vulnerable. Despite the challenges, the Lees described the importance of dedicating time to key relationships which builds emotional connections that last.
2 Alpha India details: National Director: Mr. J. Varadaraj Board Members: Chris Sadler, Chairman of Alpha Asia-Pacific Scott Norling, Chairman of Alpha India J. Varadaraj, National Director of Alpha India Rajeev & Perola Menon, Private Equity Consultant Jaccob Thomas, Chief Executive Officer of MPCA Mathew Antony, Secretary for Evangelisation, Archdiocese of Delhi
Church Advisory Board:
Archbishop (Emeritus) Vincent Concessao Rev. Dr. D. Mohan, Superintendant of AOG India
Alpha India Regional Offices: North West Region, Chandigarh: Rupak Nayak Email : rupak@alphaindia.org Mob : +91 90233-91414 West Region, Ahmedabad: Jimmy Harshkant Email : jimmy@alphaindia.org Ph : +91 9825-444197 East Region, Kolkata: Prabir Mandal Email : prabir@alphaindia.org Ph : +91 96744-61951 North East Region, Shillong: P.O Ryn Jah, Shillong - 793006 Ph : +91 90851-57153
National Coordinators: Relationship Central: Philip N David Mob : +91 98844-36364 Worship Central: Balajied N Syiem Mob : +91 87942-98633 Alpha for Women: Seema D N Mob : +91 99017 81907 Alpha in the Workplace: Santosh Chetri Mob: +91 90070-22889 Alpha for Prisons: Peace Khapai Mob: +91 9597-421832 North-East Diaspora: Rampan Muivah Mob : +91 99029-90313
Regional Coordinators: Andhra Pradesh: Susheel K Chattar Mob: +91 98660-99184 Bihar: George Muller Mob: +91 94310-16124 South Karnataka: Sam Victor Mob: +91 99646-98118 North Karnataka (Hubli): Abraham Vinay Mob: +91 95914-22225 Odisha: Tushar K Behera Mob: +91 93371-41600 Odisha: Jayadeep Samantroy Mob: +91 98535-03813 Rajasthan: Kamlesh Parmar Mob: +91 99830-03637 Rajasthan: Johnson James Mob: +91 98290-77374 Uttar Pradesh: Vinay P Dayal Mob: +91 93594-86843 West Bengal: Dilip Debnath Mob: 098742-07760 Tamil Nadu: John Rajan Mob : +91 98434-95572 North East: Rev. Ninghor Kazingmei Mob: +91 90851-57153 North East: Ps. Subhas Lyngdoh Mob: +91 97740-59873 Kathmandu: Rupa Chetri Mob: 00977 98132-81683 Alpha in the Workplace, Eastern Region: Atmanand Singh, Mob: +91 90515-12161 Assoc. Coordinator, Chandigarh: Vikram Sathyarahi, Mob: +91 96467-76120 Assoc. Coordinator, Andhra Pradesh: Nanthaniel R Kodavatikanti, Mob: +91 99088-22365 Alpha Assoc. Gujarat: Rev. Uday Bhadra, Mob: +91 94085-71049 Alpha Assoc. Rajasthan: Rev. Ajay Singh, Mob: +91 98294 47835 Alpha Assoc. Nagaland: Eyingbemo E. Ngullie, Mob: +91 98566-16680 Alpha Assoc. Imphal Ezra Pamei : +91 96201 17270 Alpha Assoc. Rajasthan: Rajesh Makwan, Mob: +91 94301 32641
alpha notes
ALPHA INDIA NEWS JULY-SEPT 2014
READERS STORIES & PHOTOS 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: Email: 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, Web: alpha.org/india
A LETTER FROM Dr Kumar RK, EYE OPENERS A.P. Dear brother in Christ It was such a great pleasure in meeting you in the month of March this year while we discussed about conducting Alpha Seminars for our fellow Pastors. We conducted the seminar in Arakru Valley tribal group, and the seminar we conducted in Payakaraopeta was for the first group of pastors. The feedback from our pastors is very encouraging and personally I am also privileged to be part of this programme. I appreciate all your efforts to take the message of the Gospel deep into the hearts of many unreached with different approaches. We are looking forward to meet you again in the future to cover all our Eye Openers pastors far and near. God bless you and Alpha members richly. Warm regards, In Christ Dr Kumar RK
new alpha STAFF
Vikram & Mitika Satyarahi Regional Coordinator-Relationship Central (Northern Region) - Chandigarh
Ashish Mishra Regional Development Manager (Delhi & NCR) - New Delhi
Mary Kumuda Sujaya Kumar Senior Executive - Alpha for Women Bangalore
Samuel Sundar Seikurthy Associate Regional Coordinator Chennai
Arpit Rathod Regional Coordinator Ahmedabad
Š Alpha India 2014, edited and published by J.V. Raj for Alpha India
ALPHA INDIA NEWS JULY-SEPT 2014
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alpha notes
From the desk of the National Director
RECONCILIATION The world we live in today is highly polarized. People are divided on the most trivial of issues and some of these have ended up in extreme forms of violence. Gender conflicts have exposed the natures of wild beasts in human kind. Extreme religious persuasion has thrown up different forms of terrorism. Trauma, insecurity and high levels of anxiety resulted in an increase in the number of suicides, murders, divorces and choices of unnatural lifestyles. A sense of depravity is all pervading. Our alienation from each other is a reflection of our disconnect from God who created us. Good news of Jesus is not only forgiveness of sin but also reconciliation with God and with one another. This word “Reconciliation”, like faith, forgiveness etc., is a dynamic word. Reconciliation implies restoration of relationships as well as reconstruction of all structures in a relationship. It is a process that has transformative effect. For reconciliation to happen, positive, proactive steps are necessary. From words we need to move to actions. It is actions that bring transformation. God transformed the disconnection with His people, so He gave his only begotten son “i.e., He did something about the status quo”. He recognized man had failed in his ability to reconstruct the relationship with Him. Therefore, by an act of His grace, He let Jesus die on the cross to reconcile the lost man into a purposeful relationship with Him. Therefore, reconciliation is indeed the purpose of the preaching of the gospel. God’s new society—a community of reconciled individuals. Though the situation is not so good currently, the book of Revelation unveils a great hope for all of us, when “from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” Gladys Staines, the widow of Australian missionary Graham Staines who was martyred with his little boys in Odisha in India by burning, told the following story to me. “It was at the funeral service of the three men in the family that the great international press and media had gathered. A few speeches
were made. One was by a close friend of Graham, a medical doctor who worked at the Leprosy Hospital. He made wild allegations against Graham which were untrue statements and these were reported very widely. Gladys and her daughter Esther were shocked and benumbed. They could not believe these comments could have come from such a close friend. They were deeply hurt but decided not to say anything and react. The following Tuesday this doctor came to work at the Leprosy Hospital. Weeks passed by, so did the months. Gladys tried her best to be as normal as possible. Over four years later, at the inauguration of the Graham Staines Memorial Hospital, the doctor stood up to speak again. The mother and daughter did not know what to expect. The doctor, with much tears, confessed to his false witness given during the funeral service. Tears of joy flowed as both mother and daughter hugged each other. After the meeting the doctor invited them to his home for supper and they gladly accepted with much joy. Something had happened. There was reconciliation between friends.” THERE IS NO SIN THAT AT THE CROSS OF CHRIST CANNOT BE FORGIVEN AND THERE IS NO WOUND THAT AT THE CROSS OF CHRIST CANNOT BE HEALED. We, at Alpha, continue to preach the Gospel in the hope of reconciliation with God and one another.
Warm regards, J V Raj
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from the field
ALPHA INDIA NEWS JULY-SEPT 2014
BIRTH OF ALPHA IN TELANGANA - A NEW STATE IN INDIA - Susheel K Chattar
I have been praying with my friends and partners to reach out to 10 districts of the northern part of Andhra Pradesh. There are 10 active master trainers, one from each district, who have been constantly helping with the training of the local churches. They have been mobilizing Church leaders to take up Alpha. June 2nd has been one of the days of celebration for my region, as the Government of India announced Telangana as a separate state! A significant event in the life of Alpha India took place on June 3rd and 4th, as we had a training program for the new Master Trainers at Hyderabad. There were 35 new Master Trainers who came from 10 different districts of Telangana! We had two wonderful days of joy and celebration at the birth of our new state called “Telangana”, and we had learning experiences on how to reach out to the 10 districts with the Gospel message through Alpha. Now, God has granted a very good team of 45 Master Trainers. Our vision is to encourage the Churches to run Alpha at all the main cities, towns, district headquarters and mandal headquarters of Telangana state by the end of this year. We are mainly focusing on evangelisation of Telangana through Alpha. Pray for our new region to be birthed in Jesus Christ!
Visit to Tamil Nadu
have shown a positive response in agreeing with who Jesus really is and about the Christian faith. Alpha here is run by our master trainer, Mr. Philip Benjamin. Pray for the teachers as some of them have made decisions for Christ.
- John Rajan
Alpha in the Catholic Context
Mr. J. V. Raj and the Alpha team visited Tamil Nadu on 29th January 2014. On that day, he met our senior Master Trainers who attended Alpha Marriage course and also met the Bishop of Madurai - CSI Diocese, Rt. Rev. M. Joseph and shared the vision of Alpha. On 30th January 2014 in the morning, Mr. J. V. Raj had a breakfast meeting with Rev. Clarence Maruthaiah, Area Pastor of AG Tirunelveli at Hotel Apple Tree. In the afternoon, he met Pastor Immanuel who was moved by the vision of Alpha. As a result, he promised us that he will introduce us to the Tamil churches in Mumbai and this will help us in taking the vision of Alpha to Mumbai. On the same day, we had a wonderful and record-breaking gathering at Hotel Apple Tree, Tirunelveli. It was a unique gathering because pastors and leaders from all the different denominations have never gathered together before and this was the first time it happened. More than 40 leaders from different denominations attended the meeting. The meeting started with a Prayer by Bishop Edward Rajan, King of Kings
Church and the message was given by the Bishop of the Tirunelveli CSI Diocese, Rt. Rev. J. J. Christhudoss. He motivated the gathering with a wonderful and thoughtprovoking message. Mr. J. V. Raj shared the vision of Alpha. Everybody was so happy and motivated. As a result, we got an open door to the leaders of all the denominations (Church of South India, Roman Catholic, Salvation Army, Pentecostal, Maranatha, AG, Good Samaritan and other Independent churches) who attended this important meeting.
Alpha for Teachers - Sam Victor
About 18 teachers attended Alpha running in a School Campus in Mysore city. Among them, about 12 teachers from other faiths
- Kamlesh Kumar
In this introductory event, we had representatives from 8 organizations and Heads of Schools, St. Paul’s School, St. Mary’s School, St. Joseph School, St. John’s School and St. Teresa’s School and also five parish priests were present from three different districts of Rajasthan – Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Banswara. One important person who was present at this event was Fr. Norbert. He is the President of Vatican Communication for India. Fr. Norbert invited me for an introduction on Alpha as he is very interested in evangelizing people and he also wants to re-evangelize the Sunday Christians. In total, we had 40 delegates. Some Principals and Sisters were also interested in Alpha in the Catholic Context.
from the field
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marriage
Alpha FAQs 1. How do I get started running Alpha?
Ahmedabad
The end of one session saw the couples holding each other, some softly crying while praying for one another. In another session, people were roaring with laughter at the wit of the resource persons. • In one group, as the wife concluded, the husband stood up and hugged her! He had never seen her speak in public and she had done a good job of it!!! He was absolutely thrilled! • A lady doctor who attended the Training said: “Total transformation! That’s all I can say! This course has drastically changed my outlook on marriage! We are definitely
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
Daman
May 17th – 26th saw a series of Marriage Course Training Events in Daman (covering the Southern districts of Gujarat), Ahmedabad (covering the Northern districts of Gujarat) and Udaipur in Rajasthan. Pastors and Leaders came as couples from different walks of life and attended the Training events. ‘It was amazing to see doctors, architects, nurses and people from various vocations taking time off from work to attend the Training events which were conducted during the week!’
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 course.
2. How do I run Alpha outside of my church?
Udaipur
going to start courses and bless the couples around us!” • In one city on Day 1, in the first exercise where the husband and wife are to share with each other, they sat looking away from each other. We prayed and on Day 2, they were sitting close and talking to each other during the exercise time. Our hearts are filled with gratitude and we lift our hands in worship and give Him all the praise as we ride the wave of the Holy Spirit and see Him transform marriages through the Alpha Marriage Course - Philip David
Using the same Alpha course 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 resources and training opportunities are available 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 Alpha • Access to a network of Alpha coordinators and Alpha advisors 4. How do I contact Alpha India?
Your first point of contact is:
• Your local State Coordinator, then • The Regional Office and finally
ALPHA RESOURCES
Alpha resources are available in English, Hindi, Marathi, Nepali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Odia, Assamese and Urdu. Please contact: resources@alphaindia.org
• The Alpha India National Office They can all help you locate a training event happening near you. Please find contact details on Page 2.
CHURCHes BEAR FRUIT in odisha
Pentecostal Church, Tora After Alpha Training in the Pentecostal Church, Tora (Bargarh), Pastor Eliya Meher started Alpha in their Pentecostal Church, Khedapali (Bargarh), with a few people who believed in black magic. They believed that their ritualistic threads and rings would rescue them from all their grief and misery. After the talk ‘Does God heal today?’ they found a new hope in Jesus Christ and surrendered to God. They removed all the threads and rings which were tied on their bodies. Pastor Eliya reports, “Now we see a change and Alpha has become a blessing to our church.
- Jayadeep Samantroy
Pentecostal Church, Bisipali We are believers of the Pentecostal Church, Bisipali (Bargarh). After attending the Alpha Training, when we started Alpha in our church, we saw a change in our Church. During the ‘weekend away’, there was an amazing move of the Spirit of God. Many recommitted their lives to God. The small group discussion especially had a good impact on the youth who are now taking an active part in Church activities. They are also bringing their friends who are non-believers for Alpha. It is a blessing for our Church to be part of the Alpha movement to win the unreached.
alpha events in
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“A Healthy Marriage in a Compromising World”
Nicky & Sila Lee
Nicky & Sila Lee, authors of the Marriage Book, Parenting Book and the courses, are a blessing to the full marriage spectrum.
origin. Each of these courses eventually led people to Alpha, which would bring them to a relationship with Christ and the local church.
Excitement was building as one hundred and forty couples made their way to the ‘My Fortune’ hotel in Bangalore on 21st of June 2014. The occasion was a dinner event with Nicky & Sila Lee. Stories from life always have an amazing way of sharing life transforming truths. Couples from Chandigarh, Chennai & Bangalore shared their stories on how the ‘Marriage course’ blessed their marriages. One couple saved from the brink of marriage is now leading marriage courses & training others.
Nicky & Sila shared that every marriage faces challenges. But spending ‘quality time’ together as a couple and learning to speak the ‘spouse’s love language’ help to address the challenges in marriage.
The stage was now set for Nicky & Sila to give their talk. After a brief introduction, they explained how the different courses had their
They closed the talk highlighting the features of the marriage course, like ‘the Romantic setting’, ‘Privacy’, the course being ‘Easy to run’ and ‘useful for every age group’ and it is a ‘Rolling program’ since new people keep coming for the course year after year. This was followed by a time of prayer; two couples gathering to pray for each other.
Two closing slides, ‘Join a course’ or ‘start a course’ gave details of the next course starting in Bangalore & the dates for training leaders. All glory to God; this was a truly blessed evening. The guests had fellowship over dinner and the event came to a close. “We believe that “a Secure Society is based on a secure family and a Secure family is based on a secure marriage.” - Mrs Lee, Chinese Government official The oldest couple to have attended a marriage course was married for 63 years & at the end of the course they said, “Doing the course refreshed our marriage.”
A call fulfilled with Alpha’s Marriage Course The Lord laid on us the burden and a passion for family ministries to help couples who are in need of counselling and marital therapy.
the training for 114 couples in the church over a period of 3 years and now the course is running full swing. Couples who wanted to divorce have reconciled and have decided to live together. Many who did not have children, conceived and couples who could not forgive each other were able to forgive themselves as well as their in-laws during the course. So far 135 couples have attended the course.
I got in touch with Mr. J.V. Raj of Alpha India, who not only encouraged us but also checked on the progress. Seeing our passion in this ministry, he gave us an opportunity to do master training programmes in Ahmedabad, Shillong, Dehradun, Chandigarh and Chennai. We were able to train couples to start the marriage course in different parts of the country.
• There was a couple who are married for 35 years with children and grandchildren. They attended the course and introduced it to the entire family and invited their in -laws. The entire family attended the course and there was a transformation. Many older couple felt that this course should be part of every church and every engaged couple should undergo a premarital and a post-marital course after their wedding, which will help the couples as well as the society. This will reduce the divorce rate in our society.
Our Pastor Chadwick Mohan of the NLAG Church, Chennai, encouraged us to complete
• We had a young couple who had come for the ‘Marriage Preparation Course’ and they were quite happy with it. When we invited them to attend the course, they felt they have just started life and have not lived enough to have a fight or quarrel. They went through the entire course and felt that it was good to be part of this. They have recommended this course to their friends who are getting married. The Marriage Course can be attended by couples who are married ranging from just married to those married for many years. There is a feeling that this is for people who have problems but many felt that this course enhances the relationship between husband and wife. We highly recommend that this course should be a must for all couples for a long-lasting and happy relationship. Chacko & Moly are based in Chennai, they have 2 teenage daughters, and they are trained marriage counsellors.
bangalore city
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KEN COSTA ADDRESSES PROFESSIONALS
Mr. Ken Costa is the Chairman of Alpha International and Church Warden of Holy Trinity Brompton. Mr. Costa is also the Emeritus Gresham Professor of Commerce in the City of London. He is the fundraising patron for the Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital; a Trustee of the UK arm of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund; and the author of God at Work, a practical guide to faith at work. On Friday, 20th June 2014, the professionals from Bangalore city had the opportunity to meet and hear Mr. Ken Costa, It was truly amazing that the Lord sent 96 professionals and businessmen to this meeting. The professionals included a senior scientist from Indian Space Research Organization, software engineers from HP, Google, Infosys and other software companies, corporate trainers, an aerospace engineer, a management consultant, and a few Christian leaders.
The impact of the one-hour meeting was truly encouraging as more than fifty percent of the leaders who attended have requested for God at Work training.
Work place Alpha is also running in a top airline company in the Aircraft engineering hangar in addition to a Nursing College hostel and at food courts.
• A senior scientist, who also pastors a church and has more than 40 professionals among his congregation, has requested a training for them.
Comments from CP Mohan, Corporate Trainer: It was an incredible experience meeting Ken Costa. He spoke on various issues reiterating our need for increased awareness of God in the face of complicated issues we face, with no clear demarcation as black or white, but grey. I am blessed and challenged to be a witness at the increasinglychallenging workplace. May God bless Ken and make his book a blessing worldwide.
• We also had the privilege to hear from Mr. Prasanth, a graduate from Indian Institute of Management, and presently working as Management Consultant at Deloitte. He shared how God at Work course which he attended in college has now helped him to have a better understanding of work and has enabled him to handle work-related issues better. • Capt. Darryl Collins, the Deputy General Manager who worked with the top airline company shared his experience of running the God at Work course.
God at Work is a book, I would reckon, as a Christian classic. It talks about engaging GOD in our entire life’s experience at work, at home and even at the church. With a clear understanding on various issues a Christian can face at work, Mr. Costa gave the talk from a Biblical perspective and rich personal experience as a banker.
ALPHA FOR YOUTH
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ALPHA INDIA NEWS JULY-SEPT 2014
In loving memory of
Rebecca Long (1982-2014) National Director, Alpha for Youth - USA Alpha supporter Candy Holsing said Rebecca’s passion was an inspiration to her as it was to almost everyone who knew her.
Alpha for Youth USA leader Rebecca Long is remembered as selfless and encouraging. Chicago, IL- Once again personal grief has prematurely visited Alpha USA Executive Director, Gerard Long, after the loss of his second child, 32 year old, Rebecca Long. He also lost his youngest son, Alex, in 2005 who was 17 at the time. Her father, Gerard, describes his daughter as “a self-sacrificing, passionate woman.” Whenever Rebecca heard of a family’s loss, she reached out with empathy and compassion because she too knew the pain and loss of a sibling. “She was sensitive, especially to those in pain,” states Gerard. Her posts on Twitter and Facebook always reminded others of the importance and comfort of faith in the midst of adversity.
Having earned an MBA, Rebecca had a passion for helping young people and this led her to start working at Alpha USA in 2007, rather than pursuing a career in business. She oversaw the growth of Alpha for young people across America and was excited about the launch of a new and very successful Youth Film Series. In everything she did, she wanted people to meet Christ and to have hope. On May 7, Rebecca tweeted an adaptation of John 14:27. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give U, I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled & do not B afraid.”
THE ALPHA YOUTH FILM SERIES The Alpha Youth Film Series is 12 episodes designed to engage 13-18 year olds in some of life’s biggest questions. It was filmed all over the world in cities like London, Vancouver, and Jerusalem. It is Alpha for a new generation. By registering your course, you will have free access to ALL of our materials: for planning, training, promoting and running Alpha with your group. To watch the whole series, register a course through run.alpha.org/login “Life: Is This It?” invites you to take less than 24 hours of the 570,000 you have left to live, to talk about life, faith, and God. If you have questions or comments, please contact us at: alphaforyouth@alphaindia.org.
Alpha is a series of interactive sessions that freely explore the basics of the Christian faith in a friendly, honest environment. Close to 1,000 churches run the Alpha for Youth that Rebecca worked tirelessly to promote. She will be remembered as a tender, sensitive, woman who went out of her way to bless the hurting. Please pray for the bereaved family and the family of Alpha USA.
WORSHIP CENTRAL INDIA
- Jied Syiem
Bangalore
Kolkata Ahmedabad, the capital city of Gujarat had a Worship Central Course Day on 26th April 2014. Worship teams from CNI, Methodist, Pentecostal, Salvation Army from Ahmedabad and surrounding areas attended. Altogether about 120 delegates were present for the training. Many courses are registered to run. Gujarati translation of the course has already begun. Worship Central Course was launched in Kolkata on the 6th May 2014. Altogether 75 delegates representing about 20 Churches from across denominations and backgrounds gathered together at BMS Campus for a day. 17 courses are registered to start and the Bengali translation is in the pipeline. We hope that the people of Bengal who love music and art will experience God in a new and fresh way through the Worship Central Course.
Ahmedabad
Shillong
Train-The-Trainer: A team of 12 leaders from 4 states were selected to become the first batch of Trainers for Worship Central Course in this region. They were from Nagaland, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. Two days of intensive one-on-one training was conducted at Shillong, Meghalaya on 29-30 May 2014. Through this Train-theTrainer, we are hopeful that local leaders will take up the vision of encountering God through worship. The IT city of India also known as Garden City, Bangalore, launched the Worship Central Course on the 7th of June 2014 at FMC. More than 100 leaders from 15 local churches gathered for a day of worship, learning and sharing. Many courses are beginning through this training and we are hopeful that the spark will catch fire resulting in an explosion of Worship Central Courses in Bangalore and in South India.
from the field
ALPHA INDIA NEWS JULY-SEPT 2014
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transformation stories Gitanjali I am a seeker who loves the Lord secretly. My husband is not interested in any god and does not allow me to go to any religious meeting, especially to the Church. I had been ill for more than a year. My family had tried in different places for my recovery, but failed. Recently, I came on Alpha as I felt that there was no harm in attending this and also my husband did not object. I attended the Alpha talk where the speaker was preaching on the topic: “Does God heal today?” I believed Jesus Christ fully and prayed for healing and miraculously God healed me. Now I am fully healed and since then, I have been testifying and exhorting the name of God. I accepted Christ as my personal Lord and Saviour and I am now growing in the Lord. Please pray that I will continue to remain in the Lord as His child at all times.
Rev. Philip Das
to a meeting. I found on Alpha about Jesus. I realized He was the Son of God and has the power to forgive. I prayed and received peace inspite of my difficulties. Jesus did a miracle in my life because my elder brother came and asked me to go home with him and they gave my property back to me. I want to take baptism along with my family. Please pray for me.
Ambika Deep I was an idol worshipper from Dang, (Bargarh). I was worshipping a lot of gods and goddesses hoping that they would heal me but I was not. During this time, I came to know Jesus through Alpha which was being run in my village by Brother U.Bivar. I learned to pray and was healed during the prayer session. I believe Jesus is the only Saviour who can save us. I accepted Jesus as my personal Saviour and Pastor Eliya Meher gave me water baptism. Now I find myself in a new world where there is peace and joy. I am also enjoying the fellowship of other believers. My family members are preparing themselves to take water baptism. Now my purpose of living is to bring my old friends who are still in darkness to Jesus. Please pray for my family.
Shantilata Tandy, Sohela I am from Bargarh and belong to a non-Christian family. I want to share something which is related to Alpha. For the last two months, I have been attending Alpha, run by the New Life Church.
I am the Pastor of Omega Pentecostal Church, Mihijam, Jharkhand. I have 30 to 40 families in my church who speak different languages and they believe in Christ. Evangelist Pallav Kumar Mishra came to our Church and talked about Alpha. We all very eagerly learned from him and ran Alpha. After three months, we could see lots of people coming and visiting our Church. Many of them were non-Christians. After attending Alpha, many young men and women have decided to give their lives to Jesus. They have taken baptism and are working hard to win people for Jesus. Thanks to the Alpha India ministry which has touched us. The material is very simple and effective. My prayer is that Alpha would run all over the world and win many lost souls.
Sudhir Mondal I come from a Hindu family. My family rejected me after marriage and I was in deep danger with no place to stay though I had my own house and property. I came to Kolkata with my wife and rented a small house and worked in a factory. One of my friends invited me
Alpha has made a great difference in my spiritual life. Through Alpha, I learned more about Jesus as well as Christianity. Each session was a blessing to me. The topics on Alpha and the discussion in the small groups helped me to build strong foundations of faith in Jesus Christ. Alpha changed my personal life and now I have came to know that only Jesus can save me from darkness.
Mary I am from a Roman Catholic background. I knew Jesus since my childhood. But I did not know how to read the Bible and obey God. I came to know that Pastor Martin Smith was starting an Alpha in my town. I was invited and started to attend. Each week I learnt something new that I never knew before in my Christian life. I started to read the Bible and have regular prayer time. Now I am
very happy as I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour. My attitude also has changed through Alpha. I am sharing the love of Jesus to all my family members and friends and I regularly attend church. I thank Pastor Martin Smith who taught on Alpha. May the Lord bless this amazing work and bless all the staff who work for Alpha.
Ramya I belong to a Hindu family. I love Jesus and took baptism but did not know how to be obedient to Him by following Him. I was very interested to learn more about the Christian life and by God’s grace, I heard Alpha was starting in my town so I attended it. Each week, Jesus taught me new things and I started following Him every day of my life. Now my life has totally changed through Alpha. Before I did not know how or why we pray. Now I live with the Holy Spirit who is leading my life and my attitude has changed. I thank Pastor Martin Smith who travelled very far to my town on a bike to teach all the 14 subjects which had the power to change people lives. Now I have started to share the Gospel with my family.
Skhem Ryntong It was a great pleasure to hold a one-day Alpha Training in our School in May this year. My school children liked the Alpha teachings. There were 57 students present for this Training. My teaching staff and I have decided to include Alpha, as a Bible subject into our school curriculum from June this year. Every Friday, we are going to teach Alpha in the classes. I am also planning to introduce Alpha to all my friends who are Headmasters and Principals who are running schools in West Khasi Hills, Meghalaya.
Rev. Howoto Zhim As a divine calling, I was sent to Sikkim from Nagaland. I am grateful to the Lord Almighty for using me in Sikkim, Nepal and West Bengal. About 54 churches have been planted as Agape Baptist Churches. Besides this, I am so excited and glad that the mission is completing 25 years by the 5th December 2014. I would like to testify about the teaching methods of Alpha conducted in Guwahati on 8-10 April 2014. I believe that the believers of our churches would be benefitted through Alpha and mature in their faith.
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HTB LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
ALPHA INDIA NEWS JULY -SEPT 2014
Leadership Conference 2014 5 - 6 May 2014, ROYAL ALBERT HALL, HTB Brompton Road, LONDON There were so many extraordinary moments at the HTB Leadership Conference in London. Here are the highlights of the Conference that were simply unforgettable!
Prince Philip of Prussia
On the first day of the HTB Leadership Conference in London, US mega pastor Rick Warren and his wife Kay - who together lead Saddleback church in Orange County, California - gave a candid interview in which they discussed their journey through grief and forgiveness in the past year. Five days after Easter 2013, after a life-long battle with mental illness, their 27-year-old son Matthew took his own life. It’s a day the Warrens have openly described as the worst of their lives.
Despite their very public Christian profile, the Warrens have nonetheless been open about their struggle to reconcile their faith and belief in a loving God with the tragedy their family has suffered. The key to this, Rick said, is to recognise grief as a valid and good thing. “It’s a gift; it’s how we get through trials,” he asserted. “God grieves; we are made in his image, that’s The first was the moment when a German how we are able to grieve too. Jesus wept.” Lutheran Pastor, who is also Prince Philip The overriding encouragement is for the Kiril of Prussia, and also the great-great Church to embrace hope in the midst of grandson of Kaiser (Bill) Wilhelm of Prussia suffering, and to be a place of inclusivity, (responsible in part for World War I) stood on forgiveness and rest. “We must hold on to the stage of the Albert Hall in front of nearly hope,” Rick declared. 6,000 (mostly British) people and on behalf of his forebears asked for forgiveness for Kay added that a particular verse of what happened in that terrible war. He burst encouragement for her has been 1 into tears, Nicky Gumbel was deeply moved Corinthians 15:3, which says we are buried (in a very British and understated way) and in weakness, but will be raised in strength. everyone else in the Albert Hall simply stood ”Following Matthew’s death, I felt like I was and cheered and applauded him. The noisy, sitting on the edge of Hell. Romans 5 tells us that His hope does not disappoint us, well, I messy power of forgiveness! wasn’t disappointed, I was crushed. It felt like my life had been reduced to ashes,” she said. “But God is not helpless among the ruins; He continues to work out His plan in love. Where there is ruining in your life, God rebuilds.”
Rick and Kay Warren
Rick finished the session with a call for those struggling with issues surrounding mental health to know that God is working in them and through them, and we can look forward to the restoration of all creation in heaven. “Everything in our world is broken - the economy, the weather, marriage, our bodies... we hold this treasure in jars of clay, but we’re all a little cracked.
EXPERIENCES FROM ALPHA INDIA STAFF: There were 14 delegates from Alpha India for the above Conference. Here are some of their experiences:
Rebecca Joseph The theme of the conference was Friendship. Friendship is eternal and it is the key to fruitfulness. Abraham in the Bible was called “Friend of God”. Jesus has different levels of Friendship. Rick and Kay Warren shared their tragic loss of Matthew. He was a fine believer who in a crowd would be able to discern and identify those in pain and would comfort them. The essence of what they imparted was that we are buried in brokenness but raised in glory. We need to keep going even when the darkness does not lift. Clare Chapman, Group People Director at BT Group, said that when she goes to a Meeting she goes with the aim of being purposeful and productive. Meetings should not be used as a platform to pass on information which would be a waste of time.
Rampan Muivah It was a great opportunity and a wonderful experience for me to see how HTB church integrates Alpha and the cooperation of the members. I feel the exemplary life of all the leaders at HTB was the main reason why members of the church continue to bring people on to Alpha. The Leadership Conference was very lively and all the speakers spoke from their life experience. I was also amazed to see the way they manage the stage; every bit of it was so perfect. All speakers were very thoroughly prepared. I saw that not even a single minute was wasted and by this effort, it showed that they value the participant. It was a great learning experience for me. I am so blessed.
ALPHA INDIA NEWS JULY -SEPT 2014
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CHURCHES and alpha
NLFA TAKES ON ALPHA
SHEKHAR KALLIANPUR, NEW LIFE FELLOWSHIP ASSOCIATION, NEW LIFE MEDICAL & EDUCATIONAL TRUST
As a result of Alpha, we have heard amazing testimonies of believers and new comers too. Those new believers have come to the Lord and have been water baptized and now they are trained as our leaders to win the lost through Alpha. Many hubs of Alpha have been started since then. Here is my humble request and recommendation to all the New Life Fellowship Leaders on the Board, to embrace Alpha for a season and see. If you see the results, only then you can implement it in your networks embracing it as a “Lifestyle of Witnessing and Discipleship.” Our strategy:
• If we could identify in New Life Fellowship 500 people from all languages and networks from all parts of Mumbai and do God has laid a burden for the perishing souls a 10-week training with the Alpha basics and a deeper urgency with a vision to see 22 for soul winning. million Mumbaikars saved so that together we would celebrate MUMBAI – The City of God, a • After the above training of these 500 and local leadership, choose 10 men and Gateway of revival to the nation of India. New women for soul winning. Life Fellowship is the movement of the Holy Spirit simply because the Lord Jesus Christ is • Now we will have 5000 fully trained men the foundation and His mandate of Matthew and women who are full of the Holy Spirit 28 is our Anthem. We, in our local church, and faith dedicated to be soul winners in New Life Fellowship International, Juhu, have Mumbai City. embraced Alpha. I repented before God for not embracing Alpha in the beginning of the This means that these 5000 now will go and past decade when it first came to Mumbai. We bring ten new people through their influence have done the entire course of 10 weeks with and train them in Alpha in respective languages our churches, firstly with all existing believers, in their respective areas of residence. They then in the second round we had non believers. could meet at homes or coffee shops, work
places at any given time of their convenience. They will be totally dedicated to this vision of winning and discipleship through Alpha. Then let us dedicate the entire year of 2015 as a “Year of Harvest”. As we conduct three sessions of 10 weeks of Alpha with approximate 50,000 people. If we do what we can do then God will do what we cannot do. If we want to see what we have never seen before then we got to do what we have never done before. If we begin training by August 2014 and launch Alpha by 2015, and then in 2017 we could easily believe God for a rich harvest of souls in Mumbai City.
SHEKHAR KALLIANPUR
ALPHA AT PEARL CITY CHURCH With 80% of the congregation under the age of 35 and with most actively involved with the corporate culture around the hi-tech city area of Hyderabad, questions are bound to arise. Asking questions and discussing the Sunday’s service sermons has always been an integral part of Pearl City Church experience. It has always been the deliberate effort of PCC leadership to make the church-growth experience a dialogue rather than a monologue. The Church proactively creates opportunities for her members to engage in a meaningful dialogue where ideas/ questions/ comments/ and concerns are aired/ shared. Alpha is conducted twice every year. New believers, non-Christians and those who are seeking God are encouraged to attend. Spread over a period of three months, Alpha addresses the basic questions that are posed. The group discussion towards the end helps in sharing and discovering biblical truths while forging strong bonds of friendship. Certificates are given to those who complete the course. For those who never had an opportunity to learn Alpha, I want to say that it has given me a deep search of God and my purpose of living on earth. It is a very important course in a Christian’s life. Lots of believers believe in God but they don’t know WHO HE IS, WHO HE WAS, WHO IS TO COME. Alpha helps in knowing the kind of lifestyle we should engage in. Topics such as quiet time, praying, etc., revived and refreshed my life. - Michael Bolarinwa. Coming from a non-Christian background, I had lots of questions about Christianity. On Alpha I learnt about the Christian foundations. My knowledge about God’s existence, baptism and many other topics greatly increased. I decided to follow the Lord in the waters of baptism after Alpha. Honestly, Alpha helped me to enjoy a meaningful Christian life. – Narmada Palem. God has wonderfully led me in all areas of my life. I always desired to know Him more and more. I was praying for this when I decided to attend Alpha. One by one, all the queries that I had about God were answered. I received Christ as my personal Saviour and got baptized. I thank God for giving me an amazing and a fresh start. – Shila Madhuri. Senior Pastor, Rev. Scott Norling, has happily agreed for Pearl City Church to be the Resource Church in Hyderabad. Besides running the Alpha, Pearl City Church also conducts the Marriage Course, Alpha for Youth as well as Worship Central. - Pastor Anand Gantela
Pray for Alpha India Praise GOD FOR: - His provision and his faithfulness during the last 6 months - All the events organized by Alpha during the last quarter which were a great success - His guidance and all the spiritual blessings he bestowed upon Alpha India in the last quarter - The new staff that joined the Alpha family during the last quarter - The partnerships that happened during last quarter Pray FOR: - God’s favor upon the work of Alpha across the nation - New staff to join hands with us in reaching - New partnerships and opportunities in the upcoming quarter - God’s wisdom and good health for Alpha India Board Members and National Leaders - Long term relationships with the partners
THE STORY SO FAR
TRAININGS CONDUCTED DURING JANUARY - JUNE 2014 Alpha
1429
Alpha for Prison
18
Worship Central
12
Workplace Alpha
13
Marriage Course 12
Alpha for Women
4