Alpha is a basic course where people are given the opportunity to explore the Christian faith in a relaxed, non- threatening setting over ten thought-provoking weekly sessions. Alpha is low-key, friendly and fun- the 3 F’s- FUN, FOOD and FELLOWSHIP.

Who is Alpha for…
 
Alpha is for anyone…
Everyone is welcomed on an Alpha course and people attend for a wide variety of reasons. Some want to investigate whether God exists and if there is any point to life. Others are concerned about what happens after death.  There are others who may have attended church on and off all their lives but feel they have never really understood the basics of the Christian faith.

People come from many different backgrounds having holding many different viewpoints - but all come with the same objective: to establish whether Jesus Christ has any real relevance for their lives. 

History of ALPHA

Alpha began as a home group 1976 in the living room of Charles Marnham, a clergy man of Holy Trinity Church, Brompton, London. In 1981 John Irvin took it over and lengthened the course to ten weeks and added a weekend for teaching on the Holy Spirit.

In 1985 Nicky Lee took it over with 35 people attending- he then introduced three courses per year which grew to cover one hundred participants. In the 1990’s Nicky Gumble (the presenter of the video talks) took over the Alpha course and it had grown again to over 1,000 people on each course, (three courses per year).

Today, over four million people all over the world have completed the Alpha Course. People of all Christian denominations have supported the Alpha Course in London, USA, Canada, India and even Africa where in some places it is run under trees - in a relaxed atmosphere of course.

During the last ten years the Alpha course has been run in churches, homes, schools, universities and even the prisons – successfully!

The History of Alpha in Trinidad

In 2002 a team of Canadians approached Archbishop His Grace, Edward Gilbert to consider using the Alpha course here in Trinidad and he referred the team to Sr. Columba Byrne.

His Grace told Sr. Columba that he would support her if she accepted the challenge of introducing the Alpha course and he would also support her if she did not use the Alpha Course. 

Sr. Columba embraced the Alpha Course under the Catechetical Department and introduced it to  through various Leadership Courses - the main introductory courses being done in 2003 by a team of 12 leaders from Canada.

Synod 2005

At Synod of 2005 a resolution was passed that Alpha be used in the Archdiocese of Port of Spain.  Resolution 20(a).  Be it resolved that the Alpha Programme be established in all parishes.   This simply means that it was agreed that Alpha will be used in the Catholic Church as a main tool for evangelizing.

Our commission - the Evangelization Commission was then mandated to take the Alpha course to the parishes of the Archdiocese. So Alpha is here and it is growing….

• Alpha was blessed by the late  Pope John Paul II
• The Archbishop of Canterbury spoke about its success
• The preacher of the Papal household, Fr. Rainaro Cantalamaisa spoke highly about the Alpha course at the opening of the Alpha International week at Holy Trinity Brompton, London in June 2005
• Our present Pope, Pope Benedict also embraced the Alpha course when he had a meeting in 2006 with the HTB’s Team which included Nicky Gumble and his wife. 

Evangelization Mission for Alpha in Trinidad

Our mission at the Evangelization Commission is to see Alpha courses run all over Trinidad and Tobago- in churches, homes, garages- wherever the Alpha atmosphere can be created.

We know that many parishes are fired up to start the Alpha course.  However, we have come to realize the importance of seeking  support from the Evangelization Commission before venturing into running a course. We were instructed that the Alpha recipe must be kept and so we are working very hard to support anyone/parish desiring to run an Alpha course.

We have seen many lives transformed by the Alpha course here in Trinidad and we have many people who would testify to this. 

Courses conducted in the Archdiocese to date:- 

Barataria
Carapichaima                 
Carenage                       
Chaguanas- Day time & Evening (Evangelization Commission)
Couva
Diego Martin                         
Malabar
Moruga
Mt. Lambert                   
Penal
Petit Valley
Pointe a Pierre
Rio Claro
Rosary
San Fernando
Siparia                          
Tabaquite
Tunapuna

Upcoming Alpha Courses (dates to be announced):

• La Romaine
• Manzanilla
• Maraval
• Mayaro
• Mon Repos
• San Raphael
• Tobago
• Tortuga

Follow-up Courses

There are follow-up courses to Alpha- specially designed for the Catholic Church.
The following people can consider doing the Alpha Course:-

• those of you who feel the need to investigate Christianity
• If you are a new comer to the Church
• Couples preparing for marriage
• Parents thinking of having their children baptized
• Even we who consider ourselves “grounded in our faith” – we always need to brush up on the basics.

I encourage you…………. Please consider doing an Alpha Course near you!