ALPHA IS COMING TO OLIVE!
The ALPHA course will be coming to the Olive campus in downtown Los Angeles starting April 11th. This is a first for YNCC and we're expecting over a hundred people to join us as we explore Christianity and Jesus in a friendly and non-threatening environment. So come out and check it out or invite a friend to join us for a great lunch, a video and a small group discussion where anyone and everyone is free to ask anything and everything.
Explore the Christian Faith in a low-key relaxed environment:
Over 13 million people worldwide have now attended an ALPHA course, an opportunity
to explore the meaning of life, running in tens of thousands of churches of all denominations,
and at universities, in prisons and on military bases across the world.
At an ALPHA course people explore the Christian faith in a relaxed setting over ten
thought-provoking weekly sessions, with a day or weekend away.
It is low-key, friendly and fun and is supported by all the main Christian denominations.
Why not take this opportunity to explore the meaning of life?
Who is ALPHA for?
Everyone is welcome!
People attend from many different backgrounds, religions and viewpoints.
They attend for a 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.
Still others may have attended church all their life, but feel they never really
understood the basics of the Christian faith.
ALPHA is the course for everyone who thinks there may be more to life than meets the eye.
What Happens at ALPHA?
The ALPHA course consists of a series of talks addressing key issues related to the Christian faith.
ALPHA courses run in a wide variety of locations and at different times of the day. Below are the schedules for ALPHA@Olive:
SUNDAY SCHEDULE
| 12:30 | Lunch |
| 12:55 | Announcements |
| 1:05 | ALPHA Video |
| 1:50 | Small group discussion |
| 2:45 | Ends |
COURSE SCHEDULE
| 4/11 | Introduction: Is there more to life than this? |
| 4/18 | Week 1: Who is Jesus? |
| 4/25 | Week 2: Why did Jesus die? |
| 5/2 | Week 3: How can we have faith? |
| 5/9 | Week 4: Why and how do I pray? |
| 5/16 | Week 5: Why and how should I read the Bible? |
| 5/23 | Week 6: How does God guide us? |
| 5/30 | Week 7: Who is the Holy Spirit? |
| 6/6 | Week 8: How can I resist evil? |
| 6/13 | Week 9: Why & how should we tell others? |
| 6/20 | Week 10: What about the Church? |
| 6/27 | Conclusion: How can I make the most out of the rest of my life? |
The course curriculum is the book Questions of Life by Nicky Gumbel. Each talk reflects one of the chapters from this book.
Please note: There is no obligation to attend all of the sessions and everything is free!
What Course Attendees say...
Mark: "When I first heard about the ALPHA course I was at a stage when
I was searching for something 'out there'.
I really needed to ask questions and not feel like I was getting a hard-sell
pitched at me. Now I perceive things differently and just feel so at peace.
I have also met a wonderful bunch of new friends on the course."
Graham: "The first evening surprised me completely.
The people were from all walks of life, from different races, classes and abilities.
During the first evening, there were no prayers or heavy preaching. We were
just given the opportunity to listen to the talk and then discuss anything we wanted.
I chose to ask some challenging and confrontational questions, but they were welcomed,
and I was made to feel valued and appreciated. I enjoyed the evening so much that
I couldn't wait to go back the following week..."
Maria: Before I had always thought you had to do good to be a Christian,
and I knew I was not good enough But the people in ALPHA helped smash that idea
no one is better than the next.
Marta: 9/11 hit and my life changed. While I was fortunate not to lose anyone I loved,
my company went out of business, and my fiancé and I broke off our engagement as a result of
the tension I had "issues" with organized religion. Christianity is not the religion I grew
up in, and I had hostility to religion to begin with, so I had a lot of questions, but I learned a lot.
Anthony: "I didn’t expect the warm welcome I received, the interesting discussions
or the lack of pressure to speak in the small groups that followed. I found that I could express any doubts about Christianity, and that my opinions would be respected. If I had an issue with something, I had a forum to voice it with no need to apologize."
John: "Over the years, church became more of a social club...
I’m still figuring it out. I was nervous the first week but was placed at a table with
other young people, many of whom were going through the same stuff I was. But now
God is a daily part of my life. The friends from ALPHA have become some of the
closest friends I’ve ever had."
All of these quotes are from past course attendees.