by Beth MacLean

Every day Bill passed by Bethany and never even noticed that the church was there. But this day, for some reason, a sign on the building caught his attention and his curiosity, “Alpha is coming!” Bill had never been to church in his life and he’d certainly never heard of Alpha, but something in him stirred and the idea that he should drop in and find out what it was all about stayed with him.

On the first night, Bill stood, just barely inside the door, and was greeted by others who had come. He was definitely outside of his comfort zone. Still, he had come this far, so he might as well hang on and see what would come. He sat down to dinner and chatted with people that he was sure he had nothing in common with. The video was interesting, but he had so many questions, so many reservations:

• Who is God?
• Who is Jesus?
• Is the Bible true?
• Why does it even matter?
• What is it about this Christianity thing that so many people have “bought into”?

The next Monday, having spent a week with the questions that had been stirred and at the surface of his thoughts, Bill came to Alpha again. It was the first night for small groups, another thing that was new to Bill. He sat in a circle with a group of people, many of whom seemed to know the lingo and were familiar with the Christian life. Still, having learned that Alpha was a place where questions would be welcome, he didn’t want to hold his thoughts to himself any longer and he laid them out almost as quickly as he could think of them.

Bill sat with that group every Monday for the next ten weeks, asking his questions as well as listening to the insights, faith stories and questions of others. Bill hasn’t come back to Bethany since Alpha, and I don’t know where he is on his faith journey. But I do know God met Bill at Alpha and it was no accident that he came. It opened a door. That’s what Alpha is about – opening doors.

I’ve been involved with Alpha for three years and as the latest round of the course approaches – making it my sixth - I am reminded of Bill’s story and the story of all the others God meets, including myself, every time. I am always amazed at how God uses Alpha to meet people exactly where they are. The first time I went was to support my fiancé, now my husband. I was secure in my walk with God. I thought I didn’t need Alpha, but I quickly realized that’s not what God had in store for me. On the weekend retreat, God met me in a very powerful way as I felt the presence of his Holy Spirit. Alpha was instrumental in my husband’s walk and only a year after giving his life to Christ, he became the Alpha director.

Alpha has brought people of different faiths and all walks of life to Christ:

• a single woman who was Muslim converted to Christianity and was married at Bethany
• a pastor was touched by the Holy Spirit in a way he’s never felt before
• a single mother with many questions and doubts felt God’s presence for the first time
• a life-long Christian experienced the depth of God’s abundant love in ways he’s never felt.

These are only a few examples of God’s hand at work through Alpha. And as a participant, it is a blessing and an awesome experience to witness what happens when the Spirit of God meets all these different sorts of people in different places in their lives, with different backgrounds, questions, and experiences, and uses them to minister to each other, challenge and inspire each other and, ultimately, bring each one closer to Himself.