ONE CHURCH CHANGED

Encourager Church conducted their first Alpha course in the spring of 2005 with about 80 participants, mostly church members and leaders, and a few people new to the church. Since then they have averaged 2 courses each year. The first four courses averaged 71 participants. Gradually more and more of the participants were  unchurched neighbors and friends who did not attend any church. Visitors and newcomers to Encourager Church were encouraged to attend Alpha.

From the questionnaires completed at the end of each course: 

• 2 people received Jesus for the first time
• 30 reaffirmed their faith in and relationship with Jesus
• 9 experienced practicing specific gifts of the Spirit for the first time.
• 4 experienced miraculous physical healing
• 32 gained new/ clarified knowledge and experienced the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit "like never before"
• One person said "I believed before, but I didn't know very much!"
• Several said they had increased confidence and desire to share their faith.
• 79 had very positive experiences in small groups, e.g. "like being in a family", "learned from other points of view," "enjoyed the open, honest discussions", "made new friends," etc.

The Alpha Team began to pray and work in earnest to reach the unsaved, and began using the Alpha materials in outreach ministries. For one Alpha Dinner, 20 people from outside the church showed up at the door! The talks were offered in English, Spanish, and Arabic.At one course, the guests were Muslims, non-practicing Christians, seekers and just plain "lost" neighbors. The small group discussions were quite interesting!

One of the outcomes from one course was that a high school senior, with strong support from his parents, the Alpha Team, and his Pastors, began the Alpha course at his public high school. Although he was not allowed by the school to distribute materials or to use the videos, the group began by word-of-mouth. The student even gave the short weekly talks himself! The church provided pizza and sodas and the group grew to 40+ by the end of the school year.  There were many testimonies of lives touched and changed.  Two of the teens who participated in that course are making plans to start the  Alpha at their high school again this school year.                                                                                                                     

Praise God for all He has done and all He is going to do in the future through Alpha.   

Shirley Morris, Alpha Director
Encourager Church  Houston, Texas 

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