The Alpha Course

Alpha is a fifteen-session practical introduction to the Christian faith, designed primarily for non-churchgoers and new Christians. Alpha has been presented in prisons in over thirty States in the U.S. and Canada. A pilot team from Partners has run the course in institutions in Hagerstown, Maryland. Partners provides free materials to chaplains and volunteers wishing to offer Alpha at their institution but who have limited financial resources. Angela Burrin, Director of Partners, would be happy to speak with anyone wanting more information about the Alpha course or the Alpha Training conferences, which are offered in different states throughout the year. The Alpha web site is www.alphana.org.

In the words of Deacon Al O'Brien of Beaumont, Texas, "Alpha was successfully run for the first time in the Diocese of Beaumont at the Larry Gist State Jail. Twenty-three offenders started the course and twenty-one finished. Not only was Alpha new to the offenders but they did not know that the whole Alpha team was new. The team was unique in that the five members were all Catholic. Since the offenders came from different faith traditions it was not until the end of the course, after the Holy Spirit weekend, that they class discovered that they had been guided by a group of committed, faithful and evangelical Catholics.

Week after week, the discussions were lively and on point with the video. Some offenders were skeptics about the value of the program, but by the third week the sharing was honest and free flowing. Judging from the evaluations, all had some movement in their lives as a result of the course. By the grace of God, Alpha is presenting the ultimate good, Jesus Christ, and by the power of the Holy Spirit lives are changing. A changed life is the best evidence of God at work in our world on both sides of the fence."

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