alpha africa newsletter
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Alpha in Africa Newsletter June 2012TRANSCRIPT
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AlphA news | AlphA in AfricA | 2012
More than 250 people attended West Africa Regional Week in Ghana from the 23-27
April, the first of three Alpha regional conferences to take place in Africa this year. Delegates from across ten countries in West Africa (including a number of Francophone countries) gathered for a time of training, envisioning and networking. The majority of the participants attended the Global Alpha Training or advanced Alpha training, whilst National Alpha Office and Board members had a separate stream designed to share best practice and think together about the strategy for the region.
Twelve Bishops from across four countries attended the first three days of the conference, during which time they heard about the vision of Alpha and the theology behind the course.
The event was jointly opened by Fr Douglas Peters, the Vicar General of the Roman Catholic Church of Ghana, (representing the Archbishop Thomas Mensah), Archbishop Justice Akrofi (primate of the Anglican Church of the Province West Africa and Chairman of the Alpha Ghana Board) who said ‘For us, Alpha has been a miracle. May God make us agents of change through Alpha as we go back to our countries.’
Rev. Ian Dyble (curate of Holy Trinity Brompton, UK) also joined from London to spend time with each of the different streams and to share
the vision of unity of Alpha International. On the Thursday morning, he led ‘News from the Nations’, a time for each country represented to share the exciting news or plans they have for their respective countries. Bishop Johnson from Nigeria said: ‘For the first time, I am attending a course that simplifies evangelism. Alpha makes evangelism easy, participatory, personal – we own it, and it also makes it fulfilling. Alpha is productive and I believe it is a tool in the hands of God to break down all the denominational barriers that we have built by ourselves’.
On the last day of the conference, those interested were invited to attend the one-day training on Alpha for Prisons or Youth Alpha training, both of which were attended by around 70 delegates. Concurrent to the main Alpha conference, a two-day Relationship Central stream also took place which included training on The Marriage Course and The Marriage Preparation Course, led by Thomas and Mabel Buckett from Liberia, as well the launch of Alpha’s newest product in Africa, The Marriage Course 101. A team from Family Impact in Zimbabwe spent one day with eight key couples, training them to run the course, which is The Marriage Course adapted for communities with low literacy levels. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with one delegate saying ‘this is the best thing that has happened in Africa’.
STRICTLY FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION | THE ALPHA IN AFRICA NEWSLETTER | JUNE 2012
Edition #001
Ghana hosts the first alpha Week in africa
Number of registered
courses iN 2011
Burundi 92
Ghana 100
Kenya 557
Liberia 24
Nigeria 65
Rwanda 35
Sierra Leone 131
South Africa 489
Uganda 122
Zambia 50
Zimbabwe 75
Other countries 450
Total 2190
alpha statistics
Alpha Africa News
• AlphA in AfricA
• Visit to the VAticAn
• pAul swAlA’s story
• trAnsformed
churches
• upcoming eVents
• new products
Ins Ide :
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AlphA news | AlphA in AfricA | 2012 AlphA news | AlphA in AfricA | 2012
Nicky gumbel travelled to africa accompaNied by his wife pippa
aNd tricia Neill, the executive director of alpha iNterNatioNal, towards the eNd of last year.
From the 14-18 November 2011 they were welcomed in Accra, Ghana by Director Francis Osei and the team and met with senior church and business leaders to impart the vision of Alpha. Nicky shared a word at the Global Alpha Training taking place in Accra concur-rent to his visit, and was able to meet with key church leaders attending the event for a time of Questions & Answers. Nicky and Tricia also had the opportunity to meet with the Alpha
Board chairs from across West Africa to hear of the impact Alpha is having on the ground as well as to offer encouragement and discuss the future of Alpha in this region.
Nicky, Pippa and Tricia were then joined by the Alpha Partners in Harare, Zimbabwe from 18-21 November. Tiri Madzima (new Director of Alpha Zimbabwe) and the team had a wonderful series of meetings lined up with the purpose of raising the profile of Alpha and encouraging those already involved. These included a breakfast with denominational heads, an Alpha Business Dinner and a ‘Night with Nicky’ which saw thirty-two churches join together for a time of worship and prayer.
They also took the opportunity to visit James Camp Prison in Ghana and Harare Central Prison and Chikurubi Farm Prison in Zimbabwe, where Nicky shared a word of encouragement with the inmates and distributed certificates to those who had attended the Alpha Course. Rev. Paul Cowley, Director of Caring for Ex-Offenders and The William Wilberforce Trust, also shared his powerful testimony. About Africa, Nicky said, ‘Alpha is poised for takeoff here. Everyone seems to want to run the course. All they lack is the resources and training. The need here is massive and urgent.’
Nicky shares a word with
inmates at Harare Central
Prison in Zimbabwe.
Nicky and Pippa meet with Prison
officials in Ghana.
Distributing certificates to attendees of
an Alpha course in Zimbabwe.
soldiers. So I did nine months’ military training after which I was sent back to Lusaka to help construct the City Market.
[In 1997], I was approached by a team of officers who planned to overthrow the government. I had been put on night guard duty and as it approached midnight, I saw this truck coming towards the barracks and I challenged them (according to military procedure). They stopped and said ‘We’ve got emergency information from head office, so we want everyone to come with us.’ I was asked to drive a car with a general in the back. I had a fellow soldier in the passenger seat. In the army, orders are orders. When a senior man gives you an instruction, you have to do what you are supposed to do. What I didn’t know that one of the other generals had commanded someone to shoot the car I was in. But the man who was supposed to shoot just froze and didn’t shoot – so my life was saved. After a long drive, I was told to stop the car. When I and my colleague got out of the car, we were suddenly shot at. I flung myself down but my friend was shot dead.
I hadn’t realised at the time that all this was part of a coup attempt which failed. They started arresting the officers who were involved and then the following day they came to pick me up from my office to be taken for torture. Where I was taken no one knew. I was stripped naked and was kept without food for seven days. I was tortured all that time and could only see a light. No legal representative was allowed to come. I nearly died. Then they detained me and 61 other soldiers in prison in Lusaka. I had never been in a police cell or a military guard room, so I didn’t know what
prison was all about. When I got there, I thought I’d find mattresses or a bed, but what I saw was prisoners seated as if they were in a mortuary – stacked as if they were in a fridge all in a row. There was no space to lie down as they were sitting on every bit of floor, packed tightly. Space had to be made to accommodate an additional 50 to 60 inmates. There was no running water in those prisons and this room now had around 200 prisoners in it. As the door was opened, there was a terrible smell from the room. Two days later I suffered from severe malaria and was taken to the hospital. But when I recovered, I was brought back.
There was a state of emergency in Zambia for several months. After four months, we were charged with treason. We were taken to court in a sealed container without windows, like dried fish. Then one of the Human Rights legal representatives said, ‘Make windows on this truck as these are human beings’.
The following morning there were small, small windows in the container. My situation seemed hopeless and I thought I would never get out of prison, but would die there.
As soldiers in the prison we kept ourselves to ourselves. Sometimes the other prisoners would hold Christian worship services, but we would take no part. Then one day I went to the library and picked up a book called ‘Who is Jesus?’ It was written by someone called Nicky Gumbel, a British pastor who started the Alpha course. At the time, they’d teach Alpha in the prison and the team would leave their books there.
nicky and pippa GUMBel, and tricia neill in africa
visit to the vatican
alpha speaker Nicky gumbel aNd his wife pippa visited vaticaN
city iN rome iN November 2011, where they met leaders of the romaN catholic church to discuss the alpha course.
Accompanied by a team from Alpha for Catholics, they had a meeting with Cardinal Marc Ouillet, Prefect of the Congregation
for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, one of the most senior figures in the Roman Catholic Church.
Cardinal Ouillet, who first met Nicky in Canada six years ago and recalled the meeting, expressed interest in the growth of Alpha in Latin America and asked many questions about the course. Nicky and Pippa had dinner with Archbishop Jose Octavio Ruiz Arenas, Secretary for the Pontifical Council
A video clip of Nicky’s visit to Ghana can be found on the following link: https://vimeo.com/36976692
for Promoting the New Evangelisation, who attended Alpha’s International Week in London in June. They also met Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, and Archbishop Bruno Forte, head of the Chieti-Vasto diocese outside Rome, where Alpha is running. The team was headed by Kitty Kay-Shuttleworth, head of Alpha for Catholics, who was joined by Florence de Leyritz, head of Alpha France; Fr Salvador Valadez Fuentes, of Mexico; and Fr James Mallon, of Canada.
ZambiaN soldier paul swala, 38, was iN jail oN a charge of
treasoN wheN he weNt oN a prisoN alpha course. moNths later, he was the oNly oNe of 62 charged soldiers Not to be executed. this is his amaZiNg story:
My growing up was hard because when I was nine my father died. My mother was left with nothing, completely nothing. So she went through a hard time to raise us up. When I was 11 I decided to leave my mother and find my own way. When I was 20 I heard on the radio that the Zambian Army were recruiting
coNtiNued oN pAGe 4
Paul Swala
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AlphA news | AlphA in AfricA | 2012 AlphA news | AlphA in AfricA | 2012
I read the booklet and got interested and said, ‘He died for our sins and I really need him.’ So the following morning, there was an Alpha session and I went along.
They gave us food – cake and tea–but I refused to eat it at first as I didn’t trust them and thought they might be wanting to drug us. The people running Alpha came in from outside. They talked about Jesus, how he died for us, was resurrected and is seated to the right hand side of the father.
There were 17 of us prisoners on the course at the start, but by the end there were 50 prisoners doing it. I was given a Bible by the Alpha team and this became my daily book. I found my faith in Jesus Christ growing. I realised the people running the course were genuine and I wasn’t being tricked. At the end of the course the helpers asked if we wanted to ask Jesus into our hearts. They recited a prayer for us to repeat, which I did, but then alone I prayed and said ‘Today I make a decision to accept Jesus as my Lord and personal Saviour.’
Meanwhile, the more I looked at my court case, the more I realised it would be impos-sible for me to survive. All my legal advice said, ‘The position is bad.’ I continued attending Alpha as well as the prison prayer meetings. Then one day, I opened my bible at Luke 1 verse 37 where the angel Gabriel tells Mary, ‘Nothing is impossible with God.’ And I said, ‘There is nothing impossible with God, so God can take me out of this situation.’ Then I went on to read the book of Daniel – about when he was thrown into prison and how God covered the mouth of the lions. So I asked myself, ‘Can God do these things today?’ And I prayed, ‘Jesus, if you release me out of this situation, I will know that you are the king and you are answering prayers. This cannot be done by a man, but by yourself.’ Then you know
what happened? After nine months’ trial, the day of judgment came on 5th May 1999. We went in the courtroom and the judge started reading the judgment. Everyone was sentenced to death except for me. And the judge looked at me and said, ‘Young man, you are acquitted’. Apparently I had been reprieved on some technicality. But I knew it was Jesus really.
Later I got an official letter from the army saying, ‘Your services are no longer required’. Then they sent me my pension contributions which amounted to about £900. Later I went to the prison authority and told them, ‘I’ve got an offering to make’. They said, ‘What offering?’ I said, ‘I want to put showers in the prison’. ‘Who is sponsoring?’ I said, ‘This money I have been given from the army and I want to give this as a donation’. So I bought the pipes and with my childhood friend Anil I made 12 showers for the prisons. And all the prisoners celebrated. Then the prison authorities said, ‘You should be coming to minister in prison’. So I started going back in to speak to the prisoners.
At that time my friends were on death row and I started ministering to them, teaching them the word of God, giving them hope. Many came to Christ. I went to the Alpha office in Lusaka and told them I wanted
Family Impact, a Christian charity supporting family life in Africa, has adapted The Marriage Course for use in rural churches and communities in Africa. In The Marriage Course 101, a simple flipchart with pictures and bullet points, is used to express the essence of The Marriage Course to illiterate communities, and a handbook for the course leader is also available and includes exercises for the couples to share. These materials are currently available in English only but can be easily translated into other languages. The course was officially launched at West Africa Week in Ghana, when the first ever training took place.
Is an app for mobile phones which allows guests on an Alpha course to get the Alpha Course Guest Manual on their mobile phone for free. The design is very simple, which means that it can be downloaded onto any mobile phone that has internet connection, and simply requires one download. The product is currently in piloting phase and will be available soon.
I opened my bible at
Luke 1 verse 37 where
the angel Gabriel
tells Mary, ‘Nothing is
impossible with God.’
And I said, ‘There is
nothing impossible with
God, so God can take
me out of this situation.
to work with them in taking the gospel into prisons. So far, I’ve gone into all 53 prisons and spoken with the prisoners about the Lord. At some point after that, the showers stopped releasing water because the council would not supply.Then an American called Ron Nickel, President of Prison Fellowship, came to the prison and heard about the showers. He said, ‘We’ll see if we can help with this...’ Later he sent money for the drilling of a bore.
Then I fitted a pump which can pump 10,000 litres. Now there’s a lot of water in the prison. The Lord is doing mighty things with the prisons. I looked at the situation of the children of the prisoners, who often are the ones who suffer the most. Often the children stop going to school because the father is in prison or the mother is in prison. At least the prisoners have something to eat. The prison authorities provide medication, food and water. But the child has got no one to help him. I thought, ‘Yeah, this is the area I should look into. I pray to God I come up with an idea.’
I started by building a small plastic cabin to form an education centre for prisoners’ children. Then someone sent me money and wrote, ‘You travel a lot preaching in
prisons. I want you to find a second hand car and buy that so you can drive to the prisons.’ Instead I bought a bike and a plot of land. I said, ‘I’m going to build a school and a house where children who are with mothers in prison can go during the day. So that is what we have been doing. Now we are building proper build-ings on the site. I’ve already put up the windows and the doorframes. But these are things that the Lord is doing.
Before Alpha I used just to complain to God, ‘Why is my life like this? Why am I going through such a hard time? I was so bitter. I remember one time telling my mother saying ‘I wish I had never been born because see what I’m going through’. My mother used to say, ‘My son, trust in God’.
Now I do exactly that. And I pray all the time. I didn’t read the Bible before Alpha, but now I read the Bible all the time. I think it’s my favourite thing. When the day begins, the first thing is I do is get my Bible out and it is the last thing I do at night. Before Alpha, Jesus was just someone I had read about. But now Jesus is my personal Saviour. He’s my Lord. Wherever I am, he’s with me. Other friends can go, but he will always be with me.
neW prodUctsthe MarriaGe coUrse 101
alphaMoBile
a chUrch transforMed in kenya pastor aNdrew guya, from grace taber-Nacle, tells of the impact that alpha has oN his church: ‘When we first came into contact with the Alpha course, we did not know what to expect. From the offset it looked basic and simple. But during the course, the simple things began to work on our longtime held attitudes and it became very clear that we had gone so far in our knowledge but lacked substance. Having gone through the Alpha Course, the tremendous knowledge acquired and life changing experi-ences have challenged us to embrace the program as our main course for the different Bible Study groups in our Church. The comfort of having gone through the material has allowed us to see the authenticity of the Course. Subsequently, we are now identifying ourselves as an Alpha Church. We have taken the burden upon ourselves to pray for Alpha and its activities. The Church is changing and we look forward to a continued sustained Alpha Course experience. We see excitement in different groups.’
coNtiNued from pAGe 3
UpcoMinG eventsaUGUst – septeMBer
couNtrY dAteS eVeNt tYpe LocAtioN
Zimbabwe 20-22 Aug. GAT (Youth Alpha) TBC
Kenya August (tbc) Local Alpha Training Africa Inland Church, Kisumu
Kenya August (tbc) Local Alpha TrainingPentecostal Evangelist Fellowship of Africa Church, Kakamega
Sierra Leone August (tbc) Youth GAT Freetown, Bo, Makeni, Kenema
Uganda August (tbc) GAT (Youth Alpha) Luwero
Zambia 5-8 Sept. Southern Africa Week Lusaka
Burundi 17-19 Sept. GAT (Prisons) Bujumbura
Kenya Sept. (tbc) GAT (Prisons) Central Province
Nigeria Sept. (tbc) Classic GAT Abuja
couNtrY dAteS eVeNt tYpe LocAtioN
Sierra Leone 14-16 JuneClassic GAT (including Forces)
Waterloo
Burundi 25-27 June Local Alpha Training Ngozi
Nigeria 27-29 June GAT (Catholic) Lagos
Zimbabwe 27-29 June GAT TBC
Uganda 3-7 July East Africa Week TBC
Mozambique 5-7 July GAT Iris Ministries, Pemba
Mozambique 9-10 July GAT Maputo
Burundi 16-18 July GAT (Youth Alpha) Bujumbura
Burundi 13-15 Aug. GAT Bubanza
May – aUGUst
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AlphA news | AlphA in AfricA | 2012 AlphA news | AlphA in AfricA | 2012
What Were you doing before you started With alpha? I was working as a Monitor, so I was involved in justice work, human rights work, and also serving as an evangelist in my church.
hoW did you get involved With the alpha? In 2005, Mercy Ships Anastasia came to Liberia. A few crew members on board the ship had attended the Alpha course in the UK and America, so they decided to introduce the Alpha Course to the churches in Liberia, and our church was invited, the United Methodist Church. About five churches came together under one umbrella and we started to run with the vision. In 2005, we started running the course as a team, in a conference hall, in churches... In 2008, I was asked to lead the team [and] in 2009, we had the first Global Alpha Training programme. At that time we had just a few courses running, I about 5 or 6 courses, but right after the Global Alpha training, it was like an explosion! In 2009-2010, the courses doubled from 5 or 6 to 14, and then in 2011 the number went up to 25.
What is the impact of alpha in liberia? We have now had 3 Global Alpha Training Events, and there are currently around 85 courses running in many denominations: Catholic, United Methodist, Pentecostal, Episcopal (Anglican). The United Methodist Church, which is the largest denomination in Liberia, is working to train all churches across 20 districts and one circuit, and Bishop Jonathan B.B. Hart of the Episcopal Church of Liberia has agreed to run the course in all churches, and there is a training strategy in place. According to our records, 3,000 people have now attended an Alpha course in Liberia.
Why do you think alpha is so successful?The reason I love Alpha is that it targets unbelievers, the main objective is salvation; that it why I am so passionate about the course. Alpha is just simple; it fits with any church programme, Youth ministry, women’s ministry, Prisons ministry. Another thing is the food, the fellowship time – this is very encouraging!
and What has been the highlight since Working With alpha?My highlight has been the growth of the Alpha course just from 6 to almost 85. In 2011, Alpha Liberia was able to secure an office space and constitute a National Alpha Board and then in January 2012, we launched the Alpha National Office in Liberia. Right now, the programme is spreading from Monrovia to other provinces. And we have a very strong team, which is very supportive. Those are major achievements.
alpha is poised for growth iN the freNch-speakiNg couNtries siNce alpha fraNce has become iNvolved. In 2010 a team of volunteers started the translation of the Global Alpha Training (GAT) talks into French, before sending the first teams to hold French Catholic GATs in Burundi (September 2011) and in Rwanda (December 2011). Bishop Nzakamwita, Roman Catholic Bishop of the diocese of Buyumba (Rwanda), who attended the full three days of the event, said ‘the Holy Spirit was indeed active and present’ and he expressed his desire for Alpha to start in his diocese. The visit to Rwanda concluded with a meeting with Rev. Fr. Joseph Puthenpurayil (Secretary to the Apostolic Nunciature) and GAT team member Nicolas de Chezelles (Alpha France) also addressed the episcopal conference in regards to Alpha ministry, with positive response.
alpha partNers with prisoN fellow-ship iNterNatioNal iN Namibia 420 studeNts received diplomas after completiNg the alpha course iN december 2011. In total, with the support of the Eros Dutch Reformed Church, 800 inmates completed The Alpha Course during 2011. One of the inmates testified that he enrolled for the course just to have it on record that he received bible training. He quickly realized, during the course, that he needed to change his life and thus accepted Christ as his personal Saviour. Many other inmates testified on the graduation day that they learned through the course how to repent and to change their lives.
testiMonies‘ The AlphA course hAs showN Across The world, As well As here iN souTh AfricA, ThAT iT cAN be A mosT effecTive Tool for evANgelisATioN … iT is A chrisTiAN movemeNT wiTh A sTroNg lAy leAdership. iT empowers lAy people. i would cerTAiNly like To see AlphA becomiNg iNcreAsiNgly iNvolved iN our church commuNiTies. focused lAy iNvolvemeNT leAds To AsTouNdiNg resulTs’. the most reverend Buti thlagale, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Johannesburg, SA.
oliver pratt, aged 20 years old,
was oNce a drug addict, a crimiNal
aNd liviNg without a purpose aNd
directioN iN life. He had an encounter
with the Lord Jesus Christ on the Alpha Course
at the First United Methodist Church in Central
Monrovia, Liberia. He says, ‘I was hooked
on drugs and marijuana and was involved in
criminal activities. I was practically living in the
streets without any purpose and direction in life.
But the Alpha Course has given me a sense of
direction and purpose for my life. I have seen
the light through Jesus Christ’. When Oliver
was first invited to attend the Alpha Course, he
was not interested in anything that has to
do with the church but he was persuaded
by one of the course leaders from the
church and finally decided to attend. ‘When I
listened to the talk that evening on the topic
‘Why did Jesus die?’ I was touched and got a
fresh new meaning for my life’. At the end of
the course, Oliver accepted the Lord Jesus
Christ as his Lord and Savior. Oliver is now
serving as a volunteer with the Alpha Liberia
National Office and is encouraging his
friends, who are still living outside of God’s
divine plans, to come and taste the new life
he is experiencing.
chaNtal cloete, 22, took the alpha
course at st johN the apostle iN
florida, south africa. She says, ‘I
began the Alpha course as a sceptical child; I
was questioning every part of my faith and the
church. I had denounced the existence of God
and certainly could never even entertain the
thought that a man could rise from the dead
and forgive us our sins. Nicky Gumbel slowly
but surely showed me a way back to having
a relationship with our Lord. He illuminated
a path which I had not seen before; and the
Alpha course provided the necessary support,
friendships and guidance that I needed for my
new exciting journey. I will never forget the
day that I felt God in my Life again, it was
like an immense peace came over me and
all my problems seemed so stupid and
insignificant! … God cares and loves me and
will be with me in every step that I take in my
future! I just want to shout to the world that
there is a God and Jesus has really given us
new life! Should you ever feel lost and alone
just sit back and ask God for guidance, God
will never desert you, he didn’t leave me. I
pushed him away and being the gracious
father that he is, he welcomed me back with
open arms.’
prisoN iNmate (uNNamed), 28,
atteNded aN alpha course at gitega
prisoN, buruNdi. He says, ‘I never believed
that I can get peace and joy in my life from
God. At the age of sixteen, my job was alcohol
abuse, sexual immorality and killing people and
I had never been out of prison for more than
10 days, until now. Prison was like my home. I
came on an Alpha course because I thought
that it would be a convenient place for me to
convince the believers that God doesn’t exist.
The reason was that before the course started,
I attended the introductory session which is:
“Christianity: boring, untrue, and irrelevant?”
During the session, the course leader kept on
saying ‘anyone is welcome’ and encouraged
all of us to ask questions or give our ideas. As
I was violent, I told him that I do not want any
prayer and said to him that I am strong enough
to fight against whoever wants to fight me. The
following session, I was the first in the room and
the course leader told me that God called me to
come again and I said to him that I want to see
that God. From that day, my heart started to be
troubled. I realized that I need God’s help and
support. On the session about ‘Why did Jesus
die?’. I gave my life to Jesus Christ because I
realized that he is the only King of peace. I am
ready now to serve him and testify his glory and
power to my friends in Prison.’
oliver pratt
chantal cloete
inMate
introdUcinG...
Jefferson Boye kniGht, national coordinator of alpha liBeria
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AlphA news | AlphA in AfricA | 2012
notesfollowing the success of West Africa Week, we are very pleased to announce the dates for:
east africa week: kaMpala | UGanda | 3-7 JUly 2012
southern africa week: lUsaka | ZaMBia | 5-8 septeMBer 2012
watch this space for more information! • For more details on any of these events,
please contact the National Alpha Office (contact details below).
• Kirsten Smith will be taking on the role of International Relationship Manager for Social Transformation Ministries. Kirst has been working with Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) for over 4 years. She is passionate about unity and will be working in a joint role with Prison Fellowship International as the liaison between the Alpha and PFI working on expanding both organisations work around the world, building partnerships and relationships within the global community. If you would like to be in touch to welcome her and introduce yourself, her email address is: [email protected]
AlphA buruNdi
Kigobe – Bujumbura
B.P. 689 Bujumbura
Burundi
t. +257 22224549
w. www.alphaburundi.com
AlphA ghANA miNisTries
B779 Shop 27 Akweteman
Adjacent to Living God prepatory school
Akweteman
Accra, Ghana
t. +233 302 415 036
note froM nel23 april 2012 was a historic momeNt for alpha iN africa with the start of our first ever west africa week, a regioNal alpha coNfereNce held iN ghaNa. And what a wonderful time we had! In-between all the training, talking, singing, dancing and praying there was huge sense of excitement about things to come for Alpha in West Africa. We heard amazing stories of changed lives of people doing the Alpha Course. And we long for more! We long that every person in West Africa is given an opportunity to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ on an Alpha Course close to where they live or work and this is what we work towards.
The same vision is echoed in other parts of Africa, especially as we gear up towards East Africa Week in July and Southern Africa Week in September this year.
Another first is the launch of this new Africa Alpha News! We hope you enjoy the many stories of great things Jesus is doing in people’s lives through Alpha.
When Nicky Gumbel visited Africa last November he said, ‘Alpha is poised to take off here (Africa). Everyone seems to want to run the course…’ We’re hugely excited about the potential and want to thank you so much for the part you are playing to evangelise, -or in some countries re-evangelise – the nations and bringing the transformation of society.
If there is anything that my team and I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
Love
Nel and the Alpha Africa team
AlphA keNyA TrusT
Brookside Drive off Lower Kabete Road
PO Box 39137-00623
Nairobi, Kenya
f. +254 207624302
t. +254721571010
AlphA liberiA
United Methodist Church Compound
13th Street
Sinkor
1000 Monrovia 10
Liberia
t. +231 886572914
AlphA NigeriA
22 Balarabe Musa Crescent
Victoria Island
Lagos, Nigeria
t. +234 1735 8653
What is the alpha coUrse?the alpha course is a practical iNtroductioN to the christiaN faith which Normally ruNs over a period of teN weeks. A typical session consists of a meal/fellowship time to encourage relationship and community, a talk addressing a specific issue of the Christian faith, and a small group discussion to help the course guests talk through issues raised. Three of the talks on the Holy Spirit are typically given over a day or weekend away which enables course guests to build friendships and trust. Alpha aims to present the core truths of the Christian faith around which Christians of every denomination can unite.
contact listAlphA rwANdA
c/o PDM Peace Plan
PO Box 1030, Kigali
t. +250 7883 58495
AlphA sierrA leoNe
10 Charlotte Street
Freetown
t. +232 77 447 204
AlphA souTh AfricA
Gracepoint
125 Duncan Street
Glenferness, Johannesburg
PO Box 656
Newlands
f. +27 0865186263
t. +27 0129988144
w. alphasa.co.za
AlphA ugANdA
c/o Church of Uganda
Willis Road Namirembe
PO Box 14123
Kampala
t. +256 414 273 646
AlphA ZAmbiA
c/o Cathedral of the Holy Cross
Chikwa Road
PO Box 30477
Lusaka, Zambia
f. +260 211 250228
t. +260 211 250154
AlphA ZimbAbwe
PO Box A1918
Avondale
Harare, Zimbabwe
t. +263 4 705010
For general enquiries, please contact us at [email protected]