alpha international annual review 2015

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C O N T E N T S

03 Letter from the Chair

04 Why Alpha?

05 What is Alpha?

06 Alpha Through the Years

08 2015 in Numbers

09 Alpha Stories

10 Revitalisation of the Church

12 Alpha's Global Footprint: 2015

14 Reaching the Next Generation

15 Alpha Innovation

16 Alpha Film Series

17 Global Alpha Campaign

18 The Marriage Courses

19 Bible in One Year

20 Financial Review

22 Board of Trustees

The assumptions behind Alpha International’s 2015 data estimates have been validated by Barna Group.

LETTER FROM THE CHAIR

I am delighted to present to you Alpha’s Annual Review for 2015.

In 2015, 2.2 million people experienced Alpha.

Over 41,000 churches, schools and prisons ran

84,000 Alphas.

To date, 29 million people have experienced Alpha

in 169 countries and 112 languages. We believe the

projects launching in 2016 will position Alpha for

substantial future growth.

A unifying force

But there is more to Alpha than just the numbers.

The impact reaches far beyond the individual,

the single course or church – we are seeing

transformation in the communities in which we

operate. In 2015 I was particularly struck by how

God is using Alpha to bring together the global

church – serving as a unifying force across borders,

cultures and denominations.

At our Leadership Conference in May, we were

privileged to have Nicky Gumbel interviewing Justin

Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Cardinal

Vincent Nichols, the leader of the Catholic Church in

England and Wales. They spoke of their mutual trust

and support for each other and the growing unity

between their communities.

Across the world, we have been privileged to see

God using Alpha to join once divided communities,

denominations and societies in ways previously unseen.

We are looking forward to growing Alpha in 2016 and

we are particularly excited for the launch of the new

Alpha Film Series and the chance to invite the world

to experience Alpha through the first ever Global

Alpha Advertising Campaign with Bear Grylls.

Thanks to the generosity of you, our donors,

together with our volunteers, staff and partners

around the world, 2015 was an amazing year. Your

prayers, time, serving, sacrifice and support make

this global transformation possible and we could

not do this without you. We look forward to our

continued partnership during 2016.

With best wishes,

Ken Costa Chairman of Alpha International

Alpha International Annual Review 2015 03

At Alpha, our vision is to see the evangelisation of the nations, the revitalisation of the church and the transformation of society. Such change will come only through Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.

We believe everyone should have the opportunity to explore

the meaning of life by asking their questions in the context of a

local church community where they can come and see Jesus,

community and love at work.

We work to equip the local church on a global scale with

the free and simple tools to share God’s love and are seeing

individuals, communities and countries transformed at an ever-

increasing rate.

Thank you for all you do.

Revd Nicky and Pippa Gumbel

WHY ALPHA?

E M M A N U E L ’ S S T O R Y

Pariti Emmanuel participated in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. While in prison for the murders he'd committed, fellow prisoners invited him to try Alpha.

'I went, but struggled to engage, unable to cope with the things I had done. I realised

I needed to tell the truth and wrote a letter asking for forgiveness from the relatives of those

I had murdered.

Life was so hard after being released from prison. I found my wife with two children that

weren't mine and I faced many heartbreaking situations. I didn’t know how I was

going to live with the genocide survivors after what I had done. My heart was

filled with agony, loneliness and fear.

Remembering Alpha in prison, I decided to try it again. I learned that

Jesus forgives and experienced love in a way I had never known

before. With the help of a local pastor, I went to find Vincent, whose

mother and grandmother I had killed, to ask for forgiveness.

I now live in a village built for genocide survivors and perpetrators.

Vincent lives in the same village. We have formed a friendship

and I now experience peace like I haven’t experienced before.

Day to day life continues to be a challenge, but I have found

forgiveness and healing for the things that I’ve done.'

I experienced love in a way I had never

known before

04 alpha.org

Alpha is an opportunity for anyone, anywhere, to freely explore their unique questions about life, faith and God.

Alpha is a series of interactive sessions exploring the Christian faith, typically run over

eleven weeks. Each session includes food, a short talk looking at a different question

of faith, and a small group discussion.

Alpha is run all around the globe, and transcends social, geographic and

denominational borders. It can run almost anywhere – in cafés, churches, schools,

universities, homes, bars, prisons.

WHAT IS ALPHA?

What Alpha offers, and what is attracting thousands of people, is permission, rare in secular culture, to discuss

the big questions: life and death and their meaning.

T H E GUA R DI A N

J H O N H E N R Y ’ S S T O R Y

At only twenty-six, Jhon has been involved in one of the most violent drug cartels in the criminal underworld of Medellín, Colombia. Shot twice and left for dead, Jhon faced a long recovery. It was during this time he was invited to try Alpha.

Living in poverty, it was the promise of warmth and food at Alpha that kept

him coming back. ‘I was living on the streets so the food for me was like

a taste of heaven.’ But at Alpha he found much more than a warm, safe

place; he found people who would become his family.

He started to share every moment of life with them. They began

supporting him in bigger ways: raising money to help him start selling

sunglasses to get back into work, taking him into their homes and giving

him clothes. ‘Alpha gave me the confidence to tell my own story.

The group were never afraid and they did everything out of love.’

Embraced and accepted by the group, Jhon saw what true forgiveness

and love could look like. ‘Now I know that my past doesn’t matter to

God and that he wants to have a personal relationship with me.’

The group were never afraid and

they did everything out of love


ALPHA THROUGH THE YEARS

1990Nicky Gumbel takes over the

running of Alpha at Holy Trinity

Brompton (HTB) and repositions

it for non-churchgoers

1995First international conferences are held in Africa,

Europe and North America

1994Tricia Neill,

now President of Alpha, joins the

team and rolls out an international

strategy

1991Four churches

are running Alpha

1993 HTB holds the first national

Alpha conference attended by 1,000

church leaders

06 alpha.org

200810,000,000

people have experienced

Alpha

1999 1,000,000

people have experienced

Alpha

199810,000

churches are running Alpha

2015 29,000,000 people have experienced

Alpha in 169 countries and 112 languages


2015 IN NUMBERS

* Includes 2,302 schools, prisons and other organisations which ran Alpha. These Alphas are often affiliated with a local church.

33%Alpha – Catholics

11%Alpha – Prisons

Churches *ran Alpha*

41,745

Alpha participants

2,215,319

Alpha courses

83,943

253 Participants

per hour

4 Participantsper minute

6,069Participants

per day

FOCUS AREA GROWTH

08 alpha.org

ALPHA STORIES

Growing up in an abusive home, Stefan spent his teenage years in and out of foster homes, shelters and youth prisons. Dealing drugs, and increasingly psychotic, Stefan’s problems led to a breakdown following an armed robbery he had committed.

In prison he was invited on Alpha and, although reluctant at first

to attend, he describes the transformative impact it has had on

his life:

'Alpha gave me another chance – a chance to meet God.

It literally saved my life.

Alpha helped me with my questions and doubts about faith,

and also helped me handle my fears about my release from

prison and what the future looked like. My group leader was the

first person in years who believed in me and because of that my

self-confidence grew.

After Alpha, I was much more open to God and I found a

relationship with him that changed me. I wanted to make

something of my life. In the past I built a wall around myself but

now I’m open and I want to help others.'

Stefan and his wife now run a foundation helping people

coming out of treatment for addictions or prison to reintegrate

into society.

'We know, as well as anyone, that everybody deserves a

second chance.'

Raised in Singapore under the teachings of a rare Japanese cult, Gerri was subject to oppression for ten years, manifesting itself in anxiety attacks, physical shaking and deep-rooted fear.

As a young adult, she drifted away from the practices of the cult

and felt a desire for a more positive religious presence in her life.

This led her to Alpha.

'I found it hard to believe what I heard at first – that someone else

could die for my sins. It sounded too good to be true and I could

not accept that believing in Christ would be enough.

I wondered how there could be something as good as this,

offered freely to anyone who would accept it.

But one evening, later in the course, I was overcome again

by anxiety, shaking and fear. It became so severe that out of

desperation I prayed, "Jesus, if you are real, please save me

from this."

With those words, all the horrible feelings instantly disappeared.

For the first time in my life, I felt absolute peace.

I was amazed by this experience; it was God’s way of showing a

sceptic like me what the truth was, by demonstrating his power

so undeniably. That night, I became I Christian.'

'It literally saved my life' 'I felt absolute peace'

S T E F A N ’ S S T O R Y

N E T H E R L A N D S

G E R R I ’ S S T O R Y

S I N G A P O R E


EMPOWERING THE LOCAL CHURCH

R E V I T A L I S A T I O N

Alpha uses the local church to create global change. We train and equip local leaders to run Alpha and as they do, not

only are guests’ lives transformed, but the churches themselves

are changed, renewed.

A culture of evangelism, hospitality, openness and invitation

develops, leaders are released and congregations grow.

'It is amazing that 95% of our Alpha participants stay on and grow with us in church. They are eager to listen and learn the truth together with our church community.'

Revd Tan Cheng Huat, General Secretary of the Presbyterian Church in Singapore

'Alpha encourages my parish to be evangelisers, to form disciples who joyfully live out the mission of Jesus Christ. They become the mission.'

Father James Mallon, Pastor, Saint Benedict Parish, Halifax, Canada

'Alpha has radically altered the DNA of our church. People go through Alpha, then they invite their friends, and then they lead. It’s been an unbelievable revival.'

Carolyn Haas, Co-Lead Pastor, Substance Church, Minneapolis, USA

10 alpha.org

AUNITING FORCE

o f T H E C H U R C H

'Alpha makes us feel part of a global family. It connects us with Christians across the globe who share the sole objective of lifting and glorifying the name of Jesus.'

Gerardo Muniello, Senior Pastor, St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Buenos Aires, Argentina

'I especially appreciate the ecumenical spirit of Alpha. There is no pressure on anybody to join a different denomination, but just to join Jesus.'

Father Raniero Cantalamessa, Preacher to the Papal Household

Alpha is uniting the church in ways unseen for centuries. In 2015, we saw a visible sign of the ever-increasing

unity Alpha is inspiring. Over 25 years of Alpha’s work across every

major denomination of the global church was encapsulated in a

single moment on stage during our 2015 Leadership Conference.

In front of 7,000 people, from over 100 countries and 30

denominations, the UK leaders of the Catholic and Anglican

Church – Cardinal Vincent Nichols and Archbishop Justin

Welby – stood side-by-side on stage and prayed together for

global Christian unity: ‘the hope for the world’.


ALPHA'S GLOBAL FOOTPRINT: 2015

FRANCE

240 schools

ran Alpha

COLOMBIA

177% growth in Alpha in

a Catholic Context: 4,750 participants

LATIN AMERICA

62% growth in Alpha

Youth across Mexico, Colombia, Argentina

and Brazil: 17,182 participants

UK

9,500churches ran Alpha

USA

517,000people did Alpha

including over 70,000 youth

AFRICA

42% growth in Alpha

participants

12 alpha.org

SYRIA

ALEPPOThroughout the

war, Alpha ran in Syria’s capital

ZAMBIA

58 prisons ran Alpha:

every prison in the country

KENYA

10,000 youth did Alpha

through a partnership with Compassion International

INDIA

700,000 participants

•

38,000 leaders trained MALAYSIA

40,000 people

did Alpha

KEY

Office (57)

Hub (6)

HQ

AUSTRALIA

39% growth in youth and university student Alpha participants: 13,563 people


REACHING THE NEXT GENERATION

WHY THIS GENERATION?

Almost half the world’s population is under twenty-five, and increasingly disconnected from the church. As more and more young people turn away, some believe the church is in danger of losing an entire generation. Engaging young people is essential to ensure the future of the church and for subsequent generations to grow up knowing Jesus.

International research confirms this. The Barna Group has found that 59%

of American 18–29 year-olds who went to church as teens drop out after

age 15. In the UK, research carried out by the Evangelical Alliance revealed

that 96% of church leaders believe reaching those aged 18–30 outside of

the church is a top priority, but only 11% feel well-resourced to do so.

Alpha offers the tools, training and technology to reach the next generation.

We work to envision and equip a new generation of Alpha leaders, empowering

them to champion Alpha amongst their peers. We know that as the most

digitally-connected group in history, they are the catalysts who can spread

the gospel faster and further than anyone else, to people of all ages.

E M I L Y ’ S S T O R Y

Twenty-four-year-old Emily Tata was born and raised in the streets of Nairobi, Kenya. Abandoned by her father, Emily and her mother were forced to fend for themselves, depending, quite literally, on the generosity of others to survive daily life.

At the age of fourteen, Emily was raped and became pregnant with her first son.

Committed to this boy and her two children to follow, Emily’s daily fight for survival

on the streets is what would eventually lead her to Alpha.

'The first true love I received from people came from the Alpha family'

What began as a draw to refuge and support would eventually lead

to a relationship with God through her openness to stay and listen to

the Alpha talks.

Since Emily’s personal experience with Alpha, she has run Alpha

in four secondary schools, two primary schools, and in a number

of small groups back in the community she grew up in. Having

experienced transforming love for herself, she now leads others

into this relationship with Jesus. She is a powerful, young, local

leader transforming the streets of Nairobi.

14 alpha.org

ALPHA INNOVATION

INVITING A GENERATIONCampaigns to target a new,

younger demographic to Alpha

ALPHA.ORG 31 national sites 12 in progress

ALPHA BUILDER Equipping leaders with online tools

ALPHA APPFind and lead

Alpha anywhere

ALPHA LABSDeveloping leaders

through training

ALPHA YOUTH FILM SERIES12 episodes to engage 11–18 year-olds in a

conversation about faith, life and God

The Alpha Film Series (AFS) is a major part of our strategy to engage the next generation with the good news of Jesus Christ. It covers the whole Alpha content in an interactive, innovative and engaging format, comprising a 16-episode series of fifteen 30-minute sessions and one 10-minute introduction to the weekend, as well as two 30-minute training sessions.

Nicky Gumbel, Gemma Hunt and Toby Flint are the three presenters of AFS. We catch up with new faces Gemma and Toby to find out more about the project.

When did you first come across Alpha?

T. I moved to London after university

and my new church was running Alpha.

I’d always found telling friends about my

faith a bit awkward but I decided I’d give

it a shot and invited one friend, Nick,

who came, bringing along his girlfriend,

his mum and another friend too! Seeing

the huge impact on each of their lives, I

realised what a great way Alpha was to

introduce people to faith.

G. I first did Alpha when I was a teenager

at my church, and many years later did it

again as an adult.

How did you get involved with AFS?

G. I had to come in and audition! I

remember having to stand on a crate

next to Toby, ‘Mr. McTall’. If I’m honest,

this isn’t the normal type of job I’d go for

– my background is in children’s TV – but

I felt God was calling me to do this. Out

of obedience to him I agreed, and it’s

been amazing.

T. I head up Alpha at HTB Church,

and was involved in the early stages of

planning the project. When it came to the

filming, it was somehow left to me to fill

the spot next to Gemma!

How would you describe AFS?

G. It’s Alpha like you’ve never seen it

before. It takes the same incredible

content that’s been put together over the

years, but the delivery is so much more

effective for a younger, global audience.

T. The result is powerful. It’s compelling

to hear from such a range of inspiring

individuals. Shane Taylor for example –

previously one of Britain’s most dangerous

people and prisoners – tells his story of how

his life was completely transformed through

Jesus on Alpha. We also had the privilege

of hearing from world-leading experts and

Christian leaders, with Oxford Professors

John Lennox and Alister McGrath, for

example, discussing the question of

science and faith.

What are your hopes for AFS?

G. My prayer and my hope for this project

is that people’s hearts are opened to

experience this amazing, awesome God

on a level they’ve never experienced

before.

T. And I hope thousands of new

churches and Christians will be inspired

to share this life-changing, unchanging

message of God’s love with others

through this new tool.

How did you find the filming process?

T. The more I read my lines and the more

I said them on film, the more I realised:

This is true! This is amazing! This is life-changing! I was talking to myself as much

as I was to those who will be watching this

at Alpha.

G. I was picking apart what I was saying,

I wanted to fully understand every word

and my heart was changing through

each line. It was like our own three-month

Alpha course!

What was your highlight?

T. We shot in so many places, but my

personal highlight was Jerusalem – from

filming on an arid but beautifully wild

hilltop where Jesus told The Parable of

the Good Samaritan, to walking the same

streets in the old city that Jesus himself

would have walked 2,000 years ago.

G. Wherever we went, it felt like we were

breathing the same air as those in years

gone by, reliving their stories. It was a real

privilege.

AFS launches globally on 14 April 2016, with events in Kuala Lumpur, Cape Town, Johannesburg, London and Vancouver.

ALPHAFILM SERIES2 0 0 C O N T R I B U T O R S3 8 I N T E R V I E W S1 2 C O U N T R I E S3 P R E S E N T E R S 1 N E W G L O B A L P R O D U C T

16 alpha.org

GLOBAL ALPHA CAMPAIGN

Alpha’s first ever global advertising campaign to invite the potential guest to try Alpha will launch in September 2016 across continents, countries, cities, towns and villages around the world. In the campaign, Bear Grylls, a British adventurer, writer and television presenter with over 1.5 billion fans worldwide, will tell his personal story of finding faith and true adventure on Alpha and invite millions to do the same.

Sixty-one countries have signed on to participate in the campaign,

with advertising planned across TV, cinema, radio and digital.

Bear has extraordinary global reach, particularly among the

younger generation – those furthest from the church. He

is recognised from New York to New Delhi and his biggest

market is now China, positioning the campaign for huge

global success.

The campaign will invite a new audience to try Alpha, inspire an

invitational culture among churches and leaders, and engage

the world in a new conversation about faith. Provided for free,

together with the Alpha Film Series, churches worldwide will be

equipped with the most effective set of tools to invite, welcome

and share the gospel with this new generation of Alpha guests.

My simple faith has so often brought light to a dark path, warmth to a cold mountain and strength to a failing body. I remember crawling onto the summit of Everest and clearing the snow from my mask to see the curvature of the Earth at the edges. But finding a simple faith that empowers my life? To me that’s been my greatest adventure.


W E S L E Y A N D S U Z A N N E ’ S S T O R Y

The Marriage Preparation Course was the start of Wesley and Suzanne’s journey to marriage, church, and a joyful, infectious faith. Wesley, who wasn’t a Christian before the course, describes their experience:

‘The Marriage Preparation Course helped

us understand how our upbringings and

families affected our communication styles

and we can handle this in love now, instead

of finding tension in our differences.

As well as the content of the course,

there was something special about the

experience: the setting, the food, the

people, the community. When Suzanne

invited me to try Alpha after the course,

I was open and willing, as I’d so enjoyed

the similar experience of The Marriage

Preparation Course.

Alpha offered relaxed friendship and deep

discussion that helped me form my own

opinion on faith for the first time. I learned so

much from the others in my group and during

the course, I chose to ask God to be part of

my life.

I want to share the love and peace I’ve found

with others so I’m leading Alpha myself. I

invited my mum and now she’s in my group,

discovering faith for herself.’

THE MARRIAGE COURSES

A central part of Alpha International’s strategy to transform society takes place within The Marriage Courses – two courses designed to help couples grow closer and build a strong, loving relationship that will last a lifetime.

The Marriage Preparation Course began in 1985 at Holy Trinity Brompton,

taking a very similar format and approach to Alpha – a meal, a talk, and

discussion as a couple. Soon after, The Marriage Course began and, together

with The Marriage Preparation Course, their affinity with Alpha was clear.

Like Alpha, The Marriage Courses equip the local church for social

transformation, giving churches a tool to reach out to their communities

and help couples with or without a Christian faith. In this way, Alpha and

the The Marriage Courses serve as gateways between one another and

into the local church.

Over 1 million people worldwide have attended The Marriage Courses to

date, in 127 countries and 46 languages.

In 2015, The Marriage Courses underwent a rebrand in order to increase

their public synergy with Alpha. This strategic positioning of The Marriage

Courses alongside Alpha will allow for a bigger, united impact globally,

seeing lives transformed both relationally and spiritually.

'The Marriage Course offers couples a great opportunity to experience the love of God. It is a real tool for evangelisation: couples discover the beauty of their loving relationship and recognise and call this love by name: God’s love.'

Monsignor Renzo Bonetti, Famiglia Dono Grande Foundation, Italy

18 alpha.org

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Bible in One Year is a free daily Bible reading resource with commentary by Nicky and Pippa Gumbel.

Available via YouVersion, app, email and online, Bible in

One Year provides readers of any faith background with the

understanding and ability to read and apply the Bible’s teaching

to their lives.

Since its development in 2009, Bible in One Year has had over

a million unique downloads and subscriptions in 200 countries,

many of these readers coming from Alpha.

The fifth session of Alpha explores the question, ‘How and why

should I read the Bible?’ and Bible in One Year is introduced

as part of this. Thousands of Alpha guests worldwide, many of

whom have never before read the Bible, have already found this

to be a simple, practical and inspiring resource to deepen their

growing faith.

In 2015 we began work to expand the Bible in One Year’s reach

and appeal. We translated the resource into Mandarin, ready for

launch in January 2016, and developed an audio version of the

content in response to overwhelming demand from our current

readership.

Going forward, we plan to make Bible in One Year available in the

world’s top five languages, translating it into Hindi, Spanish and

Arabic. With such success already as only an English-speaking

resource, we anticipate significant growth as more Alpha guests

and readers worldwide are able to access this powerful tool for

evangelism and discipleship in their own language.

'In the midst of a really tough time for our

family, Bible in One Year helps us to get

through each day. We have found this app

a huge blessing as we start our walk with

Christ. The commentaries help us to study

God’s word and give us new perspective

and strength to deal with the difficulties we

face. It's the first thing I do in the morning.

Our children listen to it before breakfast

and my husband has read the entire Bible

with the help of the app.'

Beverly, Phillippines


FINANCIAL REVIEW

TOTAL FUNDS 2015 (£) TOTAL FUNDS 2014 (£)RESTATED

INCOME

DONATIONS

Donations under Gift Aid 285,370 250,840

Other donations 8,758,917 7,583,690

Total donations 9,044,287 7,834,530

Income from resource sales and conferences 1,344,329 1,250,382

Total income 10,388,616 9,084,912

EXPENDITURE

Fundraising and Communications (including allocated support costs)1

682,952 447,004

CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES (including allocated support costs)1

Strategic Leadership Global strategy and oversight

821,333 830,407

UK Development UK hub costs

605,409 827,666

Media and PublicationsTechnology and innovative resources

1,661,760 1,911,286

International DevelopmentEstablishing localised infrastructure and training

2,831,825 2,458,380

Alpha Context DevelopmentTailoring Alpha for different contexts

790,639 888,429

Other MinistriesThe Marriage Courses, The Prayer Course, God at Work

388,197 533,852

ConferencesEquipping global leaders

1,507,411 1,330,064

Total charitable expenditure 8,606,574 8,780,084

Total expenditure 9,289,526 9,227,088

NET INCOME / (DEFICIT)2 1,099,090 (142,176)

1 Support costs make up 15% of total expenditure.

2 Thanks to the generosity of our donors, together with careful cost controls, Alpha International finished 2015 with a surplus. As we have

traditionally operated from a very low level of financial reserves, this puts us in a more stable financial position and helps us to manage

our cashflow; this is particularly important in a year where we have the Alpha Film Series and the Global Alpha Campaign to deliver.

The figures above are summarised from the charity’s accounts, audited by Mazars LLP, for the year ended 31 December 2015.

A complete set of the accounts is available on request, or can be downloaded from the UK Charity Commission Website:

www.gov.uk/government/organisations/charity-commission.

20 alpha.org

North America 37%

United Kingdom 32%

Asia Pacific 30%

Other 1%

Donations from Individuals 60%

Donations from Trusts and Foundations 22%

Donations from Churches 5%

Income from Resource Sales and Conferences 13%

Fundraising and Communications 7%

Strategic Leadership 9%

UK Development 7%

Media and Publications 18%

International Development 30%

Alpha Context Development 9%

Other Ministries 4%

Conferences 16%

Donations by Location£9,044,287

TotalExpenditure£9,289,526

TotalIncome

£10,388,616


Ken Costa is Chairman of the AI Board.

Ken is active in the financial sector and

served as Vice-Chairman of UBS Investment

Bank where he worked for over thirty years

before being named Chairman of Lazard

International. Ken is Dean of the Leadership

College London and author of the book and

film series God at Work.

Nicky Gumbel is Vicar of Holy Trinity

Brompton (HTB), an Anglican church in central

London with ten Sunday services over four

sites and a regular attendance of around 4,000

people. In 1990, Nicky took over the running of

Alpha and repositioned it for those outside the

church. He has led Alpha's global development

for the last twenty-five years.

John Mackay is a founding principal of

the Strand real estate organisation based in

Vancouver, Canada and working throughout

North America. John is a board member of

Alpha International, Alpha USA, and Alpha

Canada. John has been active in a number

of charitable and community organisations

including the United Way of Vancouver,

the British Columbia Children's Hospital

Foundation, Streetohome Foundation, and

the St James Community Services Society.

Sandy Millar practised for ten years as

a barrister before being ordained into the

Church of England, joining HTB as a curate

and becoming Vicar in 1985. He oversaw

the growth of HTB to the largest church in

the Church of England and was involved

in leading Alpha from a small local parish

resource to one used by thousands of

churches around the world.

Tricia Neill is the President of Alpha

International. Tricia joined HTB in 1994 from

News International, where she headed up

News International Exhibitions. Prior to that,

she worked in the Middle East for Shell. Tricia

sits on the boards of numerous Alpha offices

worldwide.

Chris Sadler is the National Director of

Alpha USA and from 2004 to 2013 was

Chairman of Alpha Asia Pacific. Chris is a

Non-Executive Director of Daniels Sharpsmart

Group (Healthcare). Prior to 2004, he spent

twenty years working in several leading

international investment banks.

David Segel is an American businessman,

investing in financial services and media

assets. In 1999, he founded Mako Global

which has become one of Europe’s leaders

in options market-making. He is also an

Executive Partner in MPower Pictures,

Telescope Magazine and the Video Genome

Project, and sits on the Alpha USA board.

Ramez Sousou is Founder and co-CEO of

TowerBrook Capital Partners, an international

investment firm. He was previously co-Head

of Soros Private Equity and, prior to that,

served as a senior member of the Principal

Investments Group of Goldman Sachs.

Rebecca Stewart is the founder and CEO

of Goldstar Partners, which offers executive

search and consulting services to clients

in the non-profit sector. From 2003 to 2015

she served on the staff at HTB and Alpha

International in a variety of roles, including

Head of Alpha UK, Chief Operating Officer,

Chief of Staff and Group CEO. Rebecca

started her career in the City, initially in

banking and consulting and then as a

headhunter.

Michael Timmis was senior partner of

Timmis & Inman LLP lawfirm and the

co-founder and Vice-Chairman of Talon LLC,

a privately-owned company with extensive

interests in manufacturing and real estate.

Michael serves or has served on the boards

of many charitable organisations and

foundations including: St John Healthcare

Systems, Cornerstone Schools, Inc., The

Navigators, New Canaan Society and Prison

Fellowship International (Chairman).

Hong Yeoh is the Executive Director

of Malaysian conglomerate YTL Power

Generation, one of the largest international

utility businesses in Southeast Asia. He is

also Director of both holding company YTL

Corporation Berhad and Wessex Water.

Kathleen, Hong’s wife, is a qualified barrister

and is Chair of the Alpha Asia Pacific

Advisory Board.

ALPHA INTERNATIONAL BOARD OF TRUSTEES

22 alpha.org

We believe 2016 will be the most strategic year in

Alpha’s history. We are at a pivotal moment in our

journey and are positioning ourselves for significant

future growth. The projects released in 2016 have

the potential to reach millions worldwide with a

message of God’s transforming love and grace.

We anticipate that by the end of 2018, 40 million

people will have done Alpha. But we need your help

to make this possible. Partner with us today as we

begin the next stage of Alpha's journey.

Tricia NeillPresident of Alpha International

Our Alpha Partners’ generosity and prayers enabled 2.2 million people to experience Alpha in 2015. Join us in giving Alpha to millions more this year.

Give transformation Give lifeGive here: alpha.org/give

Alpha International is a registered charity in England and Wales (1086179) and in Scotland (SC042906)

Alpha International, HTB, Brompton Road, London SW7 1JA, England

alpha international annual review 2015

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