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THE ALPHA COURSE Alpha.Org Explore the Meaning Lifof E © Alpha International 2010 EXPLORE THE MeanING LIFOF E TEAM MANUAL THE ALPHA COURSE alpha.org EXPLORE THE MeanING LIFOF E © Alpha International 2010 First published 1993 Reprinted fourteen times This new edition 2010 Reprinted in 2011 All rights reserved. No part of this manual or any other Alpha International publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright holder or the expressly authorised agent thereof. ISBN: 978 1 905887 89 7 Scripture quotations taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Publishers, a member of the Hachette Livre UK Group. All rights reserved. ‘NIV’ is a registered trademark of International Bible Society. UK trademark number 1448790. Published by Alpha International, HTB Brompton Road, London SW7 1JA. Email: [email protected] CONTENTS SectION 1 SMALL GROUP Discussion Suggestions for Small Groups 4 Hosts and Helpers Preparation 5 Session 1 Who Is Jesus? 7 Session 2 Why Did Jesus Die? 9 Session 3 How Can We Have Faith? 11 Session 4 Why and How Do I Pray? 13 Session 5 Why and How Should I Read the Bible? 15 Session 6 How Does God Guide Us? 17 Session 7 Who Is the Holy Spirit? 19 Session 8 What Does the Holy Spirit Do? 21 Session 9 How Can I Be Filled With the Holy Spirit? 23 Session 10 How Can I Resist Evil? 25 Session 11 Why and How Should I Tell Others? 27 Session 12 Does God Heal Today? 29 Session 13 What About the Church 31 Session 14 How Can I Make the Most of the Rest of My Life? 33 SectION 2 TEAM Training Team Training 1 Hosting Small Groups 36 Team Training 2 Pastoral Care 46 Team Training 3 Prayer Ministry on Alpha 54 SECTION 1 SMALL GROUP discussion SMALL GROUPDISCUSSION DISCUSSION SECTION 1 SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION SUGGESTIONS FOR Helpful general questions: SMALL GROUPS How did you respond to tonight’s talk? What did you feel about tonight’s talk? The aim of this manual is to provide you with practical tips and suggestions to What did you think about tonight’s talk? help you host your Alpha small group effectively. Obviously, the discussion Did anything that was said tonight questions will not be necessary if the particularly speak to you or surprise you? conversation arises naturally. You will probably only use one per topic, and What issues were raised for you by hope to let things flow from there. tonight’s talk? The questions are intended to be as Is this a new subject for anyone? open and non-threatening as possible. These are only suggestions, so do use Note: At the end of the course there is an Alpha any method or questions that you find celebration evening, giving people the opportunity to invite potential guests to hear the talk, ‘Is There helpful. More to Life than This?’ There is no small group If you are running Alpha as a discipleship time after the introductory talk. course or if your guests are already Talks 7, 8, 9 and 14 are given on the Alpha Christians, you can also use the weekend. optional Bible studies provided. 4 SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION SECTION 1 HOSTS AND HELPERS RUNNING ORDER PREPaRATION SUGGESTIONS • 6.15 pm*: Admin / prayer meeting for • Each job within the team is vitally all hosts and helpers: everyone important. If you are unable to do needs to be clear where their group the job you’ve been given, please let is sitting for both the mealtime and the administrator know as soon as discussion time you can • Remember, you are the hosts! Make • 6.30 pm: When admin/prayer sure newcomers feel welcomed and meeting ends, hosts and helpers go looked after to welcome their guests • When you have finished your discussion, it would be great if you could tidy your group's area • 6.30 – 7 pm: As people arrive, the administrators should allocate them • Please ensure that everyone goes to to a group, and introduce them to a the admin/prayer meeting at the runner who will show them to their start – there are important notices group and helpful reminders given each week. For the first couple of weeks, the meeting will be slightly extended • 6.30 – 7 pm: One leader should stay with the group at all times and the other helpers and leaders can show 5 SECTION 1 SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION guests where to pick up their meal. • 8.45 pm: Talk ends. Swiftly get into In practice, you may have friends who your small group for the discussion you want to chat to, but your group is time. Allocate the coffee serving to your number one priority. You can one of the helpers catch up with them another time! • 9.30 pm: As the discussion draws to a • 7 pm: Food should be served as close, suggest going on for a drink quickly as possible to avoid long queues and allow people to talk during the mealtime. Money for the Bookshop opens during the mealtime meal can be collected at the serving and small group discussion. point (with a sign, ‘Suggested Donation £4’) * Running times have been given as a guide only • 7.30 pm: Encourage guests to move their chairs if necessary in order to see the worship leader and speaker 6 SessION 1: Icebreakers WHO IS JESUS? • Name Game Explain that this is a silly game – but the PRACTICAL best way for everyone to learn each other’s names at the first session Welcome everyone to the group. To play the name game: Pass an address form around the group - Each person tries to think of an for the guests to fill in. Explain that this adjective that would describe them. form helps administratively, but it’s not It must also have the same first letter as essential if a guest is uncomfortable. their name. For example, ‘Jovial John’ or ‘Happy Helen’ - Each person says what their name is and why. For example, Jovial John is jovial because he has a hearty laugh - Each person has a go at repeating all the names of the guests preceeding them from memory 7 SECTION 1 SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION • Desert island • If you could ask God one question and Ask guests to respond to the following guarantee an answer, what would question: you ask? - If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you want to DISCUSSION take with you? 1.Before you heard the talk tonight, or, as an alternative: what was your concept of Jesus? Has it changed? If so, in what way? - If your house was on fire and you could only go back and get one thing, what 2. What aspects of the evidence would you get? presented tonight did you find convincing/not convincing? • What made you decide to do an Alpha 3. Who do you think Jesus is? course? 4. If you had a chance to meet Jesus, Start with someone who is likely to admit how would you feel and what would they are an atheist/agnostic. This gives the you say to him? rest of the group permission to say what they really think. (If you start with someone who turns out to be an enthusiastic Christian already, it may be harder for the others to feel comfortable about being honest about their lack of belief.) Write down the questions so that you can come back to them later in the course 8 SessION 2: WHY DID DISCUSSION JESUS DIE? This is often the week when the subject PRACTICAL of ‘suffering’ arises (see Searching Issues, booklet: ‘Why Does God Allow Introduce any new guests. Pass Suffering?’). around the address list. Add any new 1. What is your reaction to the names and addresses and correct any crucifixion? mistakes from the previous week. 2. Do you feel that sin is an outdated concept or is it something you can relate to? 3. How do you respond to the word ‘sin’ and the word ‘forgiveness’? 4. Would you agree that sin is addictive? What do you see as the consequences of sin, if any? 9 SECTION 1 SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION OPTIONAL BIBLE STUDY: Luke 15:11–24 4. What made him decide to go home? The parable of the prodigal son • Thinks about situation • ‘He came to his senses’ (v.17) 1. Why do you think that the son decided to leave home? 5. What does he decide to do? What was he hoping for? • Act of the will (v.18) • ‘Wild living’ (v.13) • Action (v.20) • ‘Give me’ (v.11) selfishness/sin 6. What does the picture of the father 2. What was life like in the far country? tell us about what God is like? • Wasting his life (v.13) (vv.20–24) • Began to see the need (v.14) • Severe famine (v.14) • Hunger (v.15) • Loneliness (v.15) 3. How does this compare with your experience of life? 10 SessION 3: HOW CAN DISCUSSION WE HAVE FAITH? You may find that people have PRACTICAL questions, for example, about other religions (see Searching Issues booklet: Introduce any new guests. Pass around ‘What about Other Religions?’). the address list and amend if needed. 1. What would you write on a form This is a good week to mention the where it asked your religion? Alpha weekend for the first time. Give 2. Do you associate love or fear with the dates to the guests.
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