W W W . A L P H A . O R G

P R E S S K I T ABOUT ALPHA

First developed as a short course in 1977 at (HTB) in , England, began running Alpha in 1990 and repositioned it as a course for those outside of the church after finding that many individuals wanted to explore the Christian faith. The number of people attending Alpha at HTB quickly grew to the hundreds and as a result, caught the attention of other churches seeking to find an effective tool for . This led to the first Alpha conference in 1993 where over a thousand church leaders learned about the course and how to use it in their congregation.

As interest began to grow, more conferences were organized and now Alpha runs in every part of the global church, including the , the Orthodox Church and all mainline Protestant denominations. Additionally, it has been translated into 112 different languages in over 100 countries across Europe, Asia, Africa, Central, South and North America.

Alpha USA launched in the 1990s in response to how the was using the courses as an evangelization tool for American churches. Alpha USA exists to serve and support churches in making disciples of Jesus Christ, as Christians play their part in the re- evangelization of the nations and the transformation of society. It runs in more than 8,000 churches and ministries across every major denomination and 600 prisons throughout the country. Alpha mobilizes over 50,000 volunteers and over 500,000 participants annually in the USA and more than 1.3 million globally.

Alpha Social Media Alpha USA Social Media Facebook: @alpha Facebook: @alphausa Instagram: @alphacourse Instagram: @alphausa Twitter: @alphacourse Website: alphausa.org Website: alpha.org

Media Contact: Melany Ethridge | 972-267-1111| [email protected] 2 LEADERSHIP CONVERSATIONS WITH NICKY GUMBEL PODCAST

Hosted by Nicky Gumbel, the pioneer of Alpha and Vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton in London, one of the largest churches in the UK, Leadership Conversations with Nicky Gumbel provides thought-provoking discussions with leaders from all over the world regarding faith, culture and leadership.

In each episode, Nicky interviews a leader, thinker or expert in their field, introducing a new voice in Christian leadership. Throughout these free-flowing conversations, Nicky interviews an array of global leaders, exploring the intersection of their faith story and leadership.

The vision behind the podcast is simply for Nicky to have conversations with leaders and friends from which he feels he and others have something to learn. Launched in October 2020, notable podcast guests include Craig Groeschel, Tim Keller, Christine Caine and Danielle Strickland.

Available on iTunes, Spotify and Google.

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COURSES

Alpha is the foundational ministry course of Alpha International. The three ingredients of an Alpha course are connecting, often over food, in an open, informal environment; watching a video to explore aspects of the Christian faith; and discussing life’s big questions together in a friendly, open and casual format. Typically taught through 10 sessions over the course of 11 weeks, Alpha is run in churches, bars, coffee shops and homes all around the globe as well as through online platforms. Each Alpha talk is designed to encourage debate and explore the basics of the Christian faith in a friendly, honest and informal environment. Translated into 112 different languages, millions of people across 169 countries have experienced Alpha.

The Marriage Course is a series of seven sessions, designed to help couples invest in their relationship and build a strong marriage in the environment of a date night with conversations taking place privately between each couple rather than in a group discussion. Each episode will help transform relationships by tackling the common challenges couples face and equip couples with tools and techniques to keep the spark alive and stay connected. Together with The Pre-Marriage Course, The Marriage Course acts as a bridge between the church and the local community by recognizing the need to go beyond the social, as well as physical, walls of the church to help couples with their relationships. The Marriage Course has run in over 127 countries helping over 1 million couples.

The Pre-Marriage Course is a series of five sessions to help engaged couples or those exploring the possibility of marriage, to build strong foundations for their future together. Like The Marriage Course, The Pre-Marriage Course is done in a date night environment and has an emphasis on private discussions between each couple. It was designed to help couples invest in their relationship to build a lasting marriage. Each couple in this course is given a support couple to affirm areas of strength and highlight issues the couple needs to discuss.

Alpha Youth is a nine-week series that creates a space where youth are excited to engage in conversations about faith in a simple and authentic way. Designed to help leaders establish an on-going program in their ministry, each session is designed to help youth connect on a deeper level and build a sense of community. More than 35,000 leaders have sparked conversations with youth through this course.

Alpha Catholic Context is a practical tool that parishes use to inspire Catholic renewal, answer the call to the New Evangelization and the call of Christ and His Church to "go and make disciples of all nations." The Alpha course is an effective tool for awakening faith in people who are on the fringe of the parish life, faithful Catholics and those outside the faith.

Alpha for Prisons & Reentry is for inmates who volunteer for the program and is taught by trained volunteers. It is a low-key and non-threatening approach to a values-driven lifestyle. The program runs over a period of 15 weeks and can be presented in a shorter or extended time frame as determined by the Alpha Volunteer and Chaplain. Each session includes fellowship followed by a talk on a subject central to the Christian faith. Those talks are presented through the Alpha course video series. After the talk, participants divide into pre-arranged small groups, in which they remain for the duration of the Alpha course. The groups provide participants with the opportunity to discuss the talk in an environment where each person is free to ask or say whatever they wish.

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BIOGRAPHIES

Nicky Gumbel serves as Chairman of the Alpha International Board and is Vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) in London, one of the largest Church of England churches in the United Kingdom, holding 11 Sunday services on five sites. Together with his wife Pippa, they pioneered Alpha, an introduction to the Christian faith run by all the major Christian denominations in 169 countries. They also lead and write a daily commentary on the Bible in One Year.

After attending Hill House and Eton College, Nicky studied law at Trinity College, Cambridge, from 1973-1975 (M.A. Cantab) and practiced as a barrister from 1977 to 1983. In 1983, he went to Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, to study theology (M.A. Oxon) and train for ordination in the Church of England. In 1986, Gumbel joined HTB as , and in 2005 became Vicar of HTB in succession to Bishop . Social media: Facebook: @NickyGumbel In 1990, Gumbel took over the running of HTB’s Alpha Course Twitter: @NickyGumbel from fellow curate Nicky Lee. While it was originally developed as a short course at HTB London, Gumbel found Instagram:@NickyGumbel that many people outside of the church wanted to explore the Christian faith.

Alpha held its first conference for church leaders at HTB in 1993 with 1,000 in attendance. The course then began to spread all over the UK in churches of every denomination. Today, millions of people have tried Alpha, now running in every part of the global church, including the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church and all mainline Protestant denominations. In addition to Alpha, The Marriage Courses and St Paul’s Theological Centre are now running, creating a wide diversity of Christian work from HTB.

Gumbel has written several best-selling books including Questions of Life, The Jesus Lifestyle, Searching Issues and A Life Worth Living. He is the author of the free Bible reading app Bible in One Year and host of the Leadership Conversations with Nicky Gumbel podcast. In December 2007, Gumbel received an Honorary Doctorate for his contribution to church life from the University of Gloucester.

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BIOGRAPHIES

Craig Springer is the Executive Director of Alpha USA, an evangelism program that runs in more than 8,000 churches and ministries across every major denomination and 600 prisons throughout the country. Springer is the author of How to Follow Jesus: A Practical Guide for Growing Your Faith (Zondervan, 2020) and How to Revive Evangelism: 7 Vital Shifts in How We Share Our Faith (Zondervan, 2021).

Springer has a deep passion for the local church and prior to Alpha, he pastored at influential churches in the Chicago and Denver area. One church he led was named Outreach Magazine’s 2014 Fastest-Growing Church in America. He and his wife Sarah also spent many years church planting in Social media: Prague, Czech Republic. As a result, he views Alpha as a vital Twitter: @CraigMSpringer tool for all churches. Springer and his wife and two children now live in Denver.

Nicky & Sila Lee developed the Marriage Course in 2005 – a series of seven sessions designed to help couples invest in their relationship and build a strong marriage. It has been life-changing for couples looking for practical support to learn to communicate more effectively and resolve differences. The Marriage Course has been translated into 46 languages and more than 7,000 separate courses have run in 127 countries. In addition, over the last 35 years, the Lees have spoken to thousands on marriage and family life, authored The Marriage Book and The Parenting Book, and created The Pre-Marriage Course. The Lees have been married for over 40 years and have four children. They are on the staff at Holy Trinity Brompton, London, England.

Social media: Twitter: @NickyandSilaLee

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BIOGRAPHIES

Shaila Visser is the National Director of Alpha Canada, Global Senior Vice-President for Alpha International, and Executive Producer of both The Alpha Youth Film Series (2013) and The Alpha Film Series (2016). She also currently holds positions on the Board of the Damascus Road Foundation and the Board of Regent College – an international Graduate School in Vancouver. Before her work with Alpha, Visser served on staff with Power to Change in Canada. She has been studying evangelism and evangelistic responses in non-profits and the church. Visser has a heart for people coming to know Jesus and helping the local church flourish. A gifted communicator and known for her ability to bring people together, she is recognized as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Christian Women in Canada. Visser lives in Vancouver, BC, with her Social media: husband Ryan and two four-legged family members, Talon Twitter: @ShailaVisser and Benny.

Ben Woodman hosts the Alpha Youth Series and leads Alpha Youth globally. He and his wife Melissa live in Vancouver, where, after 10 years as a youth pastor and speaker, he joined the team at Alpha Canada to create and cohost the Alpha Youth Series. Woodman currently devotes his time to speaking, coaching youth workers, and creating content to make faith come alive in a fresh way.

Social media: Twitter: @BenWoodman Instagram: @BenWoodman

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BIOGRAPHIES

Jason Ballard is the executive producer and co-host of the Alpha Youth Series. He is a pastor at a new church in Vancouver called the Way Church. As part of the team at Alpha and the Canadian Church Leaders Network, Ballard helps create resources to serve the church in Canada and internationally. Those looking to hear more information from Ballard can listen to him on his weekly podcast, the Canadian Church Leaders Podcast, which shares honest conversations to encourage the everyday church leader. Ballard previously served as a pastor at Christian Life Assembly in Langley, BC. He and his wife Rachael reside in Vancouver and have three kids - Hudson, Mary and Millie.

Social media: Twitter: @JasonABallard

Jordan Biere was a local youth pastor for 10 years before joining Alpha USA in 2019 as the National Youth Director. Alpha runs in more than 6,000 churches across every major denomination and in over 3,000 youth ministries throughout the country. Biere is passionate about seeing Gen Z walk in the fullness of life and seeing youth leverage their unique gifts as a generation to bring about a beautiful expression of heaven on earth. He and his wife Amy have four kids and currently live in Holland, Michigan.

Social media: Instagram: @JordanBiere

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