Alpha

If you want to explore the Christian faith, welcome! This is the first step of the journey in discovering the possibilities of following Jesus for yourself.

When we were planning the start of Stour Valley Vineyard we thought long and hard about what kind of church we wanted it to be.

We came to the quick conclusion that we wanted to offer those looking into the Christian faith a church experience that was easily accessible, didn’t make assumptions of people’s knowledge, didn’t criticise their lifestyle, and certainly didn’t ask them for money as soon as they stepped through the door.

We wanted them to be allowed to be themselves in a relaxed, informal and non-threatening atmosphere.

That’s why we offer Alpha and our own Life Course programmes, both introductory courses to Christianity.

You might like to know that a new Alpha Course is starting Monday 28 February. If you are interested in coming along to the next course, please contact us and we’ll be in touch.

A little about the Alpha Course

The Alpha course is designed primarily for people who aren’t churchgoers and each course is open to everyone who would like to attend.

As a course, Alpha attracts a diverse range of guests of different ages and backgrounds, holding many different viewpoints. Over 7,000 churches are currently running the Alpha course across the UK in rural and urban settings, including every major UK city.

People find out about the Alpha course in a number of ways – a recommendation from a friend, a poster, flyer, newspaper article or advert, or through the website or an internet search.

Why attend the Alpha course?

Guests do Alpha for a wide variety of reasons – some want to investigate whether God exists; others are concerned about what happens after death. Some people have particular questions that they would like to discuss; others want to understand other peoples’ beliefs or would like to explore what the purpose of life is. Many guests have never been to church, others may have attended church occasionally but feel they have never really understood the basics of the Christian faith.

Hear what a couple of others have to say about it

“I believe the Alpha Course touches lives. I have seen so many people find a personal relationship with God & a quiet strength in their life after doing the course – me included – and it takes a proud man to say he never needs any help. Alpha is a non pressured, and fun course, and it shows us how Christianity can be relevant and empowering to our lives. I’ve seen Alpha touch so many people over the years. I’ve seen it encourage people to find a very simple faith.”

Bear Grylls, TV Adventurer

“We were so suspicious that we sat in the car watching people going in to Alpha. To our astonishment they looked normal. It was great to ask questions that I’d probably carried with me for years without having to worry about sounding stupid or shocking, or about seeming not very knowledgeable or extremely naughty or any of these things.”

Jo Glen

We look forward to hearing from you.

Andrew and Emma Stewart-Darling
Pastors

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