Alpha India Quarterly Newsletter April - June'15

Worship has always been on God’s heart. Hence, learning to worship together as teams in Churches is at the very core of the Worship Central Course

Vision Casting Meetings at various prime cities such as Belgaum, Rajkot, Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Kolkata threw light on how Alpha works and on how it serves to be a proven tool for evangelism and church growth. The outcome of these Meetings are very encouraging as several Alpha trainings and courses are lined up for the ensuing months.

Contd...Pg 4

Vision Casting & Leaders Training:Meetings held at prime cities of the Nation for inluential leaders in an attempt to share Alpha India’s vision of evangelization of the Nation and tranformation of the Society Page 4-5

Alpha across the Nation:Women from various walks of life reached with Alpha as an empowering tool to bring hope and meaning in their lives

Page 6-7

Alpha reaching out :Churches, colleges, schools, workplaces and other Institutions blessed through Alpha

Page 8-9

Worship Central India:Worship teams, leaders and pastors come together in different cities to pray and worship as a part of Worship Central’s initiative Page 10

Alpha & Post-Alpha courses catch on :Spiritual Impact & growth

Page 11

alpha india newsFOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION ONLY | transformation of our society through evangelisation of our nation | ALPHAINDIA.ORG

THE QUARTERLY NEWSPAPER OF ALPHA INDIAVOLUME 5, ISSUE 2 | APRIL - JUNE 2015

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vision casting leaders meeting Contd...Pg 10

ALPHA INDIA NEWSAPRIL - JUNE 2015

© Alpha India 2015, edited and published by J.V. Raj for Alpha India

new alpha employees

enDoRsemenTs

Thomson GAssociate Regional

CoordinatorNorth Karnataka

Ps. Nabin RaiI am from Shillong and I pastor Sion Anugraha Mandali. I first attended an Alpha and it gave me a whole new perspective of God and my life. I decided to run it in my Church with 20 guests. My Church has grown and now there are 85 members who have joined the Church and including children we are a congregation of 100. I can testify that Alpha helps in one’s spiritual growth and thereby helps in the growth of the church. I am planning to begin the next Alpha during April.

Ps. tojom KoyuI am from Itanagar and I lead a group of churches called Grace Covenant Church in Assam and Arunachal. I was introduced to Alpha several years ago and I got trained as a master trainer. I am blessed because of Alpha and my co-leaders are blessed too. There is a big demand for Alpha in Arunachal and we, the pastoral committee are planning to train our leaders on running Alpha in all our churches.

Caleb ellisAssociate Regional

Coordinator Youth - Mumbai

marky JAssociate Regional

Coordinator Youth - Chennai

alpha india details:national Director: Mr. J. VaradarajBoard members:Chris Sadler, Chairman of Alpha Asia-Pacific Scott Norling, Chairman of Alpha IndiaJ. Varadaraj, National Director of Alpha IndiaRajeev Menon, Private Equity ConsultantJaccob Thomas, Chief Executive Officer of MPCAMatthew Antony, Secretary for Evangelisation, Archdiocese of Delhichurch advisory Board:archbishop (emeritus) vincent concessaorev. Dr. D. mohan, Superintendant of AOG India

alpha india regional offices:north West region & uP: Rupak K. NayakEmail : [email protected] : +91 93189 02997West region, ahmedabad: Jimmy HarshkantEmail : [email protected] : +91 98254-44197east region, Kolkata: Prabir MandalEmail : [email protected] : +91 96744-61951north east region, shillong: P.O Ryn Jah, Shillong - 793006Ph : +91 90851-57153

national coordinators:relationship central: Philip N David Mob : +91 98844-36364 Worship central: Balajied N SyiemMob : +91 87942-98633

regional coordinators:north West regionuttrakhand: Inosh KaradMob: +91 98976-44709relationship centralVikram Satyarahi, Mob: +91 98763-70480regional Development manager (Delhi & ncr)Ashish Mishra, Mob : +91 98995 92929

north east region:Guwahati: Rev. Ninghor K ShimrayMob: +91 90851-57153Shillong: Ps. Subhas LyngdohMob: +91 97740-59873

Western region:udaipur: Kamlesh ParmarMob: +91 99830-03637Jaipur: Johnson JamesMob: +91 98290-77374ahmedabad: Arpit RathodMob: +91 98794-75765youth-alpha & Worship centralmumbai : Caleb EllisMob: +91 98209-72519

eastern region:Kolkata: Dilip Debnath Mob: 098742-07760Priya Ranjan BagMob : +91 80172-88279alpha in the Workplace, Atmanand Singh, Mob: +91 90515-12161Bihar: George Muller Mob: +91 94310-16124odisha: Tushar K BeheraMob: +91 93371-41600

south region:telangana: Susheel K Chattar Mob: +91 98660-99184 andhra Pradesh: Nanthaniel R KodavatikantiMob: +91 99088-22365Karnataka: Thomson GMob : +91 93424-41399tamil nadu: John RajanMob : +91 98434-95572chennai : Samuel SundarMob : +91 93808-06974Alpha-YouthMarky JMob : +91 98414-08286nepal Kathmandu: Rupa PradhanMob: 00977 98020 68920


Around this date some eight years ago, it was in a hotel in Delhi that Rev. Dr. Nicky Gumbel, his dear wife Pippa, Miss Tricia Neill and many other leaders of the Global Alpha Team sat around me for breakfast and I was challenged to give leadership to the work of Alpha India. Apparently, Rev. Scott Norling was behind this engagement. What challenged me at that moment was an immense need for our country to know Jesus and a step-by-step understanding of the Gospel that Alpha offered systematically in a local setting. After prayer I called a couple of my very old friends and said yes to the invitation. The Board of Alpha India met immediately and inducted me into the office of National Director & Chief Executive Officer of Alpha India. It was all over in a few quick minutes.

Eight years down the line, much water has flown, so much has happened. A National Office was established in Bangalore. A team of staff was identified. Alpha was introduced to churches, and leaders were trained. Now, 2,09,555 leaders were trained and more than 22,000 courses (till 2013) were run. Last year alone, 16,532 courses started. We do not have the exact number of people that have responded to the Gospel but large numbers have attended the course and every course has been a blessing to the local communities.

This newsletter, which started in English with 4 pages, has now 12 pages and we also have this in Hindi. Plans are underway, as demands have come, for Gujarati and Tamil.

We have hired staff and currently have 51. We have Regional Offices to strengthen the work. Some years ago we decided to reach cities in the country and made a few cities our particular focus. It is heartening to see that this plan was from God and we have had breakthroughs in all these cities that we planned specific goals for. We are grateful for the favour of God and the favour of Church Leadership in its broad spectrum, from Roman Catholics to Pentecostals.

Alpha is an investment in the local church. We trained leaders of the local church and the course is run by them. We have won many friends across the country who share the same vision to proclaim the Gospel in a meaningful way. So much has been accomplished and there is so much more that needs to be done. Looking at what has happened encourages me to know in my spirit that all things are possible with God.

I am grateful to you, countless number of leaders who have brought both context and content to life and ministry. I am also grateful to the faithful staff in the field, at the office, the global Alpha community in London, Asia-Pacific region and elsewhere who supported and stood with us. You all will always be very precious to me.

As I demit office, I have only so much to be thankful. We will appreciate your prayers for our family—my beloved wife, a faithful prayer partner, has gone to be with the Lord and our son is preparing to write the civil services exam in India. I cannot but share my feeling that so much needs to be done in the changing circumstances. The Gospel of Jesus Christ remains the only true hope for our country.

The next edition of this newsletter will welcome the new leader of Alpha India.

Adios Amigos—farewell friends.

The Lord’s blessings on you all,

J V Raj

From the desk of the National Director

Farewell - Fare WellThank you for bringing both context and

content to life and ministry

ALPHA VISION CASTING & LEADERS MEETING

BelgaUm-thomson G

Over a 100 Pastors and Church Leaders participated on the 24th of March at Belgaum, Karnataka for an Alpha Vision Casting Meeting. During the first session Mr. Abraham Vinay introduced Alpha and highlighted the importance of Alpha working in different contexts. He motivated the pastors and leaders to train the leaders and run Alpha to see growth in their Churches.

Mr. Varadaraj, our National Director then spoke on practical evangelism with his own personal experiences and challenged the pastors not to stop evangelising and to fervently continue the work of the Lord. At the end of his session Mr. Varadaraj prayed for the pastors and leaders while they prayed for each other.

Ps. Cherian (New Life Fellowship) Belgaum said “I feel a new sense of purpose towards Evangelism through Alpha” and Sis. Veena Manohar said “Alpha is a great tool to reach out to lost souls”. As an outcome 40 trainings are registered and great openings for Alpha emerged in the City of Belgaum.

rajkot- Jimmy Harshkanth

On the 7th of March a vision casting meet for the pastors and leaders of Saurashtra region of Gujarat was organized. Alpha is the first organization to bring them all at one place under one banner. 42 pastors and leaders were present at The Hotel Silver Palace, Rajkot. The leaders were from CNI, The Salvation Army, Methodist, A.G, Pentecostals and other Independent churches.

Mr. Francis shared from the Word of God and also introduced Alpha and Mr. Jimmy Harshkant shared on the work of Alpha both globally and nationally with specific stories from Gujarat. Mrs. Mary shared her experience on attending the Alpha Women Leaders’ conference. Master trainers Mr. Rajesh and Mr. Julius were of great support and will be doing follow up along with me and Rev. Uday. Request for trainings have poured in for the months of April and May and we are expecting 30 Alpha’s from this region.

vadodara- Jimmy Harshkanth

Vision Casting Meet was held on the 24th of February, in the city of Vadodara. It was an ecumenical meet as pastors, leaders and heads of different denominations came together. About 58 of them from denominations like Methodist, Church of North India, The Salvation Army, A. G Church, The Indian Pentecostal Church, New Life and other independent Churches like Alpha Church, Shalom Prayer fellowship, Rehobooth Church, Church of God and others were present.

This is for the first time a meet like this was organized in the city. National Director Mr. Varadaraj addressed the meet and shared the Word. Mr. Rajesh shared on Alpha’s vision, mission and its benefit to the churches and also the different contexts in which Alpha works.

vision casting meetings at various prime cities such as Belgaum, rajkot, ahmedabad, vadodara and kolkata threw light on how alpha works and on how it serves to be a proven tool for evangelism and church growth. the outcome of these meetings are very encouraging as several alpha trainings and courses are lined up for the ensuing months.


Alpha FAQs

master trainers trainingOn 20th and 21st January, Alpha Master Trainers Training was organized at Eternal Life Church (Ambala). 35 master trainers along with new staff participated in this. In this our guest Ps. Sukant from Good News Church (Delhi), encouraged and witnessed on how Alpha has helped their church.

- Rupak K Nayak

1. How do i run alpha?

Prayer is vital to the planning, preparation and effectiveness of Alpha. Find a group of people who will pray for every aspect of your Alpha course.

step 1 - pray step 2 - participate step 3 - plan your Alpha step 4 - prepare your team step 5 - procure your resources step 6 - persevere step 7 - pass on the vision

2. How do i run alpha outside my church?

Using the same Alpha content and structure, you can run an Alpha at schools, colleges, workplaces, prisons, hospitals, homeless shelters, army bases, slums, among eunuchs and in red light districts.

3. What resources and training opportunities are available to me?

• Access to Alpha’s national training conferences and local training events

• Access to a full array of products through the Alpha India website to promote, run and augment Alpha

• Access to a network of Alpha coordinators and Alpha advisors

4. How do i contact alpha india?

Your first point of contact is:

• Your local State Coordinator, then

• The Regional Office and finally

• The Alpha India National Office They can all help you locate a training

event happening near you.

Please find contact details on Page 2.

aHmedaBad

- Jimmy Harshkanth

On the 23rd of February Alpha hosted a Vision Casting Meet with CNI Bishop and pastors. The Bishop, the Secretary and the Area deans of Gujarat CNI diocese, Pastors of Ahmedabad CNI Churches and a few Departmental Directors were present. 25 pastors and leaders including the Bishop of CNI Gujarat Diocese were present. The Meet began with worship, followed by a challenging message by the National Director, Mr. Varadaraj, followed by an introduction to Alpha and its use in different contexts by Mr. Rajesh, COO of Alpha India.

kolkata -Prabir mondal

Vision Casting Meeting was held in the city of Kolkata on the 18th of March. National Director Mr. Varadaraj addressed the leaders and shared the vision of Alpha and its nationwide growth. 34 renowned leaders from the city joined us for the evening meet held at Baptist Mission Society. Many influential leaders including Bishop Brojen Malakar from Barrackpore Diocese were present. An immediate outcome of this meeting is an Intro at Assembly of God Church on 1st of April and a one day training at Nava Jivan Assembly on the 24th April. I am expecting that many more doors will open in Kolkata in the near future.

leaders trained- Ashish mishra

A Leaders Training was conducted at Grace Abundant Life Fellowship for leaders from churches in West Delhi. The training was attended by more than 50 leaders who were challenged to reach out and share the Gospel through friendship based evangelism. Games and group discussions were participated by everyone enthusiastically. The participants found Alpha to be an effective tool for Church growth and evangelism.

more trained- Ashish mishra

Alpha Leaders Training, conducted at Novinta, was attended by leaders from Delhi and other cities. The leaders were introduced to Alpha and its important elements. The team-work involved in bringing new people to the Church through Alpha proves it to be an effective tool for Church growth. Ps Satish Chetri, Sr. Pastor of Delhi Nepali Fellowship encouraged the leaders to use Alpha in their Churches and ministry.

meet at gUrgaon- Ashish mishra

Leaders training was conducted at Calvary Chapel Fellowship, Gurgaon. The participants were encouraged to use Alpha for friendship based evangelism for seekers. Sessions were full of humor, illustrations and insights. Leaders enthusiastically participated in the Group Discussion and found it to be an effective ingredient in Alpha as it allows people to ask questions and share their opinions without feeling threatened.


6

ACROSS THE NATION

Gail thomas, shillongAlpha turned out to be an enriching experience for me. I got to know and focus on different facets of the God I love, met wonderful women who have now become very dear friends and

even had a couple of my prayers answered. A couple of weeks after we listened to the talk on

“Why Did Jesus Die?”, we did an outreach visit to a nearby rehabilitation centre and we happened to meet a curious patient asking everyone in the room,” Why did Jesus die?”. We now had an opportunity to share with her what we learnt on Alpha and told her that Jesus died because He loved her. Her face instantly lit up. With a broad smile and yet in disbelief she asked, “He loves me? He died because He loves me? So if I pray, will He hear me?” We assured her that He would and prayed with her for a while. She left still smiling. We started an Alpha at the All Saints Cathedral on the 1st of February and I am extremely excited to see how this is going to bless many.

Geraldine Bang, shillong Joining Alpha was a life changing experience for me. I am a Christian but Alpha brought me close to God. Before attending Alpha, I was searching for something that would give me

a sense of knowing God and myself. I was praying for a life changing experience when a

friend of mine introduced me to Alpha. Initially I was hesitant but after the first session I couldn’t stop myself from attending. It was the best decision I had ever made.

ALPHA AMONG WOMEN

- loreni syiem Having run Alpha several times with different groups in various settings I have always had a strong desire to run Alpha

amongst women specifically. In Alpha we find a safe place to share our doubts, fears, questions as well as a warm environment to learn, laugh and share our life stories. Here we discuss issues that concern our life, to be valued for what we

have to say and who we are. We women are good at bringing other women down or easily pass comments; we compare ourselves quickly with who we think are better, we doubt and judge ourselves, we worry about our past and fear about our future. With all of our insecurities we come to a place of belonging. In Alpha we listen to each other, encourage and build each other up. Here everyone’s journey is a story worth listening to.

In September 2014, we invited few of our friends and started Alpha among them. As the guests got familiar to the setting they started to take up leadership and helped with the talks, small group discussion and food. In February, I met with Gail who was part of Alpha last year and Yassmi who was keen on attending. They shared the same excitement to have a second run of Alpha amongst women. We have begun our 2nd Alpha at home Alpha amongst women from different walks of life-working women, housewives and university students.

Janai, shillongAlpha has been nothing short of refreshing. It gives one the opportunity to clarify doubts and ask questions. What I loved most on Alpha was Session 2 -“Why did Jesus die?” When I ask

people this question, the standard answer is because of our sins. But I was so glad to learn on

Alpha that sin is a secondary reason. The primary reason for Jesus’ act was love. This changed my whole outlook on life. From feeling like such a wreck to feeling loved and worthy; loved to such an extent that He would give His life for me. Now how much more real can it get. In a few more words, Alpha is truly life transforming.

Kim, shillongI once again experienced the awesome life in Christ, which I had been missing for some time now. I like Alpha because I could share my thoughts and interact with others. It was

simple and I felt spiritually refreshed. All of the sessions were equally important but sessions 4

and 5-“Why and How do I pray” and “Why and How do I read the Bible” made me realise that life without reading the Bible and prayer is incomplete and meaningless. I also realized that all the sessions were connected to one another. And I made some amazing friendships on Alpha.

Nursing School at Philadelphia Hospital in Ambala (Haryana) opened up for training on how to run Alpha for their final year students. 44 nurses attended their first Alpha run at the college campus, 33 of them were students from other faiths. The nursing college authorities expressed their interest to run Alpha for all the nursing students. The

First batch of Alpha comprising of 44 nurses at Ambala nursing college graduated on the 14th of March.

shakuntala c. samantaI am working in Philadelphia School of Nursing (Ambala) as a tutor. I coordinated Alpha for the students in our college. We began with 44 student guests who were very excited to come on Alpha. Alpha is an easy tool which helps us to understand God and His work, and to discern God’s will in our lives. I know that God through Alpha has changed our lives forever.

- Rupak K Nayak

Alpha for special people infected with HIV - Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Alpha began at a Home in West Tambaram, Chennai, in February among HIV infected women. The group of five looked forward to the Holy Spirit weekend as it was an opportunity for them to travel outdoors and have some fun. The sessions were held at a Church close to the beach hosted by Ps. Ramesh, a Master Trainer for Alpha India. During the last session the group was on their knees praying to be filled by the Holy Spirit. Tears were rolling down their eyes and it was a transforming moment for all of them.

Some shared that they felt the touch of the Lord and some on how relieved they felt in their spirit. The day’s experience had made a huge impact on their lives. Their yearning now is to go on and

ACROSS THE NATIONNURSING COLLEGE RUNS ALPHA

share about this difference with others who are in a similar plight. Our special thanks to the couple running the Home without whose support none of this would have been possible.

- Samuel Sundar

Alpha in an NGO - Kolkata

Connextions in Kolkata is an NGO working among women, training them on skills like sewing, handmade cards, handmade blankets and bags; helping these women who come from nearby slums with broken hearts and bitter experiences. Around 60 women came on Alpha. The management believes that Alpha will bring healing to their broken lives and give hope and purpose to them. After coming on Alpha these women are brimming with joy and peace.

- Priya Ranjan Bag

more stories contd... on Pg 11

reacHing oUt rancHi

105 trained on alpha - George muller

A training at Mashal Chetna Hall - Patna was organized by Bihar Masihi Mandali under the leadership of Rev. Dr. S. D. Ponraj on 4th February where 105 trainees from districts like Aurangabad, Gaya, Jehanabad, Rohtas, Nalanda, Kaimur, Buxar, Bhojpur, Patna and Uttar Pradesh-Gajipur and Chandualli districts were trained. The trainees were excited as it was one of a kind training and it resulted in commencement of 15 Alpha’s. Resources were provided to those who registered. About 400 delegates will go through the training in the near future.

equipped for the harvest- Rupak K Nayak

Assembly of God Church-Kantatoil, Ranchi was trained on the 12th and 13th of January, organized by Rev. John Toppo and his church management committee. 118 delegates from different districts of Jharkhand-Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Bokaro, Gumla, Dhandbad, Lohardaga, Khunti and Latehar participated. Ps. John delivered God’s Word and the talks were given by George Muller and Dilip Debnath (Kolkata) and motivational thoughts were given by Prabir Mandal from Kolkata. The pastor of the Church shared that Alpha is being run every Wednesday at the Church premises for the last two years. I happened to meet Braj Kishor Mahto who received Jesus on Alpha who now participated as a trainee and he has decided to run Alpha. We heard many such testimonies!

Training on how to run Alpha was conducted at the Himalayan Bible College and Seminary Palampur (Kangra), Himachal Pradesh, for two days. 42 delegates comprising of final year students were equipped to undertake Alpha as a tool of discipleship and evangelism in their respective mission fields after they graduate.

alpha at st. mark’s school campus- samuel sundar

The Principal of St. Mark’s School in East Tambaram, South Chennai invited us to run Alpha for their High School students. Ps. Jacob Simon encouraged them to run Alpha to impart God’s Word in a systematic way. We received a feedback saying “Alpha is learning about God in a very informal way which the children will love and explore in their right age”. The Principal suggested that Alpha should be run for the staff of the school too.

maranatha church trained on alpha- John RajanOne of the largest churches at Amba Samudhram, Tirunelveli with about 2000 families worshipping is Maranatha Church

pastored by Pon Pandiyan. The Church hosted a training on how to run Alpha on 15th of March for 40 of its leaders. The pastor was very impressed with the sessions and is very excited about running Alpha in his church and in their home groups. 25 Alphas have begun as a result of the training. The Pastor believes that Alpha is very much needed and essential for the new believers and for seekers to come to Christ.

god at Work in gurgaon - Ashish mishra

The ‘God at Work’ training was run successfully at the House of Prayer Fellowship in Gurgaon, Haryana. The training was attended by various professionals including those working with MNCs, IT & ITES companies, aviation industry and schools. The participants were encouraged to apply Biblical principles in realizing and fulfilling their call at the workplace. The issues faced by working professionals in maintaining work life balance, handling stress and money, coping with failure and disappointment and many more were addressed. Resource persons Mr. Akash Roy chowdhury and Mrs. Leena Kapoor gave the Talks and shared valuable insights and illustrations . Participants were challenged to witness to their colleagues to share God’s love at the workplace.

- George Muller


YOUTH LEADERS TRAINED - NADIAD

Ps. Ramkhaning tungshang

I watched the marriage course DVD in the year 2009 and what an impact it had on my life! My wife and I were immensely blessed. Very soon we felt the urge to bless others we knew and so we started the ‘Marriage Course’ using the DVD right there in our residence. Five couples attended this first course and were blessed.

MARRIAGE VOWS RENEWED ON THE MARRIAGE COURSE

A Two day training on Alpha was done exclusively for Youth Leaders in the city of Nadiad on 5th and 6th of March. 85 delegates from different denominations like CNI, Methodist, Alliance, The Salvation Army, A. G. Church, Pentecostals and Independent Churches like The Alpha Church, Hebron Mission participated. The delegates hailed from Rajkot, Amreli, Anand, Nadiad, Vadodara, Sabarkantha, Ahmedabad and Surendranagar districts.

Ps. Ramkhaning Tungshang is pastor of Dwaraka Community Church, Delhi. Having been blessed as a couple, through the ‘Marriage Course DVD’ he conducted two courses in his residence. Seeing the way this course blessed these couples he went on to start these courses in his church. Most recently the church was blessed with three Marriage Courses. Seen in the picture are couples who renewed their vows after the completion of the Marriage Course.

UNQUOTE

Three Marriage Courses were conducted by Dwarka Community Church. The couples who participated in the course were blessed richly. “The course ended with renewing our vows for each other.” Said Ps. Khaning.

The Talks were given by Mr. Francis, Mr. Caleb conducted games and ice breakers and also helped in Small Group discussion. Mr. Johnson and Mr. Kamlesh gave talks and Mr. Silvester coordinated the event. Devotions were led by Ps. Hiren Rana and worship was led by the Youth Club from Ahmedabad and Ps. Jasvant Dodia and Mr. Prasant Roy translated the sessions. 80 courses were registered and regional trainings for the churches will take place in the upcoming months.

ark victory church - samuel sundar

On 22nd February, I got the opportunity to share about the Alpha for Youth in Ark Victory Church, Tambaram in their English Service and in Go4Word Youth Service (exclusively for University Students in South Chennai). I shared about Alpha happening in Chennai and also in the Tamil Church of Ark Victory Church. Mr. Marky shared about the Youth Film Series and challenged the gathering to begin Alpha during the English Service where 80% of the congregation are youths.

Most of the Youths in Go4word service, committed to sharing the Gospel through Alpha For Youth Film Series.

Again in 2010, we ran The Marriage Course for couples in our residence and this time seven couples attended. There was much transformation in every couple. In the second batch we had two couples from other faiths. Both courses were the church’s initiative and towards the end of last year we once again launched the course.

Food plays a significant role in these meetings. It is a time of fellowship and relaxation for the couples and it becomes like a ‘date-night’ for them. We ran the course in three locations; and a total of 24 couples attended.

Excitement kept building up towards the last session and so we booked a hotel and asked the couples to come in their wedding dresses. What a blessed time it was! As we completed the 7th lesson, it was time to exchange wedding vows. For some it was like a repeat of their wedding service itself. A memory that was re-lived; an experience that would be remembered for the rest of their lives.

This is a wonderful model not only for the couples within the church but also for those in the community. We had a few couples from other faiths who were just as blessed as the rest. ‘Marriage Course can be done at homes which gives room for people of any faith to join in. In the days ahead, we are looking at training ‘younger couples’ to lead these courses and as the leadership team within the Church, we plan to support them.


coming together as worshippers

As a part of Worship Central’s “100 Gatherings” in 100 locations in 10 days between 24th January - 2nd February, Worship Central India organized a time of worship and prayer bringing together worship teams, leaders and pastors in Delhi, Udaipur, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Naxalbari, Shillong, Dimapur, Bangalore and Mumbai.

The vision behind these events was to come together as worshippers and spend time in worship and praying for our church leaders, worship leaders, for our cities and towns, and also to ask God to refresh us as we lead worship in our local Churches. We also prayed for similar gatherings happening in other cities of the globe. Tim Hughes, Director of Worship Central shared the vision through a short video message encouraging us to seek God’s presence above all. We will continue to meet, worship and pray together as worship leaders, team members, and worshippers.

Wcc in kathmandu

With the Church in Nepal growing there was a need to set the foundation for worship and

worship teams in this Himalayan Kingdom. The training took place on the 17th of February at Siloam Bansbari Church, Kathmandu.

There was excitement in the air as young people started coming in and filling up the church hall. Sr. Ps. Rev. Jagat Pradhan welcomed the gathering. The “Impact Band” from Kathmandu City Church led in an impactful time of worship. There was singing and dancing all across the hall.

The training began with an introduction followed by the course structure and sessions, explaining in brief to draw attention to the theological and practical aspects of worship. Later we had a demo session with the talk - “Encounter God” followed by discussion.

The training ended with worship led by an all-girls worship team and the Impact band. It was truly remarkable to see local leaders leading local churches in a gathering that had 180 worship leaders from as many as 45 different churches; come together to celebrate, learn and worship together.

Wcc on University campus

Northeastern Hill University, Shillong is home to students from all across the region who come for their postgraduate studies and research work. Within the campus are numerous student bodies and fellowships providing a spiritual atmosphere in this beautiful pine tree filled campus.

In 2014, a group of students led by Mang and Yassmi attended the Worship Central Course training and started the course with a handful of participants in the campus. From this first run of the course a few of them caught the heart and vision of the course and they are leading the course this year.

On 8th March 2015, we had a launch and introduction evening at the University. Soyim, Lydia and Kevi pursuing their postgraduate studies in the university are coordinating the campus course. About 45 students attended and worship was led by the Worship Central team. A short introduction to the course was given to enable the students to understand the purpose and objective in running the course. With 30 registered to attend the 7 sessions course, it does seem like the university students are very eager to learn about worship even as they pursue their academic studies.

Following are short testimonies from course leaders at the university:

Wkeviphruonuo Kuotsuo, MSc Botany (Worship Leader, EU)

After attending the Worship Central Course every time I lead worship I remember to apply the lessons from the course starting from choosing songs, times of personal worship and while I lead worship. Worshipping and leading others in worship has

become much more meaningful now.

soyim longkumer,MA Economics (Worship Leader, EU)

I realized that worship is the priority of my life as a believer. I no longer confine my worship to church or a religious gathering. I have learned to discover real joy and meaning of worship wherever I am.

lydia Yeptho, MSc Botany

Worship Central course gave me a whole new perspective about worshipping our God. It helped me change my position from being a vague worshipper to a worshipper truly seeking God. Today I celebrate and spend time in His presence, quietly

enjoying His fellowship and worshipping Him with all of me.

WORSHIP AND PRAYER GATHERINGS IN 10 CITIES

dimapur christian Fellowship runs alpha, Youth, marriage, Pre-marriage & Worship central courses

A friend in Singapore introduced me to Alpha. After attending an Alpha Conference I started running Alpha in 2009. Alpha’s resource material has been a great blessing to our Church and many young people in the Church came to know the Lord through the Alpha and are actively involved in our Church now.

Recently I ran the brand new Youth Alpha Film series with a group of teenagers and one of them received Jesus in her heart.

We have also run Marriage Preparation Course and The Marriage Course with several couples and they are greatly blessed. One of the couples who was on the verge of divorce are now back together.

We are preparing to run The Marriage Course for all the couples in our Church this April. We are also praying about running the Parenting Course in the latter part of this year. The worship team also had an introduction to Worship Central Course and the team learned much from it. We are planning to schedule running the Worship Central Course in the coming months.

Please pray that God will help us run these courses well. We are so grateful to God for all these resources from Alpha. May God bless and continue to use this ministry for the furtherance of God’s Kingdom.

- Pastor Razo Vasa

- Jied Syiem


PraYFor

alPHa india

alpha at jabez Fellowship - Priya Ranjan

Jabez Fellowship is one of the main resource churches at the heart of the city of Kolkata They run Alpha in different contexts. Their regular Alpha is on Sunday in the afternoons after the Church service with lunch. They also run Alpha in two other locations simultaneously.

Alpha is now made a mandate for those willing to become a member of the Church and for the those willing to get baptized. Alpha is also run among the women folk of the church hosting over 30 guests.

“a life Worth living” course at amritsar- Rupak K Nayak

The closing ceremony of “A Life Worth Living” course was held on 25th February at Christ Church, Rambaag, Amritsar. Rev. Vijay Kumar started it and they run Alpha every Wednesday. 40 guests are attending it and they have plans to start their next Alpha.

Alpha in slums run by Nonadangha Christian Fellowship Nonadangha Christian Fellowship runs Alpha among the youths who reside in slums. The Alpha leader is a young lawyer who has a passion for preaching the Gospel and he decided to gather few students who reside in the slums in his neighbourhood. He opened up his home to run Alpha and is giving them an opportunity to explore the meaning of life.

“a life Worth living” course at living god church - dwarka - Ashish mishra

The participants of ‘A Life Worth Living’ course were greatly blessed by learning how to maintain joy and peace in their Christian life through the Word. This course is based on Paul’s letter to the Philippians. The principles outlined are essential for every Christian to live their Christian life effeciently. The group discussions were full of enthusiastic participants who raised the struggles of their every day life and saw how they can be victorious through God. The guest Speaker, Mrs. Leena Kapoor said, “It was an amazing experience to dwell on the Word of God in the context of the topics and wait on Him to enlighten my heart and mind so that I could pass on the messages that He had burned in my heart to the participants.”

On 17th February I had the privilege of meeting Mrs. Rita Banerjee, Headmistress of Emmanuel School (Jn.Sec) to give an introduction on Alpha. She is now interested in running Alpha for students from class 8th to the 11th in the upcoming academic year. The staff will be trained in the near future on how to run Alpha for students.

- Priya Ranjan Bag

alpha introduced at emmanuel school


pRaise GoD FoR:

- Praise God for enabling us to complete the 1st quarter efficiently

- Praise God for wonderful ways in which He is using Alpha in India

- Praise God for the uplifting stories encouraging testimonies we hear across the nation of guests who come on Alpha

pRay FoR:

- Pray for God’s continuous guidance and favour on the work of Alpha in India and around the globe

- Pray for all the guests, hosts, helpers, and the churches running Alpha and other courses

- Pray that God will enable us to identify candidates to take on the work of Alpha across the nation

- Pray for God’s protection on Alpha staff as they work in their respective fields

- Pray for new partnerships and opportunities to emerge for Alpha India

VenueMidway Convention CenterR B Clifford Memorial Convention CenterLucknow-Kanpur Highway, Nawabganj, Unnao, UP

Contact personsMrs Elvyn Gonsalves

Mob : +91 98198 71220 [email protected]

Mrs Shanti Khathing Mob : +91 94355 44895 [email protected]

11 - 14 November 2015, Lucknow

Alpha India Quarterly Newsletter April - June'15

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