ALPHA ALPHA
Our parish will be sponsoring the ALPHA Program over 10 weeks, beginning on Tuesday, September 9 th at 6:30 PM in the Parish's Cafeteria. We start with a meal at 6:30 and followed by a presentation.
What is Alpha?
The Alpha Course
A practical introduction to the Christian Faith
The Alpha Course is a fifteen session, ten week practical introduction to the
Christian faith.
.Have you asked yourself questions like:
What is the point of life?
What happens when we die?
What relevance does Jesus have for our lives today?
How do we deal with guilt?
If you would like to explore any of these questions, then Alpha is for you.
Who is Alpha for?
It is designed primally for
-Those wanting to investigate Christianity.
-New Christians.
-Newcomers to the church.
- non-churchgoers
- the lapsed Catholics
but it also
-Those who want to brush-up on the basics.
-Couples of mixed faiths
-offers encouragement to church-going Catholic
-for Catholics who have not been Confirmed
This program is open to any adults, but also to High and College students
Many hundreds of Catholic parishes, schools and chaplaincies are now successfully
running the course. So there is now a Catholic Alpha office, that has also produced
a library of post Alpha Catholic teaching videos to be used in small groups
after the course is completed.
What's involved?
The evening Alpha course at Good Shepherd begins with supper at 6:30, followed
by a talk, presented on tape. We then divide into smaller groups for coffee
etc. and to discuss any questions raised from the talk. We finish by 8:30 or
9:00 PM.
The popular Program includes dinner, a 45-minute video presentation on various
foundational truths of the Christian faith, and small group discussion time.
The Sunday morning program will run fairly similarly with coffee and donuts.
What will Alpha cost?
There is no charge for the Alpha course, although there will be an opportunity
to make a contribution for the meal each evening. There will be a small charge
for the one day retreat, to cover the cost of food and building use.
When and where?
The next Alpha course at Good Shepherd is being planned now and will run each
Tuesday evening at 6:30 for 10 weeks in the cafeteria.. There is also the one
day retreat and a special Celebration Dinner. To register for this Alpha course
contact:
Fr. Dennis Schmidt
Good Shepherd
Roman Catholic Church
703 3rd Street
Hillsboro, MO 63050
E-mail: goodshepherd@Juno.com
DenSchm@Aol.com
Here at Good Shepherd, we will followed the ALPHA program with the R.C.I.A.
(Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults), for those who are interesting in continue
on to become Catholics and for those Catholic who wish to be Confirmed. .
Please call Fr. Dennis at 636-789-3356 for more information or to sign up. All are welcome.
Here are the two websites that explain about Alpha.
1). www.alpha.org.uk (the original from Brompton, England).
2). www.Christlife.org (the Catholic office that is running Alpha--this is actually local, near Clarksville). The office is at the Franciscan Friary. The people at the office are very friendly and will be willing to offer you any info. you might be interested in.