The first evening surprised me completely. The people were from all walks of life, from different races, classes and abilities. During the first evening, there were no prayers or heavy preaching. We were just given the opportunity to listen to the talk and then discuss anything we wanted. I chose to ask some challenging and confrontational questions, but they were welcomed, and I was made to feel valued and appreciated. I enjoyed the evening so much that I couldn't wait to go back the following week...

Before I had always thought you had to do good to be a Christian, and I knew I was not good enough…But the people in Alpha…helped smash that idea…no one is better than the next.

I didn’t expect the warm welcome I received, the interesting discussions or the lack of pressure to speak in the small groups that followed. I found that I could express any doubts about Christianity, and that my opinions would be respected. If I had an issue with something, I had a forum to voice it with no need to apologize.

For the first time in my 30+ years I realized that God wasn’t something far away.

Our church was offering this course and my husband and I thought it would be a great opportunity for us to share in this spiritual journey. We go to church with our two kids, say our prayers, etc. but something was missing. We wanted to find out what was missing.

I was the typical 20-something who had attended church as a child, but once I became an adult I stopped going. When I returned to church I felt like something was missing in my life. The Alpha course helped me understand more about God.