|
Alpha and beer, and life's toughest questions to be answered
by Tony Copple
Alpha in a pub! Have these guys gone crazy? Isn’t this a course on the principles of Christianity? I know Jesus’ first miracle was at a wedding where the wine ran out, but surely we don’t want to try something like that with beer…. I hear you wondering!
Actually, it’s OK and it’s just fine with God. The Alpha Course is all about building really close friendships as we learn and discuss the big questions: who is Jesus; why did he die; how does he guide us; what is the meaning of it all; how can I be filled with the Holy Spirit, and much more. Pubs are great places to eat together, chat, see the presentation, and ask questions. Often people bring up questions on Alpha that they have never asked ever before, but always wondered about. It’s not the done thing to interrupt a preacher’s sermon with a question, but here we are friends together finding out about what really matters in this life and what happens when we die. No wonder 20 million or so people have taken the course world-wide, in churches, homes, community centres - and pubs.
People from all walks of life attend Alpha: regular churchgoers seeking to deepen their understanding and their faith, occasional churchgoers, agnostics and atheists. Sometimes people from a Muslim or Jewish background will come, or other world religions. Somehow the mixture adds to the experience for all of us.
So why not register for the introductory night, Monday 7 April, 6:20 pm – 9 pm at the Royal Oak, 329 March Road, Kanata. The food is free to guests, and yes, you can buy a beer with it. Call our registrar Lynn Williams on the Alpha Hot Line: 613-592- 5310, or e-mail Lynn at pooch1@rogers.com. She can answer any administrative questions and even help you make you decision. Be careful though; it could change your life, and the Royal Oak may never seem quite the same to you again. The course has its own web site: alpha.ncf.ca/kca.html.
|