Earlier this month the Guardian ran a headline ‘British Public turn to prayer as 1:4 tune into religious services online’ Not only are people of all ages praying more, they are attending online church services and sales of Bibles have rocketed. In these challenging times, people are asking questions and searching for assurance.
This coming Sunday May 31st at 6.30pm All Saints Church is starting a new online course called Alpha. It’s a great place to ask those questions and explore the Christian faith in a friendly and informal environment. No question is out of bounds and you are free to discuss as much or as little as you wish.
An Alpha course has just finished at All Saints and here's what some of the participants said about it:
· 'It was a chance to focus on my faith and the big questions about life. I've looked at my diet and mental health, but neglected my Spiritual life. It was fantastic to have the opportunity to do that. There are no right answers but Alpha was a safe environment to ask questions- that's really special.'
· 'Alpha is one of the best things I've done for a very long time. I feel I've been so welcomed. Alpha has reignited my relationship with God.’
· 'I avoided Alpha for many years as I thought it was for religious freaks or a recruiting tool. It isn't. I was pleased to see people were quite cheerful. It has encouraged me to be a better person.'
· 'It's been an absolute joy. It's been great to meet, talk and share. I can't recommend it highly enough.’
Revd Mike Coe, the vicar at All Saints, said “At All Saints we love having the opportunity to help people find out more about Christianity and the difference it can make to their everyday lives. The Alpha course is a great way to do just that, wherever you are on your faith journey. It would be great if you could join us.”
The Alpha course begins with a taster session so that people can try it out before deciding whether to ‘sign-up’. For more details, and to download the Zoom invite, go to the Alpha page on the church website www.allsaintsilkley.org.