Stories from… Alpha // Francesca

What's the Alpha course like? We asked Francesca to tell us all about it.

I attended the Alpha Course in October 2016.

At the beginning I decided to start attending Alpha because I had an extremely positive experience of attending Christ Church London, and I thought, OK, let’s try Alpha too! It turned out to be even more inspiring than I expected: a cognitively and emotionally intense experience, a new way of meeting our Father, and an opportunity for making new friends too.

We met every week for around two months, in the evening, in a pub in south London.  Every evening we had food together, and then we watched an Alpha video-clip focusing on a different topic every week, followed by a group discussion. I came from a Catholic background so faith has been always part of my life, but I have never before had the opportunity to discuss so openly about doubts, faith and science too. I realised that they are not mutually exclusive which is important to me as an academic researcher.

It’s thanks to Alpha, to the Connect group that I joined thereafter, and to STEPS that I decided to get baptised, and that I have learned again, in a new way, the relevance of prayers and the powerful presence of God in everyday life. I am not sure whether I have been able to describe entirely what attending Alpha is like, and what it has meant to me, but I hope that at least I have been able to give a sense of how important I found it. Anyone who wants to explore more about faith and a relationship with God, whether you are new to faith or not, I would recommend Alpha. It was a great experience!

Post Tags

Latest from Christ Church London

Check out the latest from our church community.

Who Do You Say I Am?

Simon Mackenzie 10th September 2023

At the time of Jesus, the popular opinion of the Messiah was one who’d bring revolution by overthrowing the conquering forces of Israel. While opinions were spreading as to who he might be, here Jesus begins to reveal the true nature of what God’s Messiah was prophesied to do. In this talk, Simon explores Jesus’ desire for our opinions to be shaped by a personal relationship with him rather than popular opinions of our time.

Play

The Good Samaritan (A Lesson of Love)

James Copeland

What does Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan teach us about love and compassion? In this talk, James explores how the parable reflects God’s heart for us and our neighbours.

Play

A Tale of Two Daughters

Natalie Powell

This story from Luke follows two separate dramas that become intertwined in a way that couldn’t be foreseen. The characters and events intrude on each other and result in us seeing how Jesus is a Saviour we can trust in both our desperation and even death.

Play
Find out more