Alpha and Me

By Molly Rockafellow

I am so grateful for Central's commitment to supporting new ministries. You may have heard the Alpha ministry mentioned in some format over the past few years, so Alpha may not seem new to you.

However, if Central had not been open to supporting new ministries, Alpha would not have become a part of our outreach to those with questions about Christianity. (For those of you that are not familiar with Alpha, it is a fun, engaging and practical introduction to the Christian faith).

What would my life be like if Alpha had never been offered here? When I received a brochure in the mail for Alpha three years ago, I was a very new believer. I had accepted Christ into my life that April but didn't know much about anything. The brochure stated that we would delve into many topics, but as a new Christian, the following were quite pertinent to me: Why and how do I pray? Why and how should I read the Bible? Who is the Holy Spirit? How can I resist evil? The brochure was a gift from God in my mind. Someone was going to help me learn! I enjoyed and learned so much while I was a guest at Alpha that I decided to help out on the next Alpha course. I have been fortunate to be involved with Alpha ever since. I have been blessed to meet wonderful people through Alpha. I have been witness to people accepting Christ in their lives. I have been witness to transformations of lives. A few examples of these transformations are: salvation, friendships, forgiveness, healing, renewed faith, acceptance, joy, and 2 marriages! Most importantly, I have been witness to how much God loves us and desires for us to be in relationship with him. God provided his children, my new brothers and sisters, to surround me with love, support and knowledge when I was a baby Christian, walking in his path through the Alpha course.

My life is so full of love for Christ, and the mission of our church means everything to me. The mission of Central is: "MOVING PEOPLE TOWARD CHRIST by being a community of faith which loves, encourages, and equips them in Christ, sending them out to serve." I want others to know Christ and share in his love for us. A great way for me to fulfill this mission is to be involved as a team member in Alpha. One way for you to be involved might be to invite a guest to our Alpha Celebration Supper on Wednesday, April 4th, at 6:30 pm in Room 218 (Loft). We will celebrate the end of our winter session by eating dinner together, hearing testimonies from a few guests, and listening to a talk entitled, "Christianity: Boring, Untrue and Irrelevant?" It is a wonderful way to get a taste of what Alpha will be like in the fall. Please join us and bring a friend! Please call the Church office at 410-823-6145 prior to April 2nd to reserve your space.