Since my father was a Jew and my mother was a non-churchgoer, I was not educated in the Christian faith. I learned about faith in Jesus only when I was 18 years old, and from then on, I want to talk about him to people like me. This is what Alpha offers. It is mainly for people who do not frequent the Church, those who do not consider themselves Christians. The Alpha Course is founded on the Gospel. It runs over 10 weeks and includes a meal together, a talk and small group discussions. What has happened over the past 11 years has touched us positively. The Alpha Course is running in 152 countries and in 30,000 parishes. It has been translated into 47 languages and reaches out to all social categories. In the United Kingdom, there are 160 existing prisons; of 70,000 detainees housed in 124 (=80%) of these prisons, over 30,000 have attended an Alpha Course. It has also aroused particular interest among the youth. The Course is used by many Churches, reuniting Christians in their common mission of evangelization. It is supported by the leaders of the major Christian Churches. During the Course, which is focused on the person of Christ, we teach that which unites us as Christians. We have understood that what unites us is infinitely greater than what divides us. (Nicky Gumbel – London)

Translated from – Insieme per l’Europa – Il grande appuntamento di Stoccarda tra movimenti e comunità di varie chiese cristiane – supplemento of Città Nuova N. 10/2004