Village Church Tasmania

We hosted Alpha in Term 1. We had 13 hosts/helpers trained. In faith, we were ready to host dozens. In the lead-up, our team were outworking a ‘culture of invitation’ to those near to Jesus and afar.

A highlight was hosting our first ‘proper’ atheist in the three years of running Alpha. An Alpha Host had met the atheist whilst walking to work. During 6 months, the atheist and Alpha Host would bump into each other and share the walk to work. The two eventually built rapport and got to know one another. One morning the Alpha Host was bold enough to invite him to Alpha. He came along!

… Another highlight was hosting a homeless man. He felt loved and included. There was a guest who was experiencing bereavement and said she felt cared for during Alpha.

Lastly, a big highlight was the sense of community. A lady from a different church pulled up to a Sunday service. She walked in and said, “I drive past your Alpha banner each day. My daughter is questioning Jesus. Can i bring her along?” … The lady brought her daughter and she felt comfortable to ask questions and engage.

It’s great that Christians from other churches felt welcome to bring their friend or family members with no strings attached. It was a true ‘united front’.

By the end of Alpha, we had 13 guests attend. In total, 26 people. Year-on-year, we have experienced growth in Alpha. In 2022 we had 3 people. In 2023, we had 10. In 2024, we had 26. Praise God for momentum. We also thank God for a sense of guidance from the early days of training the Alpha Team to the Alpha Retreat, to the final night of Alpha.