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Alpha Advisors
An Alpha Advisor is an experienced Alpha leader who helps start new courses or support existing courses in their area of giftedness.
-Advising
-Counseling
-Coaching
-Encouraging
All are passionate about the Alpha course as a way to transform lives!
The Vision
Alpha USA has a vision to identify, appoint, and equip Alpha Advisors (AA's) throughout the U.S. ideally working together in a local team for the purpose of helping churches begin Alpha and strengthening existing Alpha courses.
An Advisor Shares Her Experience
Peggy Lively, Alpha Advisor in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and others from the Alpha Council at Trinity United Methodist Church in Arlington, Texas share their story below...
What is your greatest joy in your Alpha experience?
To see the fruits of being obedient to God’s call to fulfill the Great Commission. The Holy Spirit has worked in the hearts of our church family at Trinity United Methodist Church to embrace the Alpha course as an important faith building and evangelistic ministry. In seven years it has grown from a ministry with no budget, to a valuable ministry that is mostly supplemented by donations today.
What's your greatest challenge?
Maintaining the energy to keep going after seven years! We are always seeking Spirit filled leadership to catch the vision of Alpha and keep the church family focused on inviting guests to come on the course.
What value do you find connecting to others running the course?
After the first course in 2000, we began to tell other Methodist churches about the Alpha course and its power to transform. As a result, many interested churches sought our assistance in beginning Alpha at their churches.
Some of those churches were small and had limited funds. We made a decision as a church to view this as our mission. We chose to love and embrace them just as we do an Alpha guest. We offered financial support with materials, resources and leadership when needed. The results, particularly in churches with primarily black members, have been an amazing gift to our Trinity team. Racial and denominational misunderstandings have developed into loving ongoing relationships.
Trinity Alpha leadership now participates in attending quarterly meetings of a Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex group of Alpha churches called Alpha DFW. The Alpha Model is followed starting with prayer, worship, a joke, discussion and closing prayer.
Topics we have discussed include:
* What is happening in Alpha across the country
* Upcoming conference and local course training events
* Most important, sharing what is working and not working with our courses
Finally, I love to serve as an Alpha Advisor. I have found this to be an invaluable way to give and receive support from others around the country as we share and learn from each others experiences.
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