The first batch of training days for 2009 have gone really well. We’ve joined with church and youth leaders around the country to show and explain what youthalpha is, the thinking behind it, and how it can be run effectively in different contexts. So far we’ve had gatherings in Christchurch, Auckland, Wellington, and Otago. In each place, people have been willing to spend a Saturday learning how to offer youth the opportunity to consider the big questions of life. It’s been very rewarding to see them engage with the material and get excited about the part they can play in evangelism and discipleship.
This year we have also tried something new – combining the location of the youthalpha training days with those of the classic Alpha Course and The Marriage Course. Having them all in one venue on the same day has worked really well. We had three ‘streams’ to focus on our specific areas of ministry, so it meant that groups from the same church who usually serve in separate areas could all come along together. By meeting jointly to begin with, and for the lunch and the refreshment breaks, there has been a greater sense of ‘the big picture’ and that we are all in this together. In fact, that’s a big part of what we hoped for last year when we decided on the name for these training days: “Together for the Kingdom.” We plan to continue this, having had very encouraging feedback so far.
So what happens in the youthalpha stream?
We have a good variety of content for our training days. We cover the big picture of what Alpha is, and where it has come from. We look at some of the New Testament language around evangelism and invite people to consider how this process works. And we cover lots of practical stuff like how to prepare and give a live talk, how small groups work on youthalpha, and a look at ‘the spiritual bits’ such as prayer ministry. We try to keep the day engaging and interactive, so we model two different live sessions with different styles. Plus one of my favourite parts of the day – we give participants the chance to quickly brainstorm, plan, and deliver (as a group) a short version of a youthalpha talk themselves. We encourage people to be as creative and out of the box as possible for that exercise to try and stretch their conceptions a little, and we are never disappointed! There is always something innovative or interesting and a lot of fun is had! Examples we’ve seen include impromptu drama, crazy narrators, hilarious table soccer, screaming fans… the list goes on. A particular highlight was seeing Sam Harvey’s own story from earlier in the day adapted and acted out.
Look out for a youthalpha training day near you – the next one is in Hamilton, on Saturday 9th May. If you’ve missed one in your area, but still want some help, do get in touch and I’ll see what else I can do to provide support or assistance.
Get trained!
