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Read experiences of people who have used the course with Alpha
Sam Griffiths, Pastor of Wellington Baptist Church, Somerset, has been involved in leading and overseeing Alpha for over 15 years both as a pastor and as an Alpha Regional Advisor:
“Increasingly, new Christians are carrying huge amounts of spiritual baggage, hurts and strongholds. Traditional discipleship material focussing on growth, gifts and giving was not getting through. We still need those crucial foundation studies, of course, but it seems almost impossible for them to find good soil if people do not first deal with deeper issues. In the past year we have used the Freedom In Christ Discipleship Course after Alpha and in our evening service. We have seen folk suddenly being propelled forwards at a rate unseen before. This is no weird “see a demon everywhere” course but a very balanced, biblically-based, well-presented course that God is powerfully using. I would not hesitate to recommend it as an immediate follow-on course to Alpha.”
Steve Moses is one of the leaders of Kings Church, Loughborough:
“At the end of the Alpha course, we invited those who had expressed a faith in Christ onto the FIC course along with other members. One Christian who went through the FIC course said it was the best course he had been on in twenty years of being a Christian – high praise! Someone else came on the course after a failed suicide attempt. She had found Christ previously through an Alpha Course and was on medication for depression but made it clear at the outset that the abuse she had suffered previously made it virtually impossible for her to forgive the abusers. Prior counselling, both Christian and non-Christian had allowed her the slack to retain her unforgiveness. During the course she was able to forgive those who had wronged her for the variety of consequences she had suffered. It was a very moving experience.”
Rod Woods, Pastor, City Temple, London, has been using both Alpha and the Freedom In Christ approach for some time but only recently brought the two together:
“Connecting Alpha with the Discipleship Course provides a firm grounding in discipleship for new Christians and, in addition, is a great refresher for those who have been Christians for longer. It is even more effective because it brings together people who already have a relationship and want to spend more time together and it helps people build their sense of identity in Christ in a way that Alpha alone does not.”
Mairi Lucas runs the FIC Discipleship Course at Viewforth Church of Scotland in Midlothian:
“We had tried other follow on courses to Alpha in previous years but none generated the interest which FIC did. We ran it using the same format as Alpha – meal, talk and discussion. The FIC course puts the teaching in the right order – we learn first about God’s love for us and who we are in Christ. Only then can we live the life He wants. It is the clearest teaching I have come across for those who have done Alpha but haven’t grasped the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian and it will help any Christian connect with God’s truth, power and love.”
Ian & Sue Lindsay are part of Christ Church, Bayston Hill, Shrewsbury:
“The FIC course is fantastic! One of our Alpha “follow-ons” has now done it twice, and is absolutely beaming with God’s peace, having dealt with forgiveness issues which at one time seemed insurmountable. A lady who did Alpha some time ago found her freedom in Christ and now leads one of our small groups. One young man who has done both courses says it was just what he needed to enable him to grow up spiritually and move on in his relationship with God. It is such excellent teaching, and to see a person saved and then set free in Christ as a “package” in a matter of months is an amazing thing. It’s certainly better than waiting years to work out how to dump the baggage as many of us had to.”
Richard Price is leader of a new church plant in Pilar de la Horadada, Spain, an hour south of Alicante at the most southern edge of the Costa Blanca:
“We ran a successful Alpha Course last autumn to bring people into the church and followed it with the Freedom In Christ Discipleship Course for those who had completed Alpha and for those existing Christians who had started coming to the meetings. It was excellent. It presented the truths of the Christian faith in an understandable way, provided the opportunity for people to apply the truths to their own lives under the prompting of the Holy Spirit, and laid the foundations for maintaining their freedom. Whatever stage someone is at in the Christian life, this course has something for them.”
Carolyn Cardwell runs the FIC course in Kings Church, Kingston:
“Everyone loved the course and we had almost 100% attendance. People said things like “the penny really dropped tonight” and “I can really relate to that”. They felt it was very clear and answered a lot of the queries they had after Alpha. One lady commented that without it she would have probably drifted away again straight from Alpha. Three members of the group have now been baptised, and a husband and wife who went through both Alpha and the FIC course have moved quickly to become core members of the church. The course consists of clearly and logically presented foundational teaching. It really seems to hit the spot with where people are at after Alpha. We felt so amazed just watching the Holy Spirit move in the group and bring understanding and revelation – it was really brilliant!”
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