For the pod: Alpha TV

Like many churches we run the Alpha course in a local deli. We have supper together and then we watch a talk on DVD. I love preaching so not speaking at something is not my natural inclination but playing the talks and discovering young, new and gifted speakers has been a complete joy this term. They are doing the speaking on our course far better than I ever could! We have had guest speakers via DVD download or you can stream on wifi and Alpha seems to have taken on new life. (I have done Alpha many, many times down the years and ran it first in my flat in Moscow in 1994).

You may not know about Alpha TV which is a way of running Alpha for yourself in your home through streaming. Us Vicars get set in our ways and so it's well worth an overhaul on how you do things and tapping into Alpha TV to see what's new and what you can learn and encourage whoever runs Alpha in your church to do the same. There are tons of testimonies and new things that if you haven't looked for a while are worth exploring. With Alpha TV, you can now gather some friends in your home and then bring them all to HTB for a fantastic day of teaching on the Holy Spirit as we did on Saturday. I am gathering with a few Vicar pals to see what we can share with each other about running Alpha and how we can benefit from each others learning.

Some of the talks and speakers we have been blessed by are these. They are worth watching whether or not you plan to run Alpha:

Amy Orr-Ewing 'How and why should I read the Bible?': This is a terrific on the Bible and the story about the dove is one not to miss.

Toby Flint 'How and why should I pray?': LOVED the story about his boy-band audition.

Naomi Trenier (do read her story called Beautifully broken) 'How and why should I do tell others?': So refreshing, honest and real. This is the second talk she has ever given and she gave it to 500 people on the most recent course. She also did a talk on Saturday called 'What does the Holy Spirit do? which is worth watching once it is upload.