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Prepare Each Session
Welcome to our handy guide for preparing each session of the Alpha course. We'll begin with launching your course, then we'll work our way through the sessions (including the weekend or day away), before finishing up with the celebration party.
Prepare to launch
Want people to come on your course? Create as much of a splash as possible to help launch Alpha and tell people it's about to start so everyone can start inviting their friends.
Guest services
If you're part of a church, make the most of the Sunday crowds by transforming the service before your course starts into a guest-friendly service. Make sure everyone brings a friend, and hand out lots of invitations to the course. Here are some tips to transform your service:
- Ask two or three former guests to do a quick interview at the service:
"Were you a churchgoer before the course?"
"What was the Alpha course like?"
"Tell us what happened on the course."
"What difference has Jesus made to your life?"
"What would you say to someone thinking of doing the course?"
- Use the sermon to present the gospel clearly (see How to Run the Alpha Course by Nicky Gumbel or watch an example from an HTB guest service)
- Show an Alpha promo video
- Give out Alpha course invitations
- Be available for questions
- Give out free copies of Why Jesus?
Launch / taster event
Make it easy to invite mates to find out more about Alpha by throwing a relaxed event. Host a party, with some nibbles, entertainment and a short introduction to Alpha. Throw in a few Alpha stories from past guests, and as people are leaving, hand out invitations to the course with the start date, venue and times.
Prepare session notes
Once you get going, you'll probably need to check back here less and less, but when you first start running Alpha it feels like there's a lot to remember. To make it easy, we've arranged info for preparing each Alpha session that is downloadable in case you want to print and run!