Alpha course is food for thought

10:44am Thursday 6th December 2007

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TANYA Bundock, a mother of three little girls, stumbles over her words as she talks about coping with the past 12 months since her beloved husband died of leukaemia.

Marilyn Robbins' eyes well up with tears as she talks about her nine year old grand-daughter who just passed away after battling with an illness for three years.

These two women have come together as part of the Alpha Course to gain a better understanding of Christianity and specifically to explore reasons for their pain and suffering.

Once a week they meet with Christians and non-Christians at the Oasis Coffee House in Leigh and over dinner and drinks ask questions and openly discuss the faith. It's informal, modern and relaxed - a far cry from the stuffy image of the church with it's pews, uniforms and lecture style sermons.

"It's a way for people to meet in a neutral environment and explore Christianity and God in their own way," says David Elcock from Leigh Road Baptist Church. "Nothing is too taboo."

The course lasts ten weeks, with each session focusing on a different subject such as Who is Jesus?, Why and how do I Pray?, Why and how should I read the Bible? and How can I Resist Evil?

It was designed primarily for non-churchgoers and new Christians to explore the faith, although some want to investigate whether God exists, others are concerned about what happens after death and some want to explore what the purpose of life is.

Many guests have never been to church, while others may have attended church occasionally but feel they have never really understood the basics of the Christian faith.

If it sounds like a recruitment drive to boost the failing numbers of the church, then it is.

"Sometimes the church is a marvellous thing," says David.

"But it's got rubbish packaging. It's not appealing to young people and new members and the church population is an aging one. Alpha packages the church better - it makes it more appealing."

Certainly the evening I joined the group to discuss suffering, the coffee house was full of the young, the trendy and the curious - myself included.

I've been to church a handful of times but never quite understood the point of it all. What do they know that I don't? I would wonder, while looking around at hordes of people committing themselves and believing in something they couldn't see, hear or feel.

But as I sat back and listened to senior minister Steven Hembery try and explain to me and to poor Tanya and Marilyn about why God allows us to suffer, I got a glimpse into why so many people are devoted to Christianity.

Steven admitted that no one has the answer to pain, suffering and death, but he made a valiant attempt at helping everyone understand it.

"God works through our suffering," he says. "God is involved in our suffering." He means that when the going gets tough, you're better off having God in your life as someone to comfort and love you than being alone.

He has a point. Having someone on your side in your darkest of times must seem like, well, a Godsend. But I start to feel like I'm in the middle of a group therapy session and I realise that a lot of what Christianity offers, the modern person is receiving from other sources - self-help books, close friends and family.

But obviously Christians feel there is more to it than that. Welling up at the memory, Steven tells the story of a little girl who was dying and had been told by medical experts there was nothing more that could be done for her.

Her family attended the same church as Steven and one day he was moved to help. He prayed for the girl and her family, at which point Steven says he had a strong image of the little girl skipping.

He set off to the shops to buy a skipping rope and gave it to her family, saying that one day he was convinced she would learn how to skip.

The girl defied all logic and got better and when she was well enough, her mum taught her how to use the skipping rope.

It might seem like mumbo-jumbo, but why would we have any reason not to believe it? And although it might just have been coincidence, doesn't it make you feel better to think that someone else is in control? That someone else is looking out for us?

Religion is one of the most hotly contested issues of all time and no doubt there will always be some that struggle with the concept. But for those that are curious, even if you have no intention of joining the Christian club, the Alpha Course is fantastic food for thought.