Alpha Harrogate

What is Alpha?

Alpha is one of the best ways of exploring life’s biggest questions. The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly, with everything happening online, often via Zoom. There's a thought-provoking video on a different aspect of the Christian faith followed by time for discussion with others who are on the video call with you. This is your chance to ask your questions and help each other to discover some answers. No question is too simple or too feisty at Alpha.

Who is Alpha for?

Over 2.5 million people in the UK have done Alpha, and over 27 million worldwide. It is primarily designed for people who wouldn’t normally go to church, but is open to anyone who wants to explore some of life’s biggest questions. People do Alpha for a variety of reasons - some are interested in whether God exists, others have attended church in the past but feel they have never understood the basics. Alpha is a no-pressure course, which means we won’t chase you up if you decide not to come back. So come along and see if it’s for you!

Upcoming Courses

October 2023

Hope Church, Harrogate

Weekly on Tuesday, 7:30pm, Artizan Cafe, Starts 10-Oct-2023

Join a series of group conversations that freely explore the basics of the Christian faith in an open, friendly environment. At each Alpha session, we'll watch an episode on a different question of faith – then you have a chance to share your thoughts and hear what others think. You can say anything you like, or nothing at all. You're invited, no matter your background or beliefs. It's free and there's no pressure to come back.

We'll meet at Artizan Cafe in Harrogate town centre (next to McDonalds and Tesco Express). There'll be free tea, coffee and cake to enjoy each week! A group of us from Hope Church will be running this course, Darren, David, Emily and Chris. We're looking forward to meeting you.

Sign up here

Churches Working Together

Hope

We are a family of different people United in ONE HOPE and Sharing ONE HEART for the nations.

Mowbray

Building a community of God’s people to love and to serve.

Kairos

We are a church on a mission to share the good news that God's kingdom is near, by loving God, building community and sharing Jesus.

St Peter's

Feeding hungry people ... hungry for food, for justice, for belonging, for purpose, for God.

St Mark's

Inspiring each other to love and follow Jesus Christ... everywhere, in everything.

Life Destiny Church

Church is God’s plan… to turn you into a world changer. We believe that God has a purpose and destiny for your life; and we would like to help you discover it.

St Andrew's

At the heart of Starbeck is St Andrew's Church. We aim to love God with all we have and to love others. To grow in faith, grow as disciples and grow new disciples.

Vineyard

The Vineyard Church in Harrogate - loving people, loving God. All welcome, come as you are.

Presence

Demonstrating the love of God through signs, wonders and miracles

Elim

Loving God, Loving People

Calvary Chapel Harrogate

We believe the only true basis of Christian fellowship is Christ's Agape love, which is greater than any differences we possess and without which we have no right to claim ourselves Christians.

New Life In Christ Ministries

Our Mission Statement is to practically teach the word of God with simplicity and understanding for the purpose of eternally changing lives and impacting the world.

Apostolic Life Ministries

We are a church that believes in Jesus, and equipping and edifying the saints for the work of ministry.

St John's and St Luke's

We are a welcoming church community of all ages and backgrounds - a place of faith, hope, and love.

Gracious Street Methodist

We are an active and friendly family church at the heart of the Knaresborough community.

A Standard Alpha Evening

Food

Whether it's a group of friends gathered around a kitchen table, or a quick catch up over coffee and cake, food has a way of bringing people together. It's no different at Alpha. Most sessions start with food because it's a great way to build community and get to know each other.

Talk

The talks are designed to engage and inspire conversation. Usually around thirty minutes long and delivered over about eleven weeks, they can be given as a live talk or played as a video. They explore the big issues around faith and unpack the basics of Christianity, addressing questions from Who is Jesus? and How can we have faith? to Why and how do I pray? and How does God guide us?

Discussion

Probably the most important part of any Alpha: the chance to share thoughts and ideas on the topic, and simply discuss it in a small group. There's no obligation to say anything and there's nothing you can't say (seriously). It's an opportunity to hear from others and contribute your own perspective in an honest, friendly and open environment.

Stories

Richard, USA

By the age of 25, Richard realised he was going too far. He was losing control. He started coming back to church to follow a girl and he realised he needed something more, so he signed up for Alpha. Find out what happened to Richard after he tried Alpha.

Beth, Wales

Alpha is a great oppertunity to find out more about the Christian faith. Have you tried alpha? Beth's youth was filled with worry about fitting in. She stopped her doing a lot of the things she enjoyed for fear they would be seen as uncool. Then one day, a friend invited her to try Alpha. This friend had everything Beth wanted: security, identity and acceptance. Find out what happened to Beth after she tried Alpha.

The story so far

Millions of people have tried Alpha, all around the world, and it's been translated into 112 different languages.

Developed as a short course at HTB in London, in 1990 Nicky Gumbel took over running Alpha and found that many people outside of the church wanted to explore the Christian faith.

Alpha now runs in every part of the global church, including the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church and all mainline Protestant denominations.