Alpha Online
New opportunities during lockdown
(From the July - September 2020 issue of VOX)
Across Ireland, many churches were taken by surprise by the imposition of lockdown. By March, some parishes were halfway through Alpha courses and had to suddenly re-think their approach.
“The whole point of Alpha is gathering,” said Tanya Olhausen from Alpha Ireland. “But when Alpha international began a big push for Alpha online, we decided to run three webinars.”
In Elphin Diocese, Deacon Frank McGuinness was one of the first to launch a new online Alpha Course to connect with young adults.
“Through our WhatsApp group I asked if anyone was interested in joining an online Alpha course,” Frank said. “Initially, I got 15 responses and we’ve had 11 people turning up consistently. Alpha seems ideally suited to the online environment, especially for young adults. If I was to try and get them physically in a room there is no way I’d be able to attract so many and the distances in a rural diocese make that particularly difficult.”
“I live in Galway but the group come from right across the Diocese which covers Sligo, Roscommon and parts of east Galway,” Frank explained.
Although some participants knew each other before, others did not and they were meeting for the first time online. “I noticed that the bonding that happens naturally in an Alpha course is still happening online. As we start the meetings conversations are happening naturally as people grab a cup of tea and sit down. We use Zoom to connect with one another but I share the video link on Vimeo so the quality is maintained, we simply mute the microphones while everybody watches the presentation.
“Silence can be even more unnerving during an online conversation but it is important allow for that space. I usually spend a couple of minutes quietly before jumping into the discussion to allow people to reflect on what they’ve seen and heard.”
“The beauty of Alpha is that it is a full faith-formation programme.”
Encouraged by the way this group of young adults is engaged with the programme, Frank added, “The beauty of Alpha is that it is a full faith-formation programme. If people turn up week after week they begin to forge a strong foundation. The online thing seems to work with this age demographic. My hope is that as we move people into a new level of discipleship, they in turn can learn to lead others.”
Alpha Ireland has provided a range of resources for parishes considering running Alpha Online and a number of churches launched new courses as the lockdown continued.
In Dublin, two Church of Ireland parishes decided to run the Alpha Marriage Course online. Couples that would not normally be able to attend because of work commitments or babysitting concerns could tune in from their own homes. One parish had 23 couples taking part.
Although previous experience of running a course is important, Frank says this is a time to try new things! “Many people are sitting at home anyway so they are not greatly inconvenienced. An hour is the equivalent of most episodes on TV so it is not a major commitment and there is no travel involved! I would encourage people to be brave and give it a lash.”
“The wonderful thing is how flexible it can be. We’ve had two bank holidays since I started this course and we were able to adjust to a different night to suit people without having to worry about re-arranging a venue.”
If you are interested in finding out more about the Alpha Course or running any of the Alpha resources online, visit Alpha Ireland’s new website www.ireland.alpha.org.
