Roy Notley’s Testimony - Please click on this link to read a fantastic testimony following the most recent Alpha Course at Christ Church.

Liz “I found God through the Alpha Course. I’m more confident, more directed, more fulfilled, inspired and much more optimistic.”

Linda “I have forgiven things that I could not have done before and became a real Christian.”

Steve “I gained a feeling of inner peace and a broadening of my outlook.”

Robbie “I believe I am a more relaxed, better-adjusted and compassionate individual.”

Rachael Rice says

We (my husband and I) started Alpha– very defensively.

At about this time my elderly father became ill. It was distressing watching him suffering. The words of a friend referring to her mother kept coming to my mind. “God has not finished with her, she still has something left to do”. Having done the session on prayer on the Alpha course I prayed that my father could feel God’s love.

The course sessions, informal discussions and reading resolved a lot of my doubts. On the 16th November, we had a day on the Holy Spirit. Over the years and throughout the course whenever God had been mentioned I felt myself physically tensing and resisting something. During the course the image of God knocking at the door, was very powerful, maybe I was somehow refusing to open the door. At the end of the day Sue Platt prayed with me. Gradually I felt the most enormous sense of release, relief and peace. And that is when I became a Christian.

The following day I told my father that we had become Christians - and that evening he died. I think God wanted me to feel his love and protection before he took my earthly safety net away.

And so how have things been different since? Throughout the course I have felt an amazing sense of peace and calm. Parenting in a strange way has become easier. Apart from an inner peace giving me more patience, there are suddenly answers to lots of previously complicated questions. Praying with the children not only means that they tell God their worries but me as well. I am also living with a miracle. Steve was the most cynical and critical person regarding religion, and look at him now….

Finally I was overwhelmed by the genuine joy and welcome we have had from the people of Christ church. We also had no idea that so many people were praying for us by name.

To read Rachael's full testimony please visit the parish magazine pages.

Geoff Taylor says

About the middle of 2002 I was motivated to ask Richard Hibbert if there was anything I could do to assist at the Church, and after a few days he suggested I could help out with some of the administration work on the Alpha course starting in September 2002.

I thought that if I was to do the admin, I had better know what the course was about, so I attended that course as well.

Well, what a group God brought together!

I didn’t know any of them before the course, but God knew exactly the personality styles that would challenge and educate me.

Most of my prejudices, preconceptions, worries, and concerns were brought to the surface by the interactions and the people around me. It became that on only two days of the week did I feel I was getting anywhere – Monday evenings and Sunday mornings – the remaining days were there just for backup!

Watching others come to Christ on the course showed me clearly what I had not done in my life.

I had intellectually understood God and Christ and the Holy Spirit, but not really agreed that he/they were the ultimate power.

It took a lot of heart searching to realise that my pride had meant that I was always looking to learn how to be more skilful, be more powerful, be stronger, be more in control, when really the ultimate power was just looking on with mild amusement (I assume) at my pitiful efforts.

This realisation was a real challenge. Frightening, awe-inspiring, humbling – a real challenge.

The only thing I had to do was say the prayer to God in the “Why Jesus” book - and mean it. This was very hard, and I said the prayer a number of times before I started to feel that I actually meant it, as I realised that the words were not enough without the intention as well.

To read Geoff's full testimony please visit the parish magazine pages.

Richard Fannon says:

"I was on the last Alpha course run at Christchurch and thoroughly enjoyed
myself. The talks were well presented, the food fantastic and the
discussions free and frank.