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Short term Missions + Alpha = powerful combination
By Ruthina Northcutt
I’ve always had a heart for missions. As a young teenage girl I would read over the lists of short term mission opportunities in Brio magazine (a Christian publication for teen girls) dreaming of going on an overseas adventure. After my senior year of high school I had my first opportunity to take a short term missions trip and a fire was lit within me. Through college I had the opportunity to take a few short term trips – finding myself experiencing the highs of seeing God do amazing things and also the lows - wondering if our service was really having any impact for the Kingdom of God.
In September of 2009 I had the opportunity to move to London for 3 months as a Global Alpha Intern at Holy Trinity Brompton and Alpha International. During my time there I was able to focus on Global Alpha Training (GAT)– bringing together my love for Alpha and my heart for short term missions. As part of the internship I had the opportunity to participate on GAT trips to Upper Egypt and Nairobi, Kenya.
 Within less than a month of arriving in London I found myself on an airplane headed to Egypt to train leaders on how to run Alpha. Just a week before leaving London there were around 50 people registered for the event, but when we arrived we were thrilled to find that they were scrambling to find room for the 143 people who wanted to come. I had never trained anyone on how to run Alpha – but was amazed to find that anyone who has helped on an Alpha course can have a key role on the GAT team. I was overwhelmed by the eagerness of the church leaders to learn about Alpha. One pastor requested through the Alpha Egypt director that a team come to his town to train all the pastors within his denomination. Two other pastors, as they were leaving felt renewed sense of unity wondering what it was their two denominations disagreed about and contemplating why they weren’t working together.
From there we flew to Nairobi, Kenya and did a 4 day event at Carlile College – a theological college that trains church leaders from countries around Africa. Our entire audience was filled with current or future church leaders – all brand new to Alpha! It was amazing to see through the course of our time together the “lightbulb” moments when they really got it and understood how Alpha works and why it is an effective way of sharing the Gospel. Several students had profound experiences of the Holy Spirit through the week and left energized and eager to begin Alpha. 
Global Alpha Training is one of the most effective methods of short term missions that I have been involved in. By training national leaders and being rooted in the local church, GAT is a long term investment for sustainable outreach and evangelism. In addition to the amazing testimonies I’ve heard about Alpha around the world, my eyes have been opened by seeing firsthand the effectiveness of Alpha worldwide.
Not only is GAT effective in ministering to the people being trained, but it also lights a few fire in those who are sent to do the training, which can increase enthusiasm and passion within your local Alpha course.
If you believe that Alpha is an effective way to reach people for Christ I would encourage you to explore how you can share your experience through a GAT trip. I am confident that God could use you in powerful ways! There are needs all around the world for teams to come and train church leaders on how to run Alpha. You can even do a GAT trip in conjunction with a mission trip you already have planned.
For more information check out the GAT section on our website.
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Ruthina Northcutt, 1/7/2010 |
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