If you’ve never tried Alpha, come & see. If you have, there’s someone we’d love you to invite.
You’ve heard us talk about Alpha at OLM. Maybe many times!
But have you ever experienced it for yourself?
Maybe you’ve wondered if Alpha is really for you.
Let’s talk about that . . .
Wondering what Alpha is really like? Take a minute and see for yourself.
Maybe you think Alpha is really for people who don't go to church.
Maybe you think, I'm already Catholic. What would I get out of it?
Maybe Thursday nights haven't worked before.
Maybe you've thought about coming, but didn't know anyone else who was going.
Or maybe you simply weren't sure what Alpha actually is.
So let's answer a few questions.
I already go to Mass. Why would I need Alpha?
There may be more here for you than you think.
Alpha isn't only for people who are new to Christianity. It's also an opportunity for those of us who already believe to encounter Jesus in a fresh way, revisit the heart of the Gospel, and have conversations about faith that we don't always have in everyday life.
And at a parish as large as Our Lady of Mercy, Alpha does something else that's incredibly valuable:
It makes a big parish feel smaller.
You share a meal. You sit around a table. You learn people's names. You hear their stories. You laugh together. You wrestle with questions together.
Week by week, people who may have passed one another at Mass for years begin to know one another.
That's community.
Alpha isn't only for people who are new to Christianity. It's also an opportunity for those of us who already believe to encounter Jesus in a fresh way, revisit the heart of the Gospel, and have conversations about faith that we don't always have in everyday life.
And at a parish as large as Our Lady of Mercy, Alpha does something else that's incredibly valuable:
It makes a big parish feel smaller.
You share a meal. You sit around a table. You learn people's names. You hear their stories. You laugh together. You wrestle with questions together.
Week by week, people who may have passed one another at Mass for years begin to know one another.
That's community.
But isn't Alpha for people who don't know much about the Catholic faith?
Alpha isn't catechesis, and it isn't intended to replace the richness and fullness of Catholic formation.
Alpha is a beginning.
It focuses on the kerygma: the essential proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, who served for decades as Preacher to the Papal Household, has praised Alpha precisely for this reason, explaining that in the early Church the kerygma was the starting point of faith, while catechesis helped form and deepen that faith. You'll hear from him in the talks, too.
Alpha begins with Jesus.
Who is He? Why did He die? How can we have faith? Why and how should we pray? How does God guide us? Who is the Holy Spirit?
And then it gives us something increasingly rare:
time and space to talk about those questions honestly.
Alpha is a beginning.
It focuses on the kerygma: the essential proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, who served for decades as Preacher to the Papal Household, has praised Alpha precisely for this reason, explaining that in the early Church the kerygma was the starting point of faith, while catechesis helped form and deepen that faith. You'll hear from him in the talks, too.
Alpha begins with Jesus.
Who is He? Why did He die? How can we have faith? Why and how should we pray? How does God guide us? Who is the Holy Spirit?
And then it gives us something increasingly rare:
time and space to talk about those questions honestly.
What actually happens at Alpha?
It's surprisingly simple.
You eat. You watch. You talk.
Every Thursday begins with a delicious free dinner around a table.
Then we watch an engaging Alpha talk exploring a question about life and the Christian faith, featuring compelling voices and powerful stories from around the world of lives transformed by the love of Jesus.
Then comes perhaps the most important part: conversation.
You can ask questions. You can disagree. You can share your experience. You can listen.
No question is off limits, and no one is pressured to speak.
You eat. You watch. You talk.
Every Thursday begins with a delicious free dinner around a table.
Then we watch an engaging Alpha talk exploring a question about life and the Christian faith, featuring compelling voices and powerful stories from around the world of lives transformed by the love of Jesus.
Then comes perhaps the most important part: conversation.
You can ask questions. You can disagree. You can share your experience. You can listen.
No question is off limits, and no one is pressured to speak.
What if I try it and decide Alpha isn't for me?
That's okay!
That's exactly why our first three evenings are
Come & See Nights.
📅 September 10, 17 & 24
🕡 Thursdays at 6:30 PM
📍 Our Lady of Mercy
Come for dinner. Meet some people.
Experience an Alpha evening.
Then decide.
No pressure. No commitment. Just come & see.
🍽️ Delicious dinner is on us
👶 Childcare is available
❤️ Alpha is completely free
That's exactly why our first three evenings are
Come & See Nights.
📅 September 10, 17 & 24
🕡 Thursdays at 6:30 PM
📍 Our Lady of Mercy
Come for dinner. Meet some people.
Experience an Alpha evening.
Then decide.
No pressure. No commitment. Just come & see.
🍽️ Delicious dinner is on us
👶 Childcare is available
❤️ Alpha is completely free
I've already experienced Alpha. What does this have to do with me?
Maybe more than you think.
Because there is another question we want every person at OLM to consider:
We all know someone.
Someone who has questions about God.
Someone who doesn't know Jesus.
Someone who grew up Catholic but has drifted away.
Someone who is doubtful about faith.
Someone who is hurting.
Someone who would never sign up for a Bible study or walk into a church event on their own.
Someone who may simply be waiting for a person they trust to say:
“Would you come with me?”
Here’s our challenge to OLM:
They may say yes. They may say no. They may say not yet.
Our job isn’t to convince. Our job is to invite.
Because there is another question we want every person at OLM to consider:
WHO WILL YOU INVITE?
We all know someone.
Someone who has questions about God.
Someone who doesn't know Jesus.
Someone who grew up Catholic but has drifted away.
Someone who is doubtful about faith.
Someone who is hurting.
Someone who would never sign up for a Bible study or walk into a church event on their own.
Someone who may simply be waiting for a person they trust to say:
“Would you come with me?”
Here’s our challenge to OLM:
Think of 5. Pray for 5. Invite 5.
Think of five people God has placed in your life who might benefit from Alpha. Pray for them by name, and then take the simple step of personally inviting them.They may say yes. They may say no. They may say not yet.
Our job isn’t to convince. Our job is to invite.
Jesus didn't tell His disciples to wait for people to come to them. He sent them out.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations...” — Matthew 28:19
And that's one of the reasons Alpha can be such a powerful tool for us as Catholics.
Fr. Mike Schmitz has pointed out that Catholics don't always have many natural places to invite someone who is questioning faith. With Alpha, however, we can confidently invite someone knowing that Jesus will be proposed, and the experience will be welcoming and enjoyable.
You don't have to have all the answers.
You don't have to convince anyone.
You don't have to give your friend a theology lesson.
Just invite them.
Invite them to dinner.
Sit beside them.
Listen to their questions.
Let Alpha do what it was designed to do: create a welcoming space where people can encounter Jesus.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle describes Alpha as “a very human, nonthreatening door for everyone to enter.”
What if you could hold that door open for someone?
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations...” — Matthew 28:19
And that's one of the reasons Alpha can be such a powerful tool for us as Catholics.
Fr. Mike Schmitz has pointed out that Catholics don't always have many natural places to invite someone who is questioning faith. With Alpha, however, we can confidently invite someone knowing that Jesus will be proposed, and the experience will be welcoming and enjoyable.
You don't have to have all the answers.
You don't have to convince anyone.
You don't have to give your friend a theology lesson.
Just invite them.
Invite them to dinner.
Sit beside them.
Listen to their questions.
Let Alpha do what it was designed to do: create a welcoming space where people can encounter Jesus.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle describes Alpha as “a very human, nonthreatening door for everyone to enter.”
What if you could hold that door open for someone?
So, what’s your next step?
Never experienced Alpha? Maybe this is your time to come & see.
Already experienced Alpha? Think of 5. Pray for 5. Invite 5.
And if someone is already on your heart as you read this, don’t wait. Ask them.
One simple invitation could open the door for someone to encounter Jesus.
Still have questions? Let's talk.
If you're wondering whether Alpha is right for you, thinking about inviting someone, or simply want to know more before you come, please reach out.
I'd love to answer your questions and help you take that next step.
Zara Tan
zara@olmercy.com | 331-707-5381
Director of Evangelization, Discipleship & Communications
If you're wondering whether Alpha is right for you, thinking about inviting someone, or simply want to know more before you come, please reach out.
I'd love to answer your questions and help you take that next step.
Zara Tan
zara@olmercy.com | 331-707-5381
Director of Evangelization, Discipleship & Communications
