Nicky Gumbel at Norfolk Big Alpha Supper 

1400 people packed into the Norfolk Showground on Oct 2 for the Big Alpha Supper with Nicky Gumbel. The results of the county-wide Who Cares survey were announced and people were invited to join their local Alpha course.

Helen Baldry reports
 

The premise of Alpha is to enjoy a meal, hear a talk and have the opportunity to ask questions about the meaning of life. An impressive two-course meal was served to hundreds of people who gathered at the Norfolk Showground on October 2.

Speakers at the event included Nicky Gumbel, the founder of the Alpha course, which has been held in 169 countries, been translated into 122 languages and 24 million people have taken part worldwide. Churches around Norfolk are holding Alpha courses this Autumn as a way to help people to explore Christianity and ask questions about big topics such as what happens when we die and why there is so much suffering in the world.

Norfolk residents are concerned about questions such as these, as indicated by the results of the Who Cares? survey that took place over the summer. Nearly 20,000 people responded to the one-question survey which simply asked people 'What hurts the most?'.
The top answers were announced at the Big Alpha Supper:

• Death 14%
• Physical suffering 12%
• Relationship problems 9%
• Disappointment 7%
• Injustice 6.7%
• Family Challenges 6.6%

The remaining responses included loneliness, financial worries and addiction amongst others

 

Nicky Gumbel interviewed a couple of people who attended Alpha courses. Emma spoke of losing her mother, then her father and how in her bereavement she ‘went off the rails’. At a time of desperation she cried out to God. She said she felt sure God was there. Emma saw posters for Alpha, but, having attended Sunay School as a child, she said, “I felt really embarrassed. I should know a lot of these things.” But then explained that there was no need to feel embarrassed because at Alpha people are made to feel at ease to ask questions.

Darrell Tunningley descibed himself as a teenager, “I was as far away from God as you could possibly get.” He grew up in an area where drugs and crime were the morm and describes how he got involved in petty crime, which then escalated into drug use and how that progressed into drug dealing. he said, “Life was racing away out of control.” His was a dangerous lifestyle where stabbings and shootings occurred and he was involved in an armed robbery, was arrested and imprisoned.

“There was nothing left to lose. I went looking for ways to cement the reputation I had.” Darrell was violent in prison and was relocated to a maximum security prison. He was invited to an Alpha course where Darrel began to connect with God. He wondered what God could see in him that was worth redeeming and he prayed for his anger, bitterness and addiction to be taken away. He said he felt no response. However, the next day, Darrell describes how he could no longer stomach a cigarette and how cannabis made him feel nauseous. He looked in the mirror and didn’t recognise his own reflection. He described how the hatred had gone and he felt happy. “There were still bars on my window but I never felt so free in my life.”

Darrell did an Alpha course whilst in prison and describes how he and a group of fellow prisoners watched the Nicky Gumbel videos “We had to translate 'posh' into 'convict'!” - and then discussed the topics raised. Alpha can have a profound and life-changing impact on people. all the speakers urged 

To find an Alpha course near you, as well as all the other ways churches are responding to the Who Cares survey visit www.who-cares.org.uk

Photos by Jason Baldry: the meal at the Big Alpha Supper, Nicky Gumbel with Emma and Darrell Tunningley