Can anyone tell me what it will actually be like? It is being run by the church I actually attend so will know many of the people.. but what they don't know is that although I happily attend services, don't have much problem with most it, am quite involved with the youth element of church, like all the people etc... my actually beliefs, these past few years, extend somewhat beyond the Anglican CofE philosopy. (I have been reading a great many spiritual books in the past few years and nothing has ever made such sense to me as Neale Donald Walsh's Conversations with God.. but I am fairly sure that there is some stuff contained within those books that orthodox Christians would have a problem with..!)
Alpha is supposed to be for everyone isn't it? And you are supposed to be able to ask anything you want? Is that REALLY how it is??
Oh and lastly.. it's a lunchtime Alpha.. 11.30 - 1.30 (I think most Alphas involve a meal from what I have a read). Is it a bring and share thing, do you know? (I forgot to ask..
don't want to arrive empty-handed.. nor laiden down with stuff I don't need!!))
SJ x
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Starting ALPHA on Tuesday..
SleepyJess · 04/06/2006 16:16
Well.. that was eventful.. 
The hall we were in, we had to leave, because whilst trying to watch the promo dvd (first thing we did after eating), some workmen starting drilling the brickwork outside and we couldn't hear anything... so we abandoned the dvd and adjourned to some benches in the gardens outside for a discussion... and a guy came up with a chain saw and said "I need to trim this hedge, alright?' The curate asked if it could wait half and hour and the bloke with the chain saw huffed and puffed and generally gave the impression that it couldn't! So we lugged the benches over to another part of the garden... started a discussion.. whereupon the blokes with the drills (who had moved round the building) recommenced their drilling!!! So we had to talk with distant hedge trimmers in one ear and the loud drilling against brickwork in the other!
But the noise didn't matter because the next part of the discussion got very LOUD.. due to two people falling out over an issue to do with the importance of silent prayer and use of traditional language in churches!! This older guy (an opinionated retired headteacher who measured every work carefully but had a great sense of humour and who I really liked) was giving his views... and the offensive looking old lady next to him (in a sun dress and carrying an walking stick) said "Well I think that's ABSOLUTE RUBBISH!!!" to which the headmaster took great exception and gave her a (highly academic-sounding) mouthful about what he thought of people who could not respect the opinions of others! (These two are actually part of the same congregation it transpired.. the roman catholic church. although the Headmaster said he most definitely was NOT an orthodox catholic.)
The lady sitting next to me (someone I know fairly well from church)an I couldn't look at each other because we kept dissolving into giggles... and the curate was deperately trying to calm the situation with much talk of the holy spirit and the usefulness of having diversity within the group :) :)
I loved it.. it was fab.. can't wait for next one (in a fortnight)!
On a more serious note, I asked my first burning question which was 'why is Reiki generally considered to be incompatiable with christianity?' and the general concensuss seemed to be that it is not. I didn't think it was for one moment actually.. at least not with God.. even if Christians don't approve.. I also admitted I was extremely interested in spiritualism.. which didn't seem to shock anyone. The curate even said he used to be clairvoyant.
So it was really good all in all. :)
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