Youth Alpha

“The worry was sharing the Christian message with our friends – this could lead to their rejection of both God and us...”

Adam, 17 and Nathan, 17, live in a small village in Cornwall and decided to run Youth Alpha in their home.

They tell us about their adventure...

Before starting Youth Alpha, being the course leaders seemed like a daunting task, however we couldn’t have been more wrong.

The worry was that we were sharing the Christian message with our friends – and this could have led to their rejection of both God and us.

The importance of introducing the Christian faith to our friends felt like a huge weight on our shoulders but it didn’t need to be.

Ultimately it’s not down to anyone but the Holy Spirit, all we have to do as young leaders is to be ourselves; be someone our friends can look to for support, fun and friendship... So that they know they are totally accepted as themselves.

Don’t hesitate to ask your friends to come, because they might want to, but need to be encouraged.

An important aspect of being a leader in Youth Alpha is friendship.

It just so happened that many of the group were friends of ours already and it was because of this that the Youth Alpha course worked really well. We were so comfortable around each other that eating, discussing and ultimately praying together weren’t daunting but enjoyable. So don’t hesitate to ask your friends to come, because they might want to, but need to be encouraged.

The casual format of the Youth Alpha course meant that not only was the group at ease but so were we. Each member is at a different stage - from not knowing anything about God, to those who already believe in Him. This mixed bag means no one is left out, everyone’s voice can be heard. If we asked some deep and important questions during a discussion everyone could give an honest, true answer.

Through being a young leader on the Youth Alpha course, we have opened up more to praying with others in a new way.

The weekend away was the best part of the course for us. Being the leaders meant that it was our role to pray with those who wanted it - something that we may not have done before. It has been through being a young leader on the Youth Alpha course that we have opened up more to praying with others in this way.

We realised the ‘success’ of Youth Alpha isn’t down to the number that turn up each week - only one could show up and it would still be a success! It’s about helping those who come to know more about what Christianity and God are really about.

So don’t worry!

So inspiring! Why not give it a go?... Run Youth Alpha in your home and tell us if you do. For other inspiring stories from teenage leaders click here