Over 180 people attended the first week of the Autumn Alpha Course at Trinity Cheltenham, making it the biggest ever Alpha course the church has seen, and probably the largest in the UK outside London.

Alpha has been run at Trinity Cheltenham for 14 years, and some 3000 people from Cheltenham and the surrounding area have attended. In the UK over 2 million people have attended one of the many Alpha courses up and down the country. Worldwide the number becomes a staggering 11 million. Alpha is an opportunity to explore the Christian faith in a relaxed and friendly environment.

“The current financial situation in this country is probably causing more and more people to consider what they value most in life at the moment, and so it is unsurprising that so many people are coming to Alpha. We have had many people just turn up on the door because they have heard of Alpha through the press, or through one of the many Trinity events where Alpha has been highlighted” says Neil Bennetts, Worship Pastor at Trinity Cheltenham. “In one sense the huge numbers coming at the moment cause us a logistical challenge. But when you consider that so many churches up and down the country are having to deal with the problems of dwindling numbers, it’s quite refreshing to have the opposite problem”

The current Alpha course runs over 10 weeks on a Tuesday evening in Trinity Church on Portland Street.

“People are still welcome to turn up on the door. We have never been a church to turn anyone away, and we will always make room and ensure that all guests have a great time, some great food and have the chance to ask the questions they want to ask about the Christian Faith” Neil concludes.

For more information, please visit the Alpha page on this web site.