The Annual Invitation initiative of the Alpha Course has been launched full scale this week in churches across the UK. Following the success of the last seven years, this year’s initiative aims to raise awareness of the Alpha Course and to invite the nation to hear about the good news of Jesus Christ.

On 9th May, all the Alpha Invitation materials were sent to all Alpha churches. The information pack includes a launch brochure explaining how to take part in the Alpha course, a video with stories from around the UK and sample publicity materials. A promotion video is also available to download on the website.

A new poster design of the Alpha Initiation Initiative 2005 has been published. This year’s design is based on a computer search engine, which matches with the new era of information technology and aims to attract the net-savvy young generation. The promotion poster raises a crucial question to challenge audiences - "Is there more to life than this.com"- to which the answer is The Alpha Course. Cabs in ten UK cities will be decorated with the new design this September.

There are four ways to take part in the Alpha Invitation, generally known as the four Ps - Pray, Prepare, Plan and Promote.

Churches are called to PRAY for the re-evangelisation of the region and the transformation of society. Also, they can PREPARE teams with training to improve the quality and effectiveness of Alpha courses and PLAN a supper or similar event to launch Autumn Alpha courses beginning in September.

Major events include Dynamic Prayer in the Local Church Conference, the two-track Alpha Conference and Equip & Refresh Day are to mobilise and facilitate people to participant in the Alpha Invitation 2005.

The one-hour Dynamic Prayer Conference is for everyone who is seeking to develop prayer for revival in the church. The conference will provide practical models to make prayer meetings more dynamic and enjoyable. The most recent upcoming Dynamic Prayer Conference will be held on 2nd June at Holy Trinity Brompton - home of the Alpha Course.

The two-track Alpha Conference is for both leaders and teams seeking to improve their courses as well as those starting out with Alpha. The conference will allow participants to understand all they need to know in running the Alpha course. The main speakers for the two-day conference are Sandy Millar and Nicky Gumbel.

Equip & Refresh Day is a new style of training to equip people to run or improve the course, with plenty of time for sharing ideas, worship and ministry. It is to be held in venues across the UK, including London, Birmingham and Manchester.

The success of the Alpha Invitation initiative has proved to be very helpful in boosting the number of people joining the Alpha course. In 2004, there was a 17 percent increase in the number of guests on Alpha courses across the country - from 155,000 in 2003 to 182,000 in 2004, bringing the total UK attendance to over 1.8 million.

For more information about the Alpha course, please visit the Alpha Course UK website.