A national poster campaign centred on the question ‘If God did exist, what would you ask?’ is to form the basis of Alpha’s annual advertising initiative this September.

Billboards across the country will be emblazoned with big questions like ‘IS THIS IT? and ‘WHO CARES?’. There will also be posters, leaflets and even beer mats carrying the big questions.

Posters will be placed on almost every railway station in the country and up to 2,000 buses will carry Alpha course advertising. It is also possible that there will be posters on trams and underground stations.

The design of the poster campaign is by a company called This Way Up, whose clients include the Royal Albert Hall, Crimestoppers, Southwark Council and Kidney Research UK.

The Invitation, which is the eleventh annual initiative for Alpha courses, will last for the whole of September, with most of the banner advertising during the first two weeks.

Many local churches are planning events to coincide with the national advertising in order to promote their courses and invite neighbours and friends.

Already being planned are a supper in a cinema in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire; a talk by former cabinet minister Jonathan Aitken at a church in Guildford, Surrey; and a big Alpha supper in Stirling, Scotland, organised by Stirling Baptist Church.

Some local churches are planning to run discussion forums based on the question ‘If God did exist what would you ask?’ – posing the question in their local paper, on local radio or by doing street vox pops and recording their own DVDs.

To help promote this year’s theme, research organisation MORI Ipsos was asked to carry out a national survey to determine the questions which most people would ask God if given the chance.

The most popular question – chosen by more than five per cent of those surveyed – concerned the issue of suffering: Why do people suffer? Why is there suffering in the world?

Next most popular was a question about life itself: What is the meaning of life? Why am I here?

In equal third place – asked by three per cent of those surveyed – came two questions: Why are there so many wars? and Why do you let good people die?

After that, there were a wide variety of popular questions about whether there is life after death, why there is no peace in the world, and why God allows wickedness and killing.

Several chose more light-hearted themes, particularly including the lottery, with many wanting to ask God for the numbers of the next week’s lottery jackpot.

Others wanted to know why God made wasps, whether space goes on for ever, and why people have to pay Council Tax. One asked why Sheffield Wednesday always lose.

With more than 1900 people surveyed, there were some familiar themes, but some of the most poignant concerned the tragedies that had touched people’s lives. One person asked ‘Why did my child die?’ Another asked ‘Is my sister ever going to have kids?’