Alpha Friends

We’re so excited about what God is doing through Campus Alpha in the USA. We love our Stateside chums, and we thought we’d share this story from Campus Alpha at NYU.

This past summer I worked at Carolina Creek Christian Camp in Texas.  For three months straight, the love of Jesus Christ was continuously being poured over me.  When I left and had to come back to NYU, I was a changed person.  I knew I couldn’t keep all my new discoveries hidden.  I had to share them with others - and what better way than to start with my friends.

This semester my InterVarsity staff worker, asked if I’d be interested in running the Student Alpha (known as Campus Alpha in the US of A) course for NYU students.   We thought Campus Alpha would be a great way for me to share the gospel.  Plus, they’d get a free meal each week!

In the beginning, I was a little nervous no one would show up.   I thought, “The more people the better!”  So on the first night, when only 2 people came, I was a little disappointed.  However, my co-leader and I were persistent in our prayers and our numbers did eventually grow.  

At our first meeting, no one was willing to share, but over the course of seven weeks, I witnessed transformation in the lives of those attending - myself included. Each week when the video ended, it left me questioning and begging for more. Jamie Haith’s talks were filled with such knowledge. I’m thankful to say the guests had similar responses. As the weeks progressed, barriers were broken and a family was formed. At the end of the course no one wanted to finish, so we continued meeting each week to discuss the Bible.  

In college, time is always of the essence. I think the guests were surprised to find students at NYU who were more than happy to prepare a hot meal and spend their Tuesday nights discussing any and all questions about God.  

I now realize what it truly means to invest in the lives of others.  Living out the Christian walk is not always easy; however, we are called to share God’s Good News.  If we keep our testimonies bottled up, we end up portraying a “holier-than-thou” image.  The Alpha Course helps to show that Christians are normal people who have been given this awesome knowledge of Christ’s love.  

I can also see that it isn’t about quantity, but quality.  If by the end of the course we only had two guests and both knew the love of Jesus, then I’d have been more than happy with that.