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 “Coming to Alpha I was a non-believer and by the time I finished I was a true believer in Jesus and in God,” says Cathie Cherveny.
“I didn’t believe in God at all. I grew up with no religion whatsoever. There was a co-worker who was trying to plant the seed for a couple years, and she happens to be a member of this church. She had me read Greg Boyd’s Letters from a Skeptic.”
This book answered many of the questions Cathie had been asking and kindled a tentative belief and a desire for further exploration. “Immediately I was interested – I knew then that there was something more.”
Cathie went to the Woodland Hills website and found the Alpha Course, a practical introduction to the Christian faith. “I liked the fact that it said you could ask any questions that you wanted, and no questions were too hostile, because truthfully, in the beginning, I thought, ‘How can millions of people believe this?’”
Cathie enjoyed getting to know the people in her Alpha group, and she appreciated the leaders who helped with her questions. “In other instances I was embarrassed to ask questions, because at my age or place in life I felt that everyone thought I should know these answers already. But everybody in the Alpha class was very understanding and everybody was at their own level of understanding. It was easy to ask questions and say 'I don’t understand,' and we all just learned together.”
“And now, two months later, I truly believe, I totally believe in God. I’ve noticed that friends, co-workers and people around me have noticed a difference in me: my demeanor, how I treat people, how I think. It’s all changed for the better. It really has changed a lot in my life.”
Now Cathie is trying to plant the seed in others.
Stories of changed lives like Cathie’s are not uncommon in Alpha. Over 8 million people have taken the Alpha Course in tens of thousands of churches around the world.
 Alpha is an ideal setting for
• Those wanting to investigate Christianity.
• Those who have recently decided to follow Jesus.
• Those who feel that they have never really got going as a Christian.
If this describes you, we invite you to try the Alpha Course. Or if you have a friend who isn’t sure what Christianity is really all about, invite them to come to the course with you.
Click here to learn more about Alpha at Woodland Hills Church.
Article by Jim Knudsen
e-mail him about it at jim.knudsen@comcast.net | 
