I am overwhelmed by the potential of Global Alpha Training to spread the good news of Jesus Christ to the nations and to re-inspire the local mission of churches sending GAT teams.

Global Alpha Training (GAT) has been expanding throughout 2010 bringing Alpha training to 510 different locations. The average amount of GAT guests last year was eighty-four and enabled many new Alpha courses to be run around the world.

What is GAT?

GATs have been designed to equip and empower people from churches that run Alpha courses to train others at home or abroad. The teams are provided with training, programs and transcripts of the GAT talks and the two, three or four-day programs are interactive, and include sketches and illustrations to assist with explanations.

Team from York visit Burundi

Each GAT gives delegates the opportunity to experience and practice elements of the course. In January 2011 a GAT team from York (UK) left the cold weather in England for the warmth of Burundi to lead three concurrent days of GAT training for Classic Alpha, Youth Alpha and the Marriage Course in Makamba in the south of Burundi. Rev’d Canon Roger Simpson, Archbishop’s Evangelist to the Northern Province said: “Having just been part of an Alpha GAT team to Burundi I am overwhelmed by the potential of Global Alpha Training to spread the good news of Jesus Christ to the nations and to re-inspire the local mission of churches sending GAT teams.”

Countries request teams to come

The team went at the invitation of Bishop Martin Blaise who invited Church leaders from the Anglican Church and other denominations for training on the Alpha Course, the Marriage Course and Youth Alpha. “It was awesome and amazing working with the gifted young Alpha Burundi team and watching God at work. The delegates were hungry for all we had to share and already courses are planned to start this month and next in all three areas by those who caught the vision.” said GAT team member Christine Bayne.

Are you up for the biggest adventure of your life?

So far 16 million people around the world have attended Alpha and our goal is to see 100 million people attend Alpha by 2020. If you feel inspired to go out and train people how to run Alpha in another country, or to receive a GAT team where you are, we’d love to hear from you.

The GAT team will be at the marketplace at Alpha International Week on Wednesday 8 June for the Alpha UK Vision Day.