Alpha Volunteer Opportunities
Why Alpha? Because it directly relates to our call to the New Evangelization!
Alpha deepens welcome because it invites everyone – without distinction – to the very core of our faith and in a safe space to ask and share about life’s biggest questions.
Alpha enriches growth because it takes you on a journey towards a deeper relationship with God and builds the confidence to share your story within a community.
Alpha fosters action because it is a launchpad for participants and volunteers alike to bring to life their faith.
The Alpha Course is awesome, but to make this happen, we need volunteers who simply want to help people find new life in Christ! We need all kinds of people to help.
FOOD
Food has a way of bringing people together that is often unmatched. That’s why most Alpha sessions will begin with a shared meal. Extending our welcome through hospitality is a great way to bring all participants together as a group, and form connections with each other in this journey of exploring faith. The practical help we need to put this together is as follows*:
Set-up of tables and chairs – We need at least one person that can come in at 6 pm to come and do this.
Decorating tables – Anyone who can put out décor and make it look nice, you are the person we are looking for!! Volunteers need to have tables decorated by 6:10 pm.
Preparing meals for the evening – We have several people that assist with food preparation on a given night. You do not need to commit to all 11 weeks to participate. We have a menu and provide the supplies. The cooks deliver the warm food for us at 6:30 pm and are invited to stay to enjoy the meal with us.
Donation of food – To assist with the cost of providing meals, we accept donations of food items. Please contact us to see our menu to find out what items are needed.
Servers and cleaners – These volunteers serve the meal to the participants and then stay to eat with us as well. Afterward, they do the cleanup in the kitchen as well as cleaning tables and chairs, sweeping floors, etc.
*Depending on the role, volunteers don’t need to be available every week or for the whole evening. Volunteers for these positions can choose which nights to assist.
TALK
The talks in the Alpha series are designed to encourage participants to have a conversation about their faith. The video talks are about thirty minutes long, exploring and unpacking issues of faith and the basics of Christianity. Most importantly, they raise questions for participants to think about. The practical help we need to put this together is as follows:
Set-up audiovisual equipment – Set up microphones, projectors, etc. Ensure equipment is working as it should.
DISCUSSION
Group discussion is the most important part of an Alpha session, cultivating the bonds that were formed at mealtimes and over each session. Participants are given the chance to share their thoughts and ideas with their small group in a guided discussion on the topic of the week. This is an opportunity to share together and learn from each other’s thoughts and experiences, gaining new perspectives of our identity as a faith community.
The practical help we need to put this together is as follows*:
Small Group Leader –The Small Group Leaders should be warm and caring individuals who are friendly and good listeners. They should be able to facilitate conversation in their small groups, but not dominate conversations. The purpose of the small group is to allow the guests to share their opinion and explore together, not to talk to them more about the Christian viewpoint. Therefore, it is helpful that the group hosts be confident with letting the discussion follow a natural path, and comfortable with periods of silence if it should occur. There would be at most 10 participants in a small group.
Small Group Helper – The Small Group Helpers should also be friendly, warm and caring individuals. They should be good listeners and should be proactive in trying to draw out quieter guests in the small group. Small Group Helpers are there to support the participants and should be happy to let others speak first in the small group. The helpers could be relatively new Christians. Many helpers are those who have just finished the previous Alpha course.
Substitute Small Group Host or Helper – This person will fill in for the Small Group Host or Helper in the event of an absence.
PRAYER
In-Person Prayer Warriors – We ask for 2 or more people to pray for the participants at the church while the course is running. This is an essential part of the course. Prayer warriors also share the meal with us in the beginning.
At-Home Prayer Warriors – We understand that many parishioners may want to help in some way with Alpha but unfortunately can’t commit to volunteering for various reasons. At-home prayer support offers a way to support participants on their Alpha journey.
If you would like to commit to praying for the success of the Alpha program over its duration, please contact us.
If you are interested in becoming involved with Alpha in any of the above capacities, please contact Judy Priess at parishadmin@stmarysgi.com or Sr. Jesusmerling Poche at hispanicministry@stmarysgi.com or call the church office at 308-384-2523.