You run Alpha in a . . Pub?

We made the introductory nights’ meal free for first time guests. We had 29 people, salad, Irish Stew, lots of water in one half of the pub, and then we took over the pool room for jokes, and the Nicky Gumbel video “Is there more to Life than This?” We prayed that nearly all of the guests would sign up (and most did). One guest was invited by a Holy Trinity Brompton (UK) Alpha group leader, who had a seeker friend returning to Ottawa just in time to take our course. We relish this connection to Alpha world headquarters, where Nicky Gumbel still involves himself in the local course while overseeing Alpha worldwide.

The course has progressed quite well, and we get to know the pub staff better each week. We befriend our Alpha guests in the intimacy of three discussion groups. Some questions were quite challenging and I was hard pressed as a helper to keep my mouth shut, although now that everyone is participating, I now can share safely. We have been asked by pub staff and patrons what the course is about, and why are we there in the pub. Why not a church? Why subject the Alpha guests to competing ‘noise’ from an NHL playoff game on the big screen in the next room? We prayed long and hard about the distractions, and we prevailed. Having classic rock music in the background is no longer a distraction during small group discussions; it becomes a privacy filter so we can’t hear what’s going on in the other discussion groups.

There’s something unique about having the gospel right in the ‘marketplace’, and we’ve let the customers know that we are approachable people. Some of the guests stay behind for an informal discussion over a glass of wine or beer. We’ve had such pastoral care opportunities during those intimate times, and have made some close friendships with people in other discussion groups that often don’t happen until the Holy Spirit weekend (which is coming soon). For me, normally an Alpha cook, having the pub cater the meal more than makes up for the additional cost. Here my only “jobs” are singing, emceeing and being a group helper, all of which are fun. There have been some challenges, such as the night a guest spilt tea on the green baize pool table, but challenges are part of any Alpha course. The opportunity for changing the packaging by in having a course in this environment has allowed more unchurched people to feel safe in journeying with us. It has caused good questions from all people who ask about the course whether in my parish, my family or casual friends I have met in the pub before the course begins. One night, Bob from my parish was finishing up a pint after his work-day and he was amazed to see that we brought Alpha into ‘his’ pub! This man sits at the front of my congregation and is there infrequently due to his business travels. When we were to run Pub Alpha, I immediately thought of Bob, so it was wonderful to let him know what we were doing. God willing, he’ll be on a later course.

It is my prayer that this course will be very special not only to the guests but to us leaders as well – the amount of sharing and intimacy has been even closer than during a regular course. I sense that more and more Alpha courses will be made available in pubs, workplaces and schools. We need to take the church outside church walls.

Laurie-Ann Copple works in the Anglican Renewal Ministries office and attends St. Paul's parish in Kanata, Ontario. She and her husband Tony are Alpha advisors in Ottawa.