| Christian education tools make new disciples by David E. BohnertUMConnection Correspondent Christian Education studies in Baltimore-Washington Conference churches have deepened awareness of what it means to be a Christian. Jesus in the Gospels, the first study in the Disciple Second Generation Studies line, continues in the Disciple tradition of providing intensive, in-depth study of the Bible, this time through a study of the four Gospels and how Jesus is portrayed in them. Christian Believer, a publication of the United Methodist Publishing House, integrates Bible study and the doctrines and traditions at the heart of Christianity. Alpha, a course for believers and seekers, originated at Holy Trinity Brompton, an Episcopal Church in London. It also deals with doctrines and theology, including a day or weekend retreat on the Holy Spirit. The Rev. Kenneth Steven Valentine, pastor of John Wesley UMC in Hagerstown, said that his church is getting ready for the new Jesus in the Gospels study, but the church is now engaged in a Disciple II study geared especially for parents of youth. Last year, he said, 12 youth and two adults completed the Disciple for Youth program. One of the leaders of that program had gone through the Christian Believer program. Christian Believer, with its emphasis on theology the tools of ministry was very effective, according to Valentine. He said that individuals became more faithful in worship attendance and more committed to the church. There was a heightened awareness that we were not reaching out to those who could walk to church, Valentine said, referring to the location of the church in a city area where many people live within walking distance of the church. The resulting awareness led to participation in an outreach program. The Disciple program, including Jesus and the Gospels, and the Christian Believer study require a commitment of 30 to 34 weekly sessions with daily reading and study time outside the sessions. Alpha is a 10-week evangelistic course with a different approach. According to the Rev. Patricia Dols, associate pastor of Faith UMC in Rockville, a typical Alpha session, often conducted in homes, consists of a simple meal, an introduction to a topic, such as prayer, by leaders and a small group discussion period of half an hour to 45 minutes where leaders and helpers mingle with participants. Leaders move slowly in introducing topics, Dols said, and the discussion period is followed by a Bible study to end the session. Dols recommends consulting with a church which has conducted Alpha sessions for advice on beginning this study. According to the Alpha Web page, more than 5,000 churches are running Alpha courses in this country. More than 200 of them have been conducted in churches of all denominations within a 75-mile radius of Williamsport. The Rev. Barry Hidey, pastor of Bel Air UMC, heartily endorses the Alpha course, which he has conducted at his two most recent churches and continues at Bel Air. Alpha has brought more life changes to long-time church members as well as folks coming to Christ for the first time compared to anything else I have done in 24 years of ministry, he said. People who thought they knew Christ have been awakened, Hidey said. He quoted one participant who said, I thought I was in the second year of college, and now Im in the second grade. Thanks for helping me realize the difference. Hidey said that the Alpha course gets people to ask the questions they should ask on Sunday mornings. He added that about 90 percent of transformations occur on the day of a Holy Spirit retreat, where participants develop a one-on-one relationship with God. The study at Bel Air starts with a 30-minute session led by Hidey. Lay people then lead small group discussions for an hour, he said. After people are transformed through the Alpha experience, they become group leaders of future Alpha sessions. Hidey said that people want to come back for the Alpha study, and the Alpha groups grow primarily by word of mouth. Bel Air now realizes that the Alpha study is not enough, Hidey said, and the church has created Beta. The Beta program, complete with a curriculum and a participant packet, embraces such topics as prayer, Bible study, forgiveness, and a spiritual gift inventory, according to Hidey. | 
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