Elishia Stephen's Alpha Story
In grade 10, we ran Youth Alpha at school, and it was a huge success! Many people came and really enjoyed the videos, conversations, and pizza of course!
For many people, the idea of running Alpha can be daunting. It’s a welcoming space for those with questions about Jesus, God, and faith, but it’s a vulnerable space as well.
Just ask grade-12 student Elishia Stephen. After hearing how other teens launched Youth Alpha programs at their schools, she was inspired to do the same. “In grade 10, we ran Youth Alpha at school, and it was a huge success! Many people came and really enjoyed the videos, conversations, and pizza of course! We then decided to do it again!”
When she restarted Youth Alpha the next year, Elishia was both nervous and excited. With a new meeting time after school rather than during lunch, Elishia anticipated a smaller turnout but was still hopeful. “I was confident that God would bring who needed to come.”
The group started with 10 members, and by the end of the year, they had grown to 18. Surprisingly, most of the regular members weren’t even Christians. Although Elishia was leading the group, she felt encouraged and filled by Youth Alpha.
Towards the end of a busy school year, Elisiah fell sick and wasn’t able to lead or participate in Youth Alpha as much as she had hoped, but she learned a valuable lesson even in her absence. “I kept praying and I learned that it wasn’t all on me, it was ultimately in God’s hands, and I could trust the team, and praise God for all the things He did that I couldn’t see.”