SPECIAL EDITION ARTICLE #26 - August 29th, 2023 by Fr. Ben Daghir

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SPECIAL EDITION ARTICLE #26 - August 29th, 2023 by Fr. Ben Daghir

Editor's Note: Christianity is an adventure with Jesus Christ. There is nothing more exciting than coming to know Jesus more profoundly and going on an adventure with Him. This article discusses a program called "Alpha" beginning Wednesday, September 13th through the DuBois Area Roman Catholic Churches.

Article:
We encounter Jesus with other people. There’s no room for a privatized, individualistic approach to Christianity. There were twelve Apostles, many disciples, and now many followers of Christ. Again, there is no room for a privatized, individualistic approach to encountering Jesus. 

Often, we encounter Christ through discussion with others. All of us have questions concerning God, life, happiness, good and evil, politics, morality, and much more. It’s often helpful to have a setting in which questions can be asked with other adults and answers discovered together. 

One of these opportunities is Alpha. It is an 11-week course, including a dinner, a short video presentation, and small group discussions. 

These small group discussions are extremely interesting, thought-provoking, and effective. Questions emerge and answers are discovered, while new questions emerge, and the adventure continues. 

Some questions for discussion: “Who is Jesus?” and “How can I pray?” and “How can I tell others about Christianity?” and “Is there more to life than this?”

I was very impressed with the Alpha program last year through the DuBois Area Roman Catholic Churches. Our leaders and participants walked together, asked questions together, and discovered answers together. They continue to learn together. 

We had over 80 participants last year which provided fun, challenging, and dynamic discussions. This also meant that many participants met new people and grew in friendship. 

If you would like to look into the Alpha program more, visit the Alpha website here: Alpha. https://alphausa.org/ 

The course is being offered through the DuBois Area Roman Catholic Churches. It is free of charge and is for adults above the age of 18. The Alpha program is open to any adult. A participant does not need to be a parishioner. The program is also open to adults of any faith background or no faith background at all.

The Alpha course will take place at The Foundry in Reynoldsville. https://jcaaa.org/?page_id=33 

The first session will be on Wednesday, September 13th. Each session will be from 6:30-8:30 p.m. each week for 11 weeks. 

To register, use this link: Alpha Fall 2023 Signup   https://tinyurl.com/DRCCAlpha23Signup 

There is nothing more exciting than going on an adventure with Jesus Christ.
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Fr. Ben Daghir is a priest for the Diocese of Erie. He is a graduate of Elk County Catholic High School in Saint Marys, Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, and St. Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland. He considers writing one of his favorite hobbies.