Monday, 13 April 2026.
If anyone had told me a year ago that I’d be sitting on “the other side” of the Alpha table, I probably would have given you a very polite, but very sceptical smile. Last year, when I first signed up for Alpha, I didn’t go in with a grand spiritual plan. I went in mostly curious, but with a healthy dose of “is this really for me?” I was in a season where I felt like I already knew the answers, but wondering why so many people I knew kept going back year after year. I was worried it might be too basic, or perhaps not what I needed at that stage of my life. I went in a sceptic. I came out transformed.
The Power of the Table
What I found wasn’t just a course or a set of videos. It was a space. In a world that’s so loud and so full of everyone’s opinions, Alpha was radically different: a place of listening. There was no pressure to perform, no need to have the perfect Catholic answer, or any answer at all, and no judgment for the questions I was carrying. It was the most surprising experience I’ve had in years: just lovely people, a meal, and the space for the Holy Spirit to move in the silence between our words. By the end of those ten or so weeks, I’d discovered something I didn’t even realise was missing. At the retreat I had a life-changing experience that somehow brought together various strands of my life that had been there for decades, seemingly random and unconnected. I wasn’t just clearing away noise; I was making room for the Holy Spirit in a way that felt profoundly real, and incredibly peaceful.
A New Invitation
Fast forward to now, and the journey has taken a beautiful turn. I’ve been invited to be part of the Alpha team this year. Moving from guest to host feels a bit like preparing a big fancy family dinner: some nerves –Will the conversation flow? Will everyone feel welcome? – but also a deep sense of purpose, along with excitement.
Equipped by the Spirit
I’ll be honest: I don’t feel qualified to be a host. Like, at all. I’m not a theologian, and I’m still a sojourner with my own questions and struggles. But I’m learning that Alpha isn’t about teaching or instructing; it’s about listening, and creating that sacred space that will allow for open and honest discussion. And I’m leaning heavily on the Holy Spirit. My prayer is simple: Equip me. And I think at the end of the day the whole team is there for that one person – the one who needs to hear that one specific thing at the exact moment they’re sitting there. That one person who God has placed there this year and not at any other time. I’m trusting that the Spirit will give us the tools.
Life is rarely about the big, sweeping changes. It’s about those small, in-between moments. It’s the one random conversation over a coffee, a shared laugh, or the moment where someone finally feels seen. If our team can be a vessel for that one moment, then the whole journey will be worth it.
Have you ever walked into something completely skeptical, only to find it was exactly what your soul was craving? I’d love to hear about your “Alpha” moments or the times you felt the Holy Spirit nudging you out of your comfort zone.
The Sojourner Diaries 
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