Alpha Course possesses many of the same characteristics as a restaurant franchise—it provides food, has international locations, and creates a casual environment for discussions on life. But Alpha Course is not the trendiest new fast-food restaurant, it’s a faith-exploring course on Christianity.

Participants gather for dinner once a week at local centers hosting the ten-week course to investigate life’s most pressing question, “What is the meaning of life?”, along with others such as, "Who is Jesus?", "Why Did Jesus Die?", "How Can I be Sure of My Faith?", and "Does God Still Heal Today?".

Many of the topics addressed during 2-3-hour meeting are geared toward people who are new to Christianity or simply want to brush-up on the basics of their faith. The course also schedules a weekend getaway in order to give the attendee a time reflect on the information they have learned through the course and a time to build a relationship with God.

Rick Warren, author of the New York Times best-seller “The Purpose Driven Life” said the Alpha course has been able to “reach people with the good news of Jesus Christ, who wouldn't normally come to church.”

While churches from many denominations have embraced the course, it has also crossed over to outside venues such as university campuses, business, and prisons, reaching “all sorts of people in all sorts of spiritual conditions,” according to renown evangelist Luis Palau.

Alpha Course is based on the book "Questions of Life" by Revd Nicky, who first began the course 20 years ago in Gumbel Holy Trinity Brompton, an Anglican church in London, England.

The course has proved so popular that now 5000 hosting locations in America and Canada now teach the course, reaching around 1 million people.

For more information on Alpha Course in the United States, visit www.alphausa.org.