While newscasts paint a picture of a world filled with terrorism, crime, disaster and despair, there is a bright thread weaving its way through the societies of our globe.

In his book Megashift, Jim Rutz claims Christianity is overlooked as the fastest growing faith in the world. He says there are 707 million people who fit into a new category he calls "switched-on disciples," and that the church is exploding at a phenomenal growth rate of eight percent per year, far exceeding the global birth rate.

Ian Green, president of Next Level International and one of the keynote speakers at the January '06 Missions Fest in Vancouver, said "220,000 people worldwide are coming to faith in Jesus Christ every day. There is an incredible, global move of the Holy Spirit taking place right now."

One component of this growth is Alpha. In 1992 there were five Alpha courses running in London, England. Currently there are 31,763 Alpha courses running in 164 nations. The course has been translated into 62 languages and approximately eight million people have attended a course worldwide.

The face of Holy Trinity Brompton, the birthplace of Alpha, has changed dramatically. Through the leadership of Sandy Millar and Nicky Gumbel, Holy Trinity Brompton has become a church of about 4,000 in the centre of London where the average age is 25 and where everyone is "on mission." That church has birthed daughter and granddaughter churches in tough inner city areas, all sharing that same passion to reach their communities with the good news of Jesus Christ.

In Canada 2,643 churches and organizations had registered with Alpha Canada as of June 2006. More than 130 are United Church of Canada churches, stretching from Lewisporte, NL to Victoria, B.C.

The Alpha course is an opportunity to explore the spiritual side of life. It's a practical introduction to the Christian faith, offering the opportunity for anyone to explore Christianity in a relaxed, non-threatening manner during 15 thought-provoking sessions. These sessions are covered during an introductory banquet, 10 weekly sessions and a weekend away. Each session begins with a meal, followed by a presentation and discussion in small groups. Alpha is a place where no question is too simple or too hostile. It is low-key, friendly and fun.

Topics include "Who is Jesus?" and "Why and How Do I Pray?" and discussions often revolve around "What relevance does Jesus have for our lives today?" The course closely follows the best-selling book "Questions of Life" by Gumbel, who is the presenter on the video series.

Alpha is for anyone. People attend for a variety of reasons. Some are simply curious while others want to brush up on the basics of Christianity. People can find a course near them by visiting www.alphacanada.org.

It has been encouraging to observe how Alpha is bringing denominations together for the higher purpose of presenting the Gospel. Gumbel urges churches of all denominations to work together, claiming disunity among Christians is a big barrier to reaching the unchurched. Churches are discovering, as Gumbel often says, that "what unites us is infinitely greater than what divides us."

Murray Moerman, of Outreach Canada, Vision Canada and Church Planting Canada says, "God is using Alpha at a critical time in Canada's history to unify the church around the central Gospel message. The genius of Alpha is that it combines a clear head and warm heart in a unique mix of apologetics, evangelism and winsome primer on the Holy Spirit. The course shows the community that the church is without denominational barriers in its essence. The result is that God is preparing the whole church to be an empowered, welcoming community for seekers and skeptics when revival comes to Canada."

Gumbel met Pope John Paul II in 2004, and met with Pope Benedict XVI when he was still Cardinal Ratzinger. He says the present Pope already knew about Alpha because he had previously met with Alpha leaders from Germany.

In August of last year, Gumbel began his Canadian visit in Quebec City with a positive meeting with Canada's Roman Catholic Primate, Cardinal Marc Ouellet. "His love for Christ came through," Gumbel said. "His passion for evangelization, for unity, for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is all so obvious in his life and his ministry. I felt so refreshed being with him."

Later that morning, an audience of 250 comprised of French and English, Catholic and Protestant, priests, pastors and laity gathered to hear Nicky address the question, "Can a Nation Be Changed?" In a province long divided, the spirit of unity in the room was almost tangible. The meeting was hosted by Auxiliary Bishop Gilles Lemay, who had run an Alpha course in his previous parish.

The Alpha course is growing in favor among Roman Catholics world-wide as their leaders in various countries testify to its potential as an evangelization tool.

Appreaciation for Alpha is found across Canada. Fr. Albert Sterzer, St. Teresa's Parish, St. John's Newfoundland, says: "If your congregation or parish is truly concerned about bringing the message of Jesus Christ to the unchurched, you've got to look at Alpha. It is not high pressure, but clearly faithful to the Gospel."

Rev. Niall Sheridan, Our Lady of Victory Parish, Whitehorse, Yukon, comments "Alpha is a brilliant and effective way to bring an experience of the living Jesus to so many who would otherwise never hear of Him!"

Vernon Robertson, director of Catholic Evangelization Training Ministries, Archdiocese of Vancouver, notes "We have done evangelization training in Catholic parishes for a few years now, and Alpha is the best method we have come across so far."

Gumbel calls Alpha "evangelism for ordinary people." His reasoning: it enables Christians to overcome the hurdle of fear that often prevents them from sharing their faith, because "they only need to know three words… Come and See!"

It is that simplicity that has given Christians across Canada the courage to invite friends, co-workers, neighbours and family to a course. Some 1,300 Canadian churches are offering the course today.

Alpha is also running in forty percent of Canadian prisons and a Caring for Ex-Offenders program is cutting by half the recidivism rate of those adopted into the program.

The idea of using the Alpha course in a boardroom or workplace environment has gone from Canada into 35 nations around the world. "Alpha in the Workplace" has been used in companies such as Disney Studios, HSBC, Shell Oil, Harrod's Department Store, Continental Airlines, Exxon Mobil, Singapore Airlines, Ford Motor Company, UBS, and PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

God is doing some wonderful things through Alpha in the military. Courses are held on the base in Afghanistan, as well as in the National Defense Headquarters, the National Defense Medical Centre, and the base at Uplands, Ont. Five courses are scheduled to be offered in the National Capital Region and CFB Petawawa has asked for help to get a course going there.

At the University of New Brunswick/St. Thomas University in Fredericton, student leaders distributed 1,200 boxes of Timbits with an invitation to Alpha attached. More than 130 students signed up.

Alpha is also active in inner cities. Union Gospel Mission in downtown Vancouver's East Side runs seven Alpha courses per week. The Ottawa Mission, a 270-bed facility in the heart of Ottawa that serves 1,000 meals a day and has been ministering to the homeless for about 100 years, is planning to run its first Alpha course this September.

Youth Alpha, which is more interactive than adult Alpha, has been developed as a means to evangelize and disciple young people. Director of Youth Alpha, Beth Fellinger, believes there is huge untapped potential for this tool to be used to great effect in Canada. Her goal is to develop a network of Youth Alpha advisors to help launch and run Youth Alpha effectively. Hundreds of leaders have already been trained.

People from churches across Canada, using their own funds and vacation time, have helped get Alpha going in places as diverse as Pakistan, Trinidad, Grenada, Peru, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Ivory Coast, Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines and eastern Russia.

A recent survey shows churches that run Alpha are bucking the general trend. Research conducted by Outreach Canada showed that 65 percent of Canadian evangelical churches (over 6,000 churches) "have plateaued with an inward focus, a maintenance orientation and a loss of mission drive." Of those that run the Alpha course, 82 percent of respondents indicated their church had grown as a result of running the course.

Roland Lewis, senior pastor of Westview Baptist Church in Powell River, B.C. says, "God used Alpha to fill our church with people equipped to do ministry."

Pastor Chris McLean from The King's Family Church in Oakville, Ont., says, "I've never run an Alpha Course without seeing someone come to Christ. Never. And Rachel and I have run about 47 courses."

Cliff Fletcher, senior pastor of the Barrie, Ont. Free Methodist Church says, "Six years ago there were 117 in services on a Sunday morning. Today we are over 400."

An estimated 750,000 Canadians have attended an Alpha course. While most courses have been run in churches, many have been held in places as diverse as sports bars, restaurants, seniors' homes, addiction treatment centres, Castle Fun Park, schools, a rehabilitation centre and university campuses.

But the bottom line is not about locations or numbers. It's about people whose lives have been impacted through the discovery of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Tracey is one of them. Someone invited her to a course in "Glitters," the restaurant where she worked as a waitress. She attended and came to faith in Christ. Reflecting on the difference Jesus has made in her life, Tracey says, "My life has changed so much. I am not worrying about the future. I know I will be okay. I'll never be alone again. The people at work can't believe the changes in me. I go to church almost every Sunday. I talked to my boss and I can come to work late so I can go to church."