Alpha

In the beginning, Alpha was a true grassroots effort. "I remember my Mac laptop stopped working, so I brought my iPad and an HDMI cord," Andrea laughs. "We had a projector, and I had to stack books to project it so we could see everything on the stage." Dinner meant running out to the local grocery store on Thursday evenings for pizza, or enjoying a ham sandwich lovingly baked by a parishioner. It was a wholesome, beautiful union of people serving a common purpose.

When the program officially opened to the broader parish, Andrea initially wrestled with discouragement when crowds of newcomers didn't immediately materialize. However, she quickly realized a vital truth: for a community to invite others in, the parishioners themselves first need to experience hospitality and an real encounter with Jesus. 

Andrea got to see the parish come alive and begin to welcome individuals who hadn't stepped foot in a church for years.
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If you see Ajan at Little Flower today, it’s hard to imagine the interior hurdles he had to cross to get here.

“I struggle with anxiety, and I’m very introverted, and I struggle with a speech impediment,” Ajan shares openly. “And I feel like it was God telling me to challenge myself and push myself. And saying, I’m with you. Being a Lector at Mass has pushed me out of my comfort zone. And it’s a challenge every day. I am just happy to serve the parish in any way that I can.”

He responded to the call again when he was invited to join a pilot program called Alpha. Ajan jokingly asked if there was going to be food, and decided to show up about halfway through. At Alpha, he stepped into leadership. Alpha gave Ajan the opportunity to lead others through their own faith journeys.

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