Hong Kong churches have geared up to participate in the upcoming annual Alpha Conference, which aims to mobilize Christians to enter a mission-centered mode in their lives.
On Feb. 27-28, the two-track Alpha Conference is going to be held at the Hong Kong Union Church in Mid-levels, Hong Kong. The two-track Alpha Conference is for both leaders and teams seeking to improve their courses as well as those starting out with Alpha.
Through the conference, all the details about setting up Alpha Initiatives in the church will be introduced, including the vision, strategy and plan. The Alpha Initiative aims to promote itself as a fresh and effective tool in evangelism. On the other hand, for the churches and Christian groups that have already adopted Alpha Initiatives, the conference helps improving the strategies being applied so as to achieve the long-term evangelism plan and goal.
Most of the speakers are prominent church leaders in Hong Kong who have many experiences in organizing Alpha Initiatives in the church. They will therefore share their testimonies with the beginners.
Worship and prayer are also very important sessions of the Conference, aiming to strengthen the churches or believers in the vision to preach the Gospel to the unreached.
The event is inter-denominational. Senior pastors from the Baptist Church, Anglican Church, Roman Catholic Church and Missionary Alliance Church will be presented as speakers. The conference will be conducted in Cantonese.
Alpha Course Hong Kong was formally established in April 1999 by Steve and Hannah Miller. Currently, there are over 240 churches or organizations that have adopted the Alpha Course, involving over 30,000 people from Hong Kong and immigrants from other countries.
Alpha Course has been proved to be a successful key for church growth and evangelism in Hong Kong churches. According to the Hong Kong Church Survey 2004 conducted by the Hong Kong Church Renewal Movement (HKCRM), churches that have adopted the Alpha Course enjoy a doubled AGR (Annual Growth Rate) - 10.8 percent - compared to those that have not endorsed the Alpha Course.
