All my life I had a vague belief in God but no real understanding of the whole Adam and Eve's sin and Jesus and the cross business! I always put God to one side to be dealt with later, so to speak. Over the years, however, I found myself calling out to Him in times of need and had a growing feeling of wanting to know more about Him and what life should be about.

After starting to read the Bible I decided to go to a church. As St. John's is the nearest I turned up last year not knowing what was going to happen.

One Sunday an Alpha Course leaflet was handed out. Going on a course was something that had interested me before as I had seen posters and leaflets around the area over the previous years, so I signed on for September 2007.

For three months I looked forward to the meetings each week as David and Mair are excellent hosts and made us feel very comfortable and at ease.

We would have a light lunch that was always delicious, and would then settle down to watch the Alpha Course. I had already seen some of the presentations by Nicky Gumble on television and so knew that his style is informal, relaxed and at times very humorous. I believe, however, that this is not at the expense of a good solid explanation of Christianity. Many questions I had were dealt with in ways that were easy for me to understand. I particularly appreciated the explanation he gives of what Jesus achieved by sacrificing Himself for us, as I had always struggled with the concept of His dying for us.

The Holy Spirit talks are also very helpful in trying to grasp something that many of us find difficult. Afterwards David would ask us what our thoughts were, but I never felt under pressure to talk if I didn't want to. As leaders on this course I believe they always struck the right balance of support and guidance. I feel blessed by their time, patience and energy (something that I pray for on a regular basis!). I would also like to take this opportunity to thank them on behalf of us all.

As someone just beginning to search for answers to questions that had been with me for longer than I realised, the Alpha Course came at just the right time for me. I know there is still much more to learn about being a Christian, but Alpha is definitely a good starting point. I believe God knew what I needed. I also believe that this course could be a blessing to others if they would be willing to give some of their time to it.

Lynette Hughes