Kanata resident Don Cherry first heard about a different approach to delivering God's word at a church conference in 1988.

"We were told the 90s would be the decade of evangelism," said Cherry, a member of St. John's Anglican parish. The news, at that time, kind of shocked him. "Anglicans, on the whole, had avoided evangelistic type of preaching. It didn't seem to be a part of Anglicanism."

However, Cherry waited to see what changes were on the horizon and it wasn't long before he started hearing rumblings of Alpha - a program developed in the United Kingdom.

"It was totally non-denominational. It wasn't going to be offensive to any denomination and the more I heard the more I felt this would be something I could sink my teeth into."

Alpha originated in London, England about 20 years ago in response to waning church membership and a need to revamp the way God's message was delivered.

A 10-week non-denominational program called Alpha was designed to provide a forum for small groups to ask questions and discuss Christianity. The topics are based on a videotape series that serves as a starting point for discussion.

Cherry and his wife Pauline took the course in the spring of 1997 and Cherry has since lead a course himself.
"I can't think of anybody who has taken this course and not made positive steps on their spiritual journey."

Alpha is for people interested in finding out more about Christianity in an informal setting. Usually an introductory supper is served, after which a short video featuring Nicky Gumbel is played covering topics like: Who is Jesus? Why and how do I pray and what is the point of life? After each presentation, participants break into small groups to talk about any issue that was raised. A typical evening runs from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

Gumbel is a minister with the Church of England who helped establish the Alpha course; he's also the presenter of all the material in the video series.

Alpha offers something for everyone. Those investigating Christianity, newcomers to the church and people who want to explore questions of life have all come away with something.

The atmosphere, plus close proximity with the same people for 10 weeks, is what Cherry believes enables participants to feel comfortable and express themselves without fear.

"You're not afraid to voice your concerns or objections. You know you're not going to be condemned. You can express yourself freely and not feel un-Christian in doing so."

Over the past 20 years the message has stayed the same and been heard by a million people internationally. Other than refilming the videos to make them more in keeping with the times nothing about the video series has changed.

Trying to pinpoint the mass appeal of Alpha is not easy.
"I think it's partly the song and partly the singer," said Cherry.
"The message is wonderful for everybody but you can't dismiss Nicky Gumbel either. He is very charismatic but in a quiet kind of way. You don't have to be swallowed up by it - you can accept what it has to offer on your own terms."

Cherry said it was easy to sing the praises of Alpha but to truly appreciate its appeal you need to experience it.
"You come away with such a positive feeling - about yourself, about the course and about the holy spirit . . . . The biggest criticism I've heard about the course is that everyone is anxiously awaiting a follow-up to Alpha."

Alpha courses are now runni