Traditionally, a Celebration Night or Wrap Party was a separate add-on night for guests to invite their friends and family to see what Alpha is all about and invite them to the next Alpha.
Many groups are now concluding with the "church" video and inviting guests one-on-one to the next Alpha when it's closer to the start date. The relational and personal invitation tends to be very effective.
10 Ideas for the LAST Alpha Session Together
Watch the last video together and after discussion time, ask guests to fill out the Feedback Forms—digital or hardcopy. Customize the template provided in the "Series Materials" section (log in here). Ask guests to include any highlights or memorable moments.
Arrange for the senior pastor to attend the last session. S/he can briefly introduce her/himself, and invite Alpha guests to Sunday service (5 min max).
Provide a separate take-home "Next Steps" postcard for guests with instructions to sign up via website, email, or contact person. List a few ways for Alpha guests to stay involved (Life Groups, Bible studies, water baptism, upcoming church events, etc.). Or have a table with sign-up sheets for guests to add their contact info.
Share info about your next Alpha (start date, time) and provide invitation postcards so guests can invite their friends to the next Alpha.
Ask specific guests to be an Alpha Helper on the next Alpha and match roles with their unique gifts (eg, kitchen team, set up, small group helper, etc.).
Add a fun element or two! Set up a fun Alpha selfie station so guests can take photos with their friends or take a group picture. Do an easy trivia game (like Kahoot). Consider a potluck dinner or theme night!
Arrange a group meetup or Zoom chat in a couple of weeks to see how everyone is doing. Pay attention to any guests who are not connected to any church groups.
Consider writing a little Thank You note to each guest and a card for the Kitchen Crew who work tirelessly behind the scenes.
Provide a roaming mic and ask guests to share their experience with the whole group. You'll need to tell Alpha Leaders in advance if the discussion time will be a little shorter to allow time for group sharing.
Connect to Alpha Canada via social media for national updates, events, and info. (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn) And fill in this online form if something meaningful took place at your Alpha and you'd like to share it with Alpha Staff: Share Your Story
And of course, pray a short blessing over each guest before closing!
"I'm always sharing my story so that people can see that I've experienced it. I understand what we're inviting them to. It's not something strange and foreign to us. It's something that has transformed my life and I believe it can transform their life too." (Tammy Giffen, NS from guest > helper > host > pastor)
"We try to do it [Alpha] three times a year. The tip of the spear in terms of people who invite tend to be either recent Alpha graduates or people who have come through this experience." (Rob Hogendoorn, Lead Pastor of Forest City Community Church in London, ON)
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