Alpha Curriculum Graphic
. Paolo Fiorelli. Ryan Farris. Pete Karas WebsiteAlphaGraphics is a franchised chain of more than 270 independently owned and operated marketing service providers with full-service print shops.AlphaGraphics business centers are franchised by AlphaGraphics, Inc., part of the group of companies. AlphaGraphics was founded by entrepreneur in, in 1969, and began franchising in 1979.
In 1985, the company became the first desktop publishing retailer. By the late 1980s, AlphaGraphics became the first U.S.-based printing franchise to expand internationally. The company was purchased by the Pindar Group in 2001 and subsequently moved its headquarters to Salt Lake City, Utah. As of August 15, 2014, Art Coley stepped down as President. Gay Burke stepped into the Interim President position and Executive Chairman of the Board. After the bankruptcy of the Pindar Group, the company was sold in 2014 to Western Capital Resources Inc.; since 2010, Blackstreet Capital has held a controlling interest in Western Capital Resources Inc.
In October 2017, MBE Worldwide acquired AlphaGraphics from Western Capital Resources. As of November 2018, the company has moved their corporate headquarters to Denver, Colorado.Today, the AlphaGraphics network is composed of more than 270 owner-operated business centers located in the United States, Brazil, China, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom. Franchisees employee approximately 3,900 employees worldwide, while AlphaGraphics, Inc., the corporate franchisor, employs approximately 45.According to FranchiseGator.com, purchasing an AlphaGraphics franchise requires a total investment of between $240K and $375K. Financial assistance, training, and support are available. References.
Contents.History Alpha was started in 1977 by Charles Marnham, a at, a parish of the in. It started as a course for church members regarding the basics of beliefs commonly held by many believers in Christ but then began to be used as an introduction for those interested in the faith., at that time a curate at Holy Trinity Brompton, took over the running of the course in 1981 and developed the 10-week format which continues to this day. In 1985 Nicky Lee took the course on and in 1990, also then curate at Holy Trinity, took over the running of the course at the invitation of (vicar at that time) and oversaw its revision and expansion.Alpha grew rapidly in Britain in the 1990s, from just four courses in 1991 to 2,500 in 1995. A peak was reached in 1998, when 10,500 courses were run. By 2001 this had fallen to 7,300. In 2018, the Alpha website described the course as running in over 100 countries and over 100 languages, with over 24 million people having taken the course.
Courses have been run by, and churches, with some variations in course material.Structure Alpha is organised as a series of sessions over 10 weeks, including a day or weekend away. Each session starts with a meal, followed by a talk and then discussion in small groups. The talks aim to cover the basic beliefs of the Christian faith.In April 2016, Alpha introduced the Alpha Film Series, where traditional Alpha content is shown in a series of films, featuring stories and interviews. This series is mainly presented by Nicky Gumbel, Toby Flint (a curate at Holy Trinity Brompton). Interviewees include, and Friar.
Religious education for schools In conjunction with, Alpha International produces two study programmes designed for children aged 11–14, exploRE: The Christian Faith a 12-week programme on the Christian faith, and exploRE: The Life of Jesus, a 14-lesson study of Jesus' birth, life, death and resurrection. The capitalised RE is a reference to, part of the British curriculum. The materials are aimed at religious education teachers.Relationship programmes Several relationship-oriented programmes have emerged alongside Alpha which are now separately run by a sister organisation called Relationship Central. The Marriage Course is a seven-session course for married couples, consisting of a 'candlelit meal and/or coffee, tea and dessert at a romantic table for two while listening to practical talks that are informative and fun, either given live or played on DVD', while the Marriage Preparation Course follows a similar format over five sessions in preparation for married life. Unlike Alpha, there are no group sessions - the couple are to spend the time together, and relationship details are not shared with a counsellor or other participants. The Marriage Course was adopted by the and an additional session on enforced separation (e.g.
As a result of operational deployment) was added by a military couple working in co-operation with Relationship Central. In 2012, DVD versions of the Parenting Children Course (for parents or caregivers of children aged 0–10) and the Parenting Teenagers Course (11-18) were released. Unlike the Marriage Course, the parenting courses use a similar format to Alpha: a meal followed by a talk and group discussions.The website says about these courses that while they are 'based on Christian principles', they are 'designed for all couples with or without a church background'. The courses are authored by and Sila Lee, staff at Holy Trinity Brompton and authors of The Marriage Book and The Parenting Book. Caring for ex-offenders Caring for ex-offenders is a follow-up to the Alpha for Prisons course, supporting released prisoners by providing them with material assistance including accommodation, work, food, and pastoral support through church life. It operates in Britain, Canada, South Africa and the United States.
St Paul's Theological Centre is Alpha/Holy Trinity Brompton's theological institution, with aims to provide lay and clerical training in theology and resources for theological training in churches across the world, as well as theological guidance for Alpha. Doctrine. This section possibly contains. Please by the claims made and adding.
Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. ( November 2013) Alpha's teachings are intended to centre upon aspects of Christian faith on which all denominations are in general agreement.
Vwz1z3 radio code. Nicky Gumbel says (quoting the current ), 'What unites us is infinitely greater than what divides us.' And distinctives, such as those concerning the and certain sacramental teachings are absent, as are teachings on baptism. Instead, individual churches are encouraged to provide follow-up courses of their own.The of the Bible is quoted in the course materials. St Paul's reference to scripture being ' (2 Timothy 3:16) is referred to, although whether this view of scripture implies strict is not made clear.Within evangelical Protestantism the most controversial element of Alpha is what is considered to be its slant. Three of the fifteen sessions are given to the person and work of the and cover the infilling of the Spirit;. Conversion stories in the book of Acts (see 2:1ff, 9:17-19, 10:44-46, 19:1-6) are seen as normative.Influences Possibly Alpha's greatest influence has been on the ministry of, who visited Holy Trinity Brompton a number of times during the 1980s and 1990s. Nicky Gumbel's approach can also be linked to the ministry of, an influential Anglican cleric who set out to evangelise 'top boys at top schools' and who organised summer camps at in Dorset.
Alpha Printing Graphics
David Fletcher, who took responsibility for the camps after Nash, described Alpha as: 'basically the Iwerne camp talk scheme with charismatic stuff added on.' Rob Warner addresses both, when he says: 'Alpha can. Be summed up as Nash camp rationalistic conservatism combined with Wimberist charismatic expressivism.
This is a highly unusual, even paradoxical hybrid.' The Alpha course being advertised at a church in, EdinburghAlthough originating from the tradition, Alpha is now used In various denominations around the world.
Its supporters include many Catholic cardinals, Anglican archbishops and bishops, and leading figures of all denominations. Was an enthusiastic supporter when he was and and continued his support as Archbishop of Canterbury, opening an Alpha conference and accepting an invitation to speak at an Alpha supper in London in 2004. He describes it as 'a very special tool' and 'a unique mixture of Christian content and Christian style'. His predecessor described the courses as 'superb.' Father Raniero Cantalamessa, a monk of the and for wrote a document praising Alpha in June 2005. Critics Alpha has been criticised for a emphasis.
A particular problem for non-charismatic evangelicals is what is seen as Nicky Gumbel's emphasis upon the person and work of the. As a result, some churches have chosen to teach a different view of the Holy Spirit, although this is discouraged in Gumbel's book How to Run the Alpha Course.More conservative critics (especially from a and perspective) have complained that the course does not adequately define and therefore does not properly explain the reason for Jesus's death and resurrection. The alternative course is an attempt to go beyond what Alpha teaches on sin.John Vincent of the Urban Theology Unit in Sheffield has suggested that Alpha presents too narrow a version of Christianity and one too centred on what theologians have said about Jesus rather than allowing students the freedom to draw their own inspiration from studying Jesus' life and teaching. 'The Alpha course, because of its style, its narrow-mindedness and its closed nature, doesn't facilitate alternative views', he says. 'I happen to believe it therefore leads people into a self-centred religion which is not the same as the genuine Christian.' Some Catholics have criticised the fifteen-session Alpha in a Catholic Context version of the course for being unbalanced without sufficiently presenting some Roman Catholic doctrines, which instead need to be added afterwards in additional sessions.
See also. From the official website of Alpha. 21 September 2013 at the at secure.thebiggive.org.uk. Accessed on 17 February 2013. 20 January 2013 at the at www.cor.org.
Accessed on 17 February 2013. Hocken, P. 'Alpha Course'. In Stanley M. Burgess (ed.).
The new international dictionary of Pentecostal and charismatic movements (rev. And expanded ed.). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Pub. Retrieved 23 October 2009. Stephen Hunt, The Alpha Experience: Evangelism in a Post-Christian Era (Ashgate Publishing, 2004) page 13.
Alpha.org. Archived from on 22 March 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2017. ^.
The Marriage Courses. Alpha International. Retrieved 7 May 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019. Archived from on 20 May 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
Retrieved 7 May 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019. From a Cantalamessa presented at an ecumenical conference in Brighton in July 1991. Gumbel, Nicky. Archived from on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
Alister McGrath Evangelicalism and the Future of Christianity (Leicester: IVP, 1005) 45. John Eddison (ed) A Study in Spiritual Power; An Appreciation of E J H Nash (Bash) (Highland; Crowborough, 1992). Baker, David. Retrieved 23 July 2011. Rob Warner Reinventing English Evangelicalism 1966-2001 (Milton Keynes: Paternoster, 2007) 122. Rutherford, Adam (28 August 2009). Retrieved 17 June 2019 – via www.theguardian.com.
All the major denominations around the world. Barker, John. Thompson Citizen. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
There are over 7,000 courses running in the United Kingdom and over 44,000 worldwide in various denominations. ^. Got Questions - Try Alpha.
Archived from on 25 July 2008. ^. 30 September 2004.
Cantalamessa, Raniero (27 June 2005). Archived from (PDF) on 19 August 2014. Pigott, Robert (27 July 2001). Retrieved 17 October 2009. Cork, William (2007).
Alpha Curriculum Graphic Software
Trinity Communications. Retrieved 28 October 2010.Further reading Books for use with the course.
Nicky Gumbel, Questions of Life (Kingsway Publications 2003). Nicky Gumbel, Searching Issues (Kingsway Publications 2001). The Alpha Manual (Alpha International Publications 2005).Books about the course. Andrew Brookes (Editor), The Alpha Phenomenon (Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, 2007)., The Alpha Enterprise: Evangelism in a Post-Christian Era (Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2004)External links.