ALPHA IS FRESH BREEZE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

There is a searching for spirituality and a hunger for God such as we have not seen in 65 years of scientific polling and the percentage of persons who seek spiritual growth has shot up 24 points in just four years to 82 percent, says America's premier religion pollster, George Gallup.

Addressing some 200 Christian clergy and leaders at Wayne Presbyterian Church in Wayne, PA, at the kick-off of a Philadelphia-wide ALPHA conference, Gallup said that a similar spurt is found in the number of Americans who say they are searching for meaning in life - a search found among persons of all religions, all ages, and in every region of the nation.

"Surveys suggest that, as we approach a new century, the most profound movement in society is coming at the very end - a dramatic growth in the interest in spirituality and hunger for God, a turning away from materialism and the hedonism of our age."

"There are three converging trends developing in our society," said the Princeton, NJ based pollster, "offering great opportunity for organized religion, and more importantly, for a growth in sincere faith. There is also a search for deeper more meaningful relationships with other people, and an intensified desire to reach out to people on the margins of society."

"The opportunities for building faith and leading people to Christ are unparalleled. There is the exciting prospect for winning people to Christ on a massive scale in upcoming decades, through an approach that proposes, not imposes. We are experiencing a fresh breeze of the Holy Spirit through ALPHA."

Faith Popcorn writing about spirituality says, "The search for life's anchor simply can't be viewed as weird anymore. It's gone from California fringe to national mainstream."

Spirituality is back almost with a vengeance, says Lutheran historian Martin Marty. However, Gallup urged a note of caution, saying that much of the "new spirituality is free-floating and vague, and can end up glorifying the self, not God." The challenge for churches is to channel this spirituality into solid religious commitment, he said.

Gallup says that ALPHA, with its focus on Jesus Christ is the best answer he has seen but noted that discipleship and the need to build up people in the Lord is being ignored in many churches. He cites philosopher Dallas Willard whose book The Divine Conspiracy who said, "non-discipleship is the elephant in the sanctuary."

"Many clergy and church leaders seem to feel that if membership and stewardship are satisfactory, all is well. But the fact is, those in the pews as well as the unchurched need to be evangelized. ALPHA can be a much-needed 'refresher course'."

Gallup, with his wife Kinney are deeply committed Evangelical Episcopalians who have seen how effective ALPHA has been in bringing people into church at a higher level of commitment, providing new members, raising energy and stewardship levels and focusing people to serve in various ministries.

"ALPHA is an entry program seeking to get people excited about what Jesus Christ can mean in a person's life. ALPHA is for churches that are serious about being first century churches," he said.

"ALPHA is a way to jump start small groups. Such groups are a core ministry where people can come together, share lives, develop trust for one another, and grow together in the Lord. It is an essential discipling tool. Small groups are not an option for a church but an essential discipling tool. In such groups people can discover that God really loves them. The can also develop prayer partnerships and one-on-one accountability relationships."

ALPHA's appeal is to every group, across denominations, to upscale and downscale groups, to all levels of formal education, and to all ages.