Alpha International 2019 Annual Review

ALPH A I N TE RN ATI ON AL

ANNUAL REVIEW 2019

CONTENTS 04

Our mission

05

Letter from the Chairman

15

06

2019 at a glance

17

10

Global projects

19 21 23 25

1

Regional highlights: Africa

Regional highlights: Asia Pacific

Regional highlights: North America

Regional highlights: Latin America

Regional highlights: The Middle East and Europe

Regional highlights: UK

27

Also from Alpha

29

Financial review

31

Alpha International board of Trustees

2

OUR MISSION

ANIS’ STORY Invited to Alpha by one of her friends, Anis thought that because of her background with drugs, her struggles with past relationships and her appearance that no one from church would accept her. Through Alpha and the community she encountered, she experienced Jesus’ unconditional love and discovered new life.

We are passionate about seeing lives changed in the name of Jesus. We believe everyone should have the opportunity to explore a personal relationship with Jesus, wherever they are in the world, for free.

“

Our mission is to equip and serve the Church in its mission to help people discover and develop a relationship with Jesus.

I felt acceptance for the first time. I was relieved that everyone accepted me without any judgement.

Through doing Alpha, I came to understand what unconditional love is. I realised that Jesus is real and is there to accept me as I am. Now I’ve started a new life by learning to serve God and others. I’m no longer afraid to face any problem because I know who I should run to – Jesus.

Anis, Indonesia

3

Our misson

4

LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN

2019 AT A GLANCE

We are hugely encouraged by every story we hear of people all over the world encountering Jesus through Alpha.

This review highlights some of the areas we have been working on over the past year.

It has been a really exciting 12 months with more and more churches using Alpha, giving their communities the opportunity to explore the meaning of life in a relaxed and informal context.

We remain committed to providing the best possible resources and, as society moves increasingly online, digital innovation continues to be at the forefront of our strategy. We are excited to have launched the new Marriage Course series online and have also recently run our first ever Alpha Online from Holy Trinity Brompton. Later in the year we will be embarking on filming an updated version of the Alpha Film Series.

Alpha continues to grow in all denominations.

It is wonderful to see people encountering Jesus in so many different parts of the worldwide church. We are dedicated to ensuring that all our products work in every country and context.

We cannot thank you enough for your prayers and support, which make all this possible. We are hugely grateful and really excited to see what God will do in the year ahead.

With very best wishes,

Total amount raised:

£12.5m Churches that ran Alpha:

22,266

2,000 1.2m

In addition to this, we estimate that approximately

We estimate that over

1 11% growth from 2018

churches and organisations are running Alpha and are not registered with us².

people heard the gospel as a result of doing Alpha.

3% growth from 2018³

1. This figure refers to an actively engaged church: churches that have registered an Alpha course on our Digital Platform or have been verified by our National Alpha Offices to have run Alpha in the year of counting.

Nicky Gumbel Chairman of Alpha International

2. We continue to be encouraged that more churches run Alpha than we know about or can actively measure e.g. in high risk countries. Clear and robust estimation methodologies are used by National Alpha Offices to determine these figures, which are subsequently assessed by the Global Impact team at Alpha International 3. This figure is based on an adjustment made to participant numbers reported in 2018. Following the introduction of the GDPR law, we were, and are still, unable to verify if a number of churches were running Alpha in 2018 and 2019. We decided this year to exclude them from both our 2018 and 2019 figures to present a fair view of reality.

5

Letter from the chairman

2019 at a glance

6

ALPHA’S IMPACT IN 2019

GLOBAL SNIPPETS FROM 2019

2019 was an impactful year for Alpha, running in 114 countries worldwide and reaching over 1.2 million people with the gospel. We saw an 11% growth in actively engaged churches (those who have registered an Alpha course with us) and we are encouraged that many more churches run Alpha globally than we know about and God is doing more than we can measure.

We are so encouraged with each and every story we hear of lives transformed as people encounter a relationship with Jesus for the first time. You can read more about these stories and other exciting updates in this report.

Poland Approximately 600 volunteers from churches ran Alpha in 46 prisons, with over 1,800 prisoners participating

Egypt Over 300 churches ran Alpha across Egypt, three of which became Alpha Hub Churches (Hub churches commit to supporting other churches in their local area to run and grow Alpha)

Costa Rica Over 400 Catholic churches ran Alpha Youth, reaching 4,500 young people with the gospel

A L P HA W I TH YOU TH We saw a greater proportion of young people engage with Alpha globally – 30% more than in 2018. This is particularly encouraging as we continue to create dynamic resources that are relevant to the upcoming generation.

WORKIN G IN UNIT Y We continue to be passionate about unity, and in 2019 over one fifth of churches running Alpha were Catholic.

A LPH A IN P R ISONS Alpha ran in over 1,000 prisons worldwide, reaching nearly 60,000 inmates with the love of Jesus.

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2019 at a glance

USA In a church in Miami, 700 students tried Alpha and 69 made a public declaration of faith in Jesus and were baptised

Uganda 2,000 tried Alpha in their school, with 1,100 giving their lives to Jesus

Brazil

Thailand

6% of Brazil’s population live in favelas. Alpha is running in 37 favelas, sharing the gospel with the poorest in society

Alpha ran in a juvenile detention centre in Thailand, where all 50 young people who attended came to faith in Jesus were filled with the Holy Spirit

2019 at a glance

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Q&A WITH MATHEW NEVILLE ALPHA’S CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER W HAT W E R E T H E BI GGES T AC HI E V E M E NT S FROM 2 019 ?

2019 has been a great year for Alpha. What I find most exciting is the growth in the number of churches running Alpha globally – up 11% from 2018. Highlights include over 400 new churches running Alpha in Costa Rica and 4,300 Youth Alpha courses in the USA. It is also encouraging to see our Church Engagement Framework heading in the right direction. We raised more money than ever before and our overall spend increased by 25%.

However, it’s not just about the numbers.

The personal life-changing stories I get to hear through taking part in Alpha at my church convince me that God is truly blessing this ministry.

WHAT AR E YOU M OS T EXCIT ED AB OUT F OR T HE YEAR AHEAD? Innovation and digital – never before has it been more needed! I’m excited that our ‘My Alpha’ platform is growing; it tells us how effectively we’re reaching churches globally and enables us to release new content more easily. In 2020, we hope to have 20,000 churches registered and plan to build on the platform’s capability. We will also forge ahead with a Host and Helper App, which will enable Alpha to be organised on a mobile phone and we’re excited to be updating the Alpha Film Series later in the year.

In January 2020, we launched the remade episodes of The Marriage Course and this new content, hosted by Nicky and Sila Lee, is a fantastic resource for churches around the world. The Marriage Course is a great complement to the Alpha materials and (although I’m quite biased because my wife Cathy and I came to know the Lord through The Marriage Course) I’m excited to see how God uses this new series to bless churches, and couples globally!

We are so grateful for the partners that join us in this mission. And this is an opportunity for me to say a huge ‘thank you’.

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2019 at a glance

Alpha 2020 Paving the way for a new decade of evangelism

GLOBAL PROJECTS The Alpha 2020 programme was launched in January 2019: a transformative project with the aim of positioning Alpha to be ready for the 2020s. The programme focused on areas such as creating an integrated global strategy across our network of National Alpha Offices – the Church Engagement Framework, investing in leaders as we further resource and strengthen our regional teams, and looking at how we continue to put prayer at the centre of all we do as a global organisation.

O UR D I G I TA L WO RK We have built a global digital platform (My Alpha), which enables us to engage more effectively with churches, distribute content more easily and increase the accuracy of our impact measurement. The roll out of the platform is complete in Latin America, Africa and Asia Pacific and is underway in the rest of the world.

We also launched a new website with fresh content and an improved user journey, and we’re working on a new mobile app. The app will allow us to better serve churches in developing countries that rely on smartphone apps to access the internet.

Global projects

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“ SE R V I N G A ND E QU I P P I N G T H E C H U RC H We are passionate about serving the local church around the world, equipping them with everything they need to run effective Alphas that help people discover and develop a relationship with Jesus. To achieve this, our Church Engagement Framework focuses on three stages of engagement with Alpha:

1 2 3

Not only does Alpha create a space in the community where all are welcome, loved, and free to explore, but it also creates a culture of prayer, Holy Spirit dependence, and hospitality inside the local church.

Pastor Seth Bazacas, Wellspring Church, New York City Alpha Hub Church

“ LEA D ERS HI P D EVELO PM EN T Each May, we run the Leadership Conference in London (streaming to Hubs across the UK) and in Kuala Lumpur to help equip and encourage leaders to make an impact in their communities. In 2019, Alpha UK invited 100 young leaders, who would otherwise not have been able to attend the conference, to join the Leadership Conference for free.

I just really wanted to extend my thanks and appreciation to yourself and the rest of the team for the blessing of being at LC19... I cannot truly express what an amazing and life shifting experience it has been for me, and I am sincerely thankful.

James, LC19 Youth attendee

E X P LORE Churches consider running Alpha in their communities

E X P ERI EN C E Churches run and continually improve their courses

E X TEN D Churches model great Alphas and encourage others in their network to run Alpha

The more churches we can help to Explore Alpha, Experience Alpha, and Extend Alpha, the more churches there will be running excellent courses that introduce people to Jesus and help transform lives.

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Global projects

Global projects

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PR AYE R Prayer continues to be critical to Alpha and is the foundation on which to build our ministry. We have worked closely with 24-7 Prayer, and together we are making progress towards piloting new church-facing prayer resources across the UK to encourage and help churches pray for their courses.

ALP HA F ILM SER IES In 2019, we commissioned research to determine how to update and reimagine the Alpha Film Series. Churches across the world responded to a survey of how the series had worked for them. Holy Trinity Brompton held a review of the series during the autumn.

We analysed the impact of the first Alpha Film Series and the potential for greater reach.

We also gained a better understanding of the needs of local contexts. This insight has informed updates for, as well as a future re-imagining of, the Alpha Film Series.

A LPHA CA M PA I G N S Following research conducted with The Barna Group, we discovered that the majority of guests attend Alpha through a personal invitation and that church members often feel ill-equipped to share their faith.

In response to this, we developed the Life.Shared Small Group Series, a three-week video curriculum with leading Christian voices, designed to give practical advice on how to share faith and invite someone to Alpha. We also filmed new story videos that demonstrate the power of an invitation and highlight the community aspect of Alpha.

FU N D D E V E LO PMEN T Alpha will always be a free resource to churches around the world so that there is no barrier to sharing the gospel. We are so grateful to God that 2019 was our biggest year yet, where we saw more funds donated in the calendar year than ever before. We will always give Alpha away for free and we will continue to develop relationships with those who feel stirred to invest in our ministry so that together we can see more lives changed.

Global projects

01—02

13

Global projects

14

AFRICA The generosity of our supporters has allowed us to foster and strengthen relationships with churches across the continent. We have equipped churches with training and new resources that enabled them to reach out to over 59,000 people across Africa, providing the opportunity to discover Jesus through Alpha.

This year has been an encouraging year of steadfast growth.

Overall, we’ve witnessed a 20% increase in the number of churches running Alpha in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Kenya, we saw a 96% increase, and in Uganda a 322% rise, with over 2000 trying Alpha in a school.

“

All Saints’ Cathedral in Nairobi ran an Alpha Youth in September 2019. Some of the young people shared their experience after the course:

I have learned how to forgive in situations I thought I could not forgive. Every session adds something valuable in my life.

Kevin

Before I joined Alpha, I barely used to pray.

I now know the inner meaning of prayer and I often have conversations with God.

In 2019 we saw a 43% increase in the number of Alpha Youth courses hosted in Sub-Saharan Africa. The team supported youth pastors in a creative, exciting way by distributing earphone splitters, which allow five people to connect and listen to one device. This initiative enabled youth pastors – who have previously struggled with acquiring big screens and projectors – to run Alpha anywhere.

In total, over 19,000 young people tried Alpha and explored the Christian faith, built great friendships, and had a lot of fun.

Lewtine

Alpha makes me feel like I belong.

It has brought me closer to God. Nipher

My favourite topic is faith. Getting to know that Jesus wants a deeper relationship with me made me feel overwhelmed.

Ivan

REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS 15

Regional highlights: Africa

Regional highlights: Africa

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ASIA PACIFIC In 2019, we invested in equipping churches with the best products, tools, and training. As part of these activities, 1,080 leaders from 28 countries gathered in June at Holy Trinity Bukit Bintang, the church at the heart of the Alpha Asia Pacific Hub. It represented Alpha’s largest regional gathering yet. There were three key events: The Leadership Conference, Experiencing Alpha, and a Transforming Parishes track.

50 ENCOUNTER JESUS IN PRISON We are now working with the prison system in Thailand. As part of this initiative, the first Alpha courses have been run in a number of juvenile prisons and detention centres across the country.

In October 2019, Living Church in north Thailand hosted 50 young people on Alpha in the city’s juvenile prison. During the course, all of the guests gave their lives to Jesus and were filled with the Holy Spirit.

This catalytic event contributed towards growth of 15% in the number of churches running Alpha in Asia Pacific. God also opened doors into a new mission field for us, Pakistan. We supported the training of 65 leaders in Pakistan in September, and seven local Alphas began as a result.

We also supported translating the Alpha Film Series into four additional languages last year; Urdu for Pakistan, Sinhala, Tamil, and Japanese. To date, the series is available in 13 regional languages across Asia.

“

Running Alpha in prison not only impacted the youth but also the team.

The prison guards were also very impressed. The Holy Spirit is moving, God is changing lives... After we finished the course, two of the young people from the centre joined the church. One of them has invited his friend to come to the church too. We know that Alpha is a very good tool and it works. We are now planning to run Alpha at our church.

Revd Niwat & Ps. Sujinun Suksamran Senior Pastors, Living Church, Thailand

REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS 17

Regional highlights: Asia Pacific

Regional highlights: Asia Pacific

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NORTH AMERICA

In Pincher Creek, a small town in southern Alberta, Canada, a group of students ran Alpha for their friends in a home. They handed out pocket-sized Alpha cards and gave one to every person at school. 15 kids showed up the first night, then 20 the next week, and it kept escalating from there.

On week four, the first young person gave his life to Jesus. He was healed from dyslexia and talked about how he had never related to a book before he read the Bible.

2019 was an incredible season of growth in North America.

USA An estimated 426,000 people experienced Alpha and we saw a 14% increase of churches and organisations running Alpha. Alpha Youth grew by 42%, Alpha Catholic courses are up 15%, and 16% more prisons are now running Alpha.

In Miami, the youth leader of Christ Fellowship church attended a training event and was so inspired that he trained his team to run Alpha Youth at all their locations. Over the summer, 700 students tried Alpha and 69 were baptised. The congregation size of each location grew by 20%.

CAN A DA In 2019 we celebrated over one million people experiencing Alpha in Canada. We continue to develop new resources; the Life.Shared Small Group Series was downloaded over 900 times.

ANOTHER STUDENT WAS HEALED FROM SELF-HARM SCARS

“

In the Alpha video they had shown a girl getting healed from her scars and I thought I may as well look, and when I did they were gone. It must have been God loving me so much that he doesn’t want scars on me.

Churches in Canada are continuing to discover Alpha as a resource to equip their communities to share their faith; 533 churches in Canada ran Alpha for the first time in 2019.

“

I’m really grateful for the donors and for all that they provide through Alpha. It’s not just the videos, but everything that comes alongside those: the small group series, the training, and the Alpha staff who befriend and pray for our churches. They are only able to do that because someone has given generously and I am really thankful for that.

Vic Stander Pastor, City Gates Church Toronto

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Regional highlights: North America

REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS Regional highlights: North America

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LATIN AMERICA The number of churches running Alpha grew by 22% in 2019, with an even balance between Catholic and Protestant churches.

We are encouraged that, for the first time, three countries in the region (Colombia, Costa Rica and Brazil) are in the top ten countries in the world in terms of Alpha courses running.

An exciting development for Alpha in Brazil was the release of the Alpha Youth Series in Portuguese, including street interviews filmed in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.

In Costa Rica, a Catholic priest committed to running the Alpha Youth Series in all of his dioceses’ parishes. Over 400 Catholic churches ran Alpha Youth as part of their Youth Catechesis Diocesan plan, a plan which will remain in effect from 2020 to 2025. A total of 4,500 young people took part in these courses in 2019 alone, with an additional 900 students participating in Alphas run in 30 schools.

“

We decided to run Alpha as a starting point for young people aged 13–15 going through the Catechesis. Through Alpha and particularly through the dynamic format of the group discussion, we are seeing young people find a new way of expressing themselves and talking about key topics of the Christian faith.

Father Froilán Hernández Gutiérrez Episcopal Vicar for Catechesis, Costa Rica

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Regional highlights: Latin America

In Brazil, we felt a stirring to reach the poor with the gospel, so we began working with churches who operate in the favelas.

These churches are now running Alpha in 37 different favelas, and we see this number growing rapidly.

Fernando grew up in a favela, he joined a gang and from the age of 12 he had a gun in his hand. By the time he was 15 he was in prison, where he experienced abuse. When he was released, Fernando joined an organisation that ran Alpha in favelas. He tried the course for himself and his life was transformed. He discovered Jesus and is now a completely changed man.

6% OF BRAZIL’S POPULATION

LIVE IN FAVELAS

“ Alpha allowed me to discover a relationship with Christ, and with his church, like never before! I can finally understand the gospel.

Veronica Sales, Pernambuco

REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS Regional highlights: Latin America

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“

THE MIDDLE EAST

EUROPE

The Middle East is a strategic area of growth for Alpha, and the Alpha Film series has now been dubbed into Arabic and Turkish.

Thirty key church leaders from 11 countries attended the Leadership Conference and many returned for the first Alpha Collective event (an opportunity for church leaders running Alpha to share best practice and ministry time). This resulted in the identification of over 20 Hub churches, which commit to helping others run and grow Alpha. We also worked with key offices to produce church success films, with pastors sharing how Alpha grew their church and helped build a missional culture.

In Egypt, over 300 churches ran Alpha with over 15,000 participants, and our staff team has grown in size, allowing us to better support and serve churches in the region. Three churches in the country have become Hub churches, meaning that they have committed to supporting others in their local area to run and grow Alpha.

In 2019, we formed a Middle East leadership team to oversee the work in the region from Turkey to the Levant, as well as working into Syria and Iraq. We are also developing our ministry in the United Arab Emirates and now have our first Hub church in Dubai.

“

In Poland, around 600 volunteers ran Alpha in 46 prisons, with over 1,800 prisoners participating. On a recent course in Kahal, nearly 800 people participated in the Holy Spirit weekend and we are hearing incredible stories of people encountering Jesus’ love.

We need to be able to tell others the good news. That’s why Alpha is so useful.

Johannes Hartl, Founder of the House of Prayer Augsburg, Germany

Alpha has grown in the Catholic Church, particularly in Austria and Germany. Driving this is a renewed interest in evangelisation and Alpha being promoted by the Catholic ministry, Divine Renovation.

Overall, we saw a 7% rise in actively engaged churches running Alpha across Europe. All our key countries now have our latest digital tools and products in their own language.

Alpha taught me about unconditional love.

I was not expecting this. I was expecting to be told that I needed to do something to experience the love of God. However, I began to understand that God loves me unconditionally, and that he loves me despite my defects. I was surprised that the leaders did not impose their opinions, they were like friends.

I never felt like a stranger and was welcomed into what felt like a family environment. As we discussed big questions together, I experienced a deep love from those leading Alpha and from God. I felt loved at Alpha.

Mario, Student Egypt

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Regional highlights: The Middle East

REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS Regional highlights: Europe

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UNITED KINGDOM We ran 20 training events throughout the UK in 2019, including ten Grow Alpha events where we brought church leaders together and shared best practice on how to grow their Alpha.

We also ran two key training events for Alpha Youth, with 170 young people trained. We hosted our first ever Catholic context specific events in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Approximately 2,100 prisoners attended Alpha across the UK in 2019. Eleven prison training days were held at churches throughout England and Wales and Alpha is now running in four new prisons, including Wormwood Scrubs.

In September, we launched an outdoor advertising campaign in multiple strategic cities and at Christmas we helped resource churches with over 130,000 Alpha print invites distributed, leading to a 16% increase in January 2020 of courses registered.

THE DOMINO EFFECT

In 2017 we film Beth’s story of discovering faith through Alpha

Beth shares the video on her Facebook

Her old friend Rachael, a police officer, sees it and asks to come to an Alpha Beth’s running in a local pub

Rachael gets healed of anxiety and, on the third session of Alpha, gives her life to Jesus

Rachel gets baptised and is firmly invested in her church community

She then decides to run an Alpha for her family and friends

Her mum, her mum’s two neighbours, and two police officers from work attend her course

One of the police officers gives their life to Jesus

REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS 25

Regional highlights: United Kingdom

Now, the police officers are planning to run Alpha in the red-light district in Swansea for prostitutes and sex trafficked girls

I thought Jesus healing people was something that just happened 2000 years ago in the Bible, I didn’t realise that people were still being healed through Jesus and that miracles were happening in this day and age… It was such a positive experience.

Rachael

Regional highlights: United Kingdom

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ALSO FROM ALPHA T H E M A R R I AGE C OU RSE The Marriage Course is an impactful way for churches to go beyond their walls and reach out to the local community. 71% of church leaders describe it as a ‘great tool for attracting non-Christians to explore the Christian faith’, meaning that Alpha is often the perfect next step for guests.

In 2019, the remake of the Marriage Courses was completed. Seven new episodes of The Marriage Course and five new episodes of The Pre-Marriage Course were re-filmed and are currently being rolled out around the globe. In the first two months of the launch, over 600 churches downloaded the course.

As well as the episodes, resources such as the Guest Journal and Leaders’ Guide have been recreated.

Brand new training videos and promotional materials were made, and we launched a new online courseplanning platform, The Marriage Course Builder.

Regions all across the world are excited to share the new series. In Rotterdam a giant billboard on the side of a skyscraper promoted the course, and in the US we joined forces with HarperCollins to produce and distribute the new resources.

BI B L E I N ON E Y EA R The Bible in One Year is a free Bible reading app with commentary by Nicky and Pippa Gumbel. Through this initiative, people across the world are able to access the Word of God daily in a simple and engaging format.

In 2019 alone, over one million people experienced the Bible in One Year through our app and through the YouVersion app. We also saw the release of the hardback copy of Nicky’s commentary for the first time, to be followed by an audiobook, and Commentary with Bible text edition in 2020.

This year we are also excited to be piloting the Youth Bible in One Year, a new version designed for young people.

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Also from Alpha

Also from Alpha

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FINANCIAL REVIEW Income:

From donations:

From resource sales and conferences:

Expenditure:

Ministry (putting Alpha into the hands of local leaders worldwide):

Fundraising:

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Financial review

IN C OM E AND EXP ENDI TURE

£12.5m £11.2m £1.3m £12.8m £12.0m £0.8m

S TATUTO RY AC C O UN T S

INCOME

TOTAL FUNDS 2019 (£)

TOTAL FUNDS 2018 (£)

354,580

192,085

10,883,598

10,098,865

11,238,178

10,290,950

1,297,330

1,192,699

12,535,508

11,483,649

755,051

577,000

Strategic Leadership

1,927,790

1,091,143

UK Development

1,021,594

843,050

Media and Resources

3,454,025

2,909,896

International Development

3,956,152

3,119,469

453,786

612,217

80,810

137,808

1,130,571

1,122,259

Total charitable expenditure

12,024,728

9,835,842

Total expenditure

12,779,779

10,412,842

NET INCOME3

(244,271)

1,070,807

Donations Donations under Gift Aid Other donations Total donations Income from resources sales and conferences Total income

EXPENDITURE Fundraising Charitable activities1

(including allocated support costs)2

Global strategy and oversight

UK hub costs

Technology and innovation

Establishing localised infrastructure and training

Alpha Context Development Tailoring Alpha for different contexts

Other Ministries

The Marriage Courses and Mission Giving

Conferences1

Equipping global leaders

1. Support costs make up 12% of expenditure The figures above are summarised from the charity’s draft accounts, audited by Moore Kingston Smith LLP, for the year ended 31 December 2019. A complete set of the accounts will be available later in the year from the UK charity commission website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/charity-commission.

Financial review

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BOARD OF TRUSTEES NI C KY GU MBEL

SANDY M ILL AR

is Chairman of the Alpha International Board, pioneer of Alpha, and Vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB). In 1990, Nicky took over the running of Alpha and repositioned it for those outside the church. Nicky is married to Pippa and they have three children.

practised as a barrister before being ordained and becoming Vicar of HTB in 1985. He oversaw the growth of HTB to the largest church in the Church of England and was involved in leading Alpha from a local to a global resource.

DAVID GARDNER

OBE

is a co-founder and General Partner of London Venture Partners, a seed fund investing in the games sector. He has over 30 years’ experience in the industry, previously working as EVP and COO of Electronic Arts Worldwide Studios, and CEO of Atari, SA. David Gardner is also Vice President for Games at BAFTA.

A L G O RD ON is the Rector of Hackney Church, East London.

Planted out of Holy Trinity Brompton in 2016, Hackney Church now meets across six Sunday services in multiple locations. He is married to Olivia, and they have three children. Al is also a trustee of Charity: Water.

B O B BY GRU EN WA LD is Pastor, Innovation Leader at Life.Church, and founder of the YouVersion Bible App, which has been installed on more than 410 million devices worldwide. Prior to joining Life.Church, he started and sold two technology companies as well as served in advisory capacities for various startups and venture capital funds.

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T RICIA NEILL is the President of Alpha International. Tricia joined HTB in 1994 from News International, where she headed up News International Exhibitions. Prior to that, she worked in the Middle East for Shell. Tricia sits on the boards of numerous Alpha offices worldwide.

C HR IS SADLER advises regions and National Offices on Alpha’s Church Engagement Framework and Hub Church strategy in his capacity as Hub Church Strategy Director for Alpha International. He previously served as Alpha USA National Director and led Alpha’s Asia Pacific region for 10 years.

Chris has served on a number of corporate boards and has 20 years’ experience in the investment banking industry.

REBECCA STEWART is the founder and CEO of Goldstar Partners, providing executive search and consulting services to clients in the non-profit sector. From 2003 to 2015 she worked at HTB and Alpha International in a variety of roles, including COO, Chief of Staff and, from 2014, HTB Group CEO.

J OH N MAC K AY

M IC HAEL T IMMIS

is a founding principal of the Strand real estate organisation. John also sits on the boards of Alpha USA and Alpha Canada, and is active in many other charitable organisations. He has degrees in business and law. John and his wife Rebecca have three grown children.

was senior partner of Timmis and Inman L.L.P law firm, and co-founder and Vice Chairman of private investment company Talon LLC. Previously Chairman of Prison Fellowship International, Michael now serves on the board of New Canaan Society.

BERNARD MENSAH

HON G YEOH

is a Managing Director and Global co-Head of Fixed Income at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

He was previously at Goldman Sachs, where he spent many years working in Asia before becoming Global Head of the firm’s Bank Debt business in London.

is the Executive Director of Malaysian listed YTL Power International Berhad and Director of both the holding company, Malaysian conglomerate YTL Corporation Berhad, and Wessex Water.

Kathleen, Hong’s wife, is Chair of the Alpha Asia Pacific Advisory Board.

Board of Trustees

Board of Trustees

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JOIN US P R AY Our desire and prayer is that God will continue to use Alpha to introduce people to himself. Please join us in praying that people across the world, young and old, will come to know Jesus.

G I VE We believe everyone should have the opportunity to explore life and the Christian faith wherever they are in the world, for free. You can help make that happen by considering a gift to Alpha, so that more people are reached and transformed by the good news of Jesus.

Find out more at Alpha.org/give

S ERVE Alpha is run all around the world thanks to the help of countless volunteers. We would love you to consider volunteering at a course near you.

LEAVE A LEGACY Leaving a legacy gift to Alpha is a simple way of blessing future generations for many years to come with the gospel. You can help provide opportunities for people to discover Jesus by leaving a gift in your will.

For any further information, please contact us at alpha.partners@alpha.org

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Alpha International is a registered charity in England and Wales (1086179) and in Scotland (SC0429 a06) Alpha International, HTB, Brompton Road, London, SW7 1JA, England

Alpha International is governed by UK charity law and is registered with the Fundraising Regulator.

We are committed to abide by the code of fundraising practise and to the fundraising promise.