Alpha Canada Year in Review 2016

ALP HA CANADA 2 016

YEAR IN REVIEW

It is our goal to be responsive as well as proactive to the needs of the church. Our engagement strategy focuses on listening to our key constituency - church leaders in Canada.

One priority was the need for French resources and we launched a French-dubbed Alpha Youth Film Series, which saw the number of Alphas for youth in French increase from 36 in 2014 to 174 in 2016.

We had anticipated more growth in the number of churches running Alpha across Canada than actual. We believe the delayed launch of the Alpha Film Series impacted our numbers and will monitor this closely in 2017.

LET TE R FROM S HAIL A On behalf of the Board and staff of Alpha Canada let me start by saying thank you for your faithful support. From running or helping on Alphas to praying and giving financially, your partnership has made it possible for over 74,000 guests to take Alpha in 2016! This is the largest number of guests in one year in our country - amazing! Furthermore, we are delighted that results from our annual Alpha Administrators Survey show that we have exceeded original expectations by extraordinary measure. There are a number of factors we take into account to ensure that the organization is healthy and growing. Two of those are the number of churches we serve and the number of Alphas running across the country. We are humbled and thrilled to do our part to serve the church in Canada as they reach out to their surrounding communities.

Our key strategies that contributed to growth in 2016 included our outstanding staff who have a passion for the local church, the launch of the new Alpha Film Series, the Global Alpha Campaign (GAC) featuring Bear Grylls, a new digital engagement strategy focused on the development of Alpha Builder and all new Canadian-made training videos. Our staff also spoke about evangelization and Alpha to over 6,000 church leaders throughout the year! We are grateful to our community of donors who share our vision and help make all of this possible.

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Alpha Canada Year in Review 2016

We are very thankful that donations to Alpha have grown steadily over the last four years. In addition, funding from generous donors has allowed us to complete special projects like the Global Alpha Campaign and the Alpha Film Series. We strive to ensure we keep offering up-to-date training, as well as a robust digital delivery and support system, which all require ongoing investment. Provision from God through our loyal and new Alpha partners allowed us to meet our budget for the year.

With the retirement of Sally Start, our Alpha Ambassador and chief fundraiser, we are searching for a new donor development director. In all things, we continue to corporately and personally prioritize prayer as the backbone of all that we do.

Finally, our global involvement in Alpha’s shared mission of serving the church, and in the church’s mission to see more come to faith in Christ continues to be strong. Globally, Alpha offices around the world are benefiting from our investments – both in our product development (Alpha Film Series, training videos, Alpha Builder) and in our church leader engagement strategy. I continue to sit on the Alpha Global Executive and am encouraged by the use of Alpha around the world, particularly in Latin America where the Alpha Youth Film Series has had an enormous impact.

Overall we could not be more pleased with the results of 2016 and an exciting start to 2017. We love the church in Canada and lay ourselves down for her to see more people come to Christ.

We acknowledge daily the provision of God, His grace upon our ministry and our utter dependence on Him. We are keenly aware that we are strategizing behind the work of the Holy Spirit and we want to always remain there.

With gratitude for all you do to extend God’s kingdom,

Shaila Visser National Director, Alpha Canada

OVE R 2 0 YE AR S O F

TR ANS FORME D LIVE S A fond farewell to Sally Start, Founding National Director of Alpha Canada As we celebrate some amazing milestones from 2016, we also say goodbye to the person who built the foundation for Alpha to thrive in Canada and sacrificed so much to help transform the lives of thousands.

As a single mom, Sally committed to living off the sale of her house to be able to give full time to the birth and growth of Alpha in Canada. In the early years, she started Alpha with no budget and no office, using space in her rental home to build the Alpha organization and serve churches across the country.

“I think the thing that drove me was that I was a fairly new Christian myself and most of my

friends weren’t Christians,” she says. “I just knew that this was a great way to introduce them to what I had discovered in my own life, which was a relationship with Jesus.”

The very first Alpha in Canada was run in 1994. Over the past 20 years, over 773,000 people in Canada have taken Alpha and over 4,000 churches have run Alpha (that we know of).

Each individual and church community that has experienced transformation through Alpha is a product of Sally’s dedication, love and generosity.

“It’s wonderful to have retired in one of the most exciting years we’ve ever had,” says Sally.

“2016 was an amazing year with

the launch of the Alpha Film Series and over 3,700 courses through the local churches. That represents tens of thousands of individuals who are being introduced to a relationship with Jesus. That’s really what this is all about.”

Though Sally has retired from her work with Alpha, her legacy will continue on through the staff, the church in Canada and our generous partners. Her work has paved the way for us to help churches reach over a million people in Canada through Alpha as more people explore their questions and discover a relationship with Jesus.

Alpha Canada Year in Review 2016

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C E LE B R ATI N G O U R

MOST EXCITING YEAR 2016

Transformed lives

74,910 ALPHA GUESTS

attended Alpha in 2016 (41% increase from 2015)

26,157 RELATIONSHIPS began or restored with Jesus

773,000+ PEOPLE IN CANADA have done Alpha

Impacted communities

3,760 ALPHAS 1,842 CHURCHES & ORGANIZATIONS 29,275 VOLUNTEERS 339 ALPHAS RUN IN CATHOLIC PARISHES 258 ALPHAS RUN IN PRISONS

Engaged leaders

4,876 ONLINE USERS

have signed up for an Alpha Builder account since its launch in May 2016

9/10 RATING FROM LEADERS when asked, “How worthwhile is the time and effort running Alpha?”

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Alpha Canada Year in Review 2016

Donations & Income $5,424,011

Designated

51. 7%

31.7%

30.4%

17.3%

20.6%

Alpha Youth Series

Global Alpha Campaign

Alpha Film Series

Other

General Operations

2 0 . 4%

Joint Ministry Ops outside Canada

19. 8 %

Alpha Staff Support

Donations and income raised in 2016 are used in the current year general operations and in multi-year designated projects as presented on this page.

Ministry Expenditures $4,745,405

7. 7%

Other Income

0 . 4%

Ministry Focus

35.8%

(Alpha events, engagements, resource sales)

Resource Dev

Fundraising

Events

26.5% Course Support

3 0 . 6%

49.4%

33.3%

17.3%

Alpha Film Series

Alpha Youth Series

Global Alpha Campaign

Joint Ministry Ops outside of Canada

Administration

73.5% Church Support

2 2 . 7%

7.1%

3 . 5%

0 . 3%

Alpha Canada Year in Review 2016

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IMPACT OF ALPHA A highly effective tool for evangelization In 2016, Alpha International commissioned the Barna Group, a US-based research company, to conduct a global study on the impact of Alpha. Over 200 churches across all major denominations participated in this study including Anglican, Baptist, Catholic, Independent, Pentecostal and Presbyterian.

“We live in a time when a great many Canadians are searching for answers to questions about God and the meaning and purpose of their lives. They are looking for a faith that is defined by more than the symbols and words of traditional religions. The genius of Alpha is that it offers a fresh and energetic perspective on fundamental questions about Christianity.”

Angus Reid, Angus Reid Institute

View report at alphacanada.org/barna

NYKI ’S STORY

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Alpha Canada Year in Review 2016

R E P O R T H I G H LI G HT S – G U E S T I M PACT & E VALUATI O N

“Faith and religion are not very important to me” Before Alpha

Y E S : 5 6%

N O : 4 4%

What impact did Alpha have on your life?

After Alpha

YES: 28%

N O : 72 %

68% Very positive 27% Somewhat positive

“I am not interested in learning about Jesus and exploring his teachings”

4% Neither positive/negative

Before Alpha

1% Somewhat negative

After Alpha

Would you recommend Alpha to your friends?

Y E S : 4 6%

N O : 5 4%

YE S: 7%

NO: 93%

Changes after Alpha 88%

79% Definitely will

More committed to having a relationship with Jesus

19% Probably will

88%

More committed to growing their knowledge of the Bible

2% Will not

82%

Non-Christians describe themselves as followers of Jesus

*Although becoming a follower of Jesus does not necessarily equate to conversion to Christianity, a variety of data points demonstrate significant spiritual impact, and even radical life change, among the 82% of non-Christians who described themselves as followers of Jesus since doing Alpha. For example, 88% of non-Christians became more committed to growing their knowledge of the Bible after Alpha, and 80% became more committed to sharing their faith in Jesus with others.

Nyki’s mother left her at a very young age and her dad was also quite absent from her life. Because of this, Nyki struggled with a lot of issues around abandonment, rejection, anger and had difficulty trusting people.

To help cope with some of these issues, Nyki would often turn to self-help books about spirituality, karma, and the universe.

She didn’t grow up with a church background and she saw the idea of God and Christianity as authoritative and judgemental.

While working as a skills trainer for young adults with developmental disabilities, Nyki was asked by one of her clients to bring him to church. To Nyki’s surprise, her experience was nothing like what she expected. She enjoyed the atmosphere and the message so she continued to attend.

Soon after, a friend from the church invited her to check out Alpha. The discussions helped narrow down her thoughts about God and Christianity from a big ominous cloud into something more tangible.

“It was a community of people that were non-judgemental, welcoming and caring. We just felt very safe. So living that way for ten weeks, with the same group of people, it just became very intimate, and I quickly realized that I really longed for community.” - Nyki

Nyki ended up getting baptized on the Alpha Weekend and now volunteers at Alpha, encouraging other guests with her story.

“The last year of my life that I’ve been on this journey of trying to follow Jesus has been the most solid that I’ve ever felt,” she says. “Even if I might struggle with my relationship with Him, I know that I will be a light to people, especially people that aren’t familiar with what His story for them is.”

Watch Nyki’s story at alphacanada.org/nyki Alpha Canada Year in Review 2016

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ALPHA FILM S E RIE S

“The new Alpha Film Series is perfectly suited for the post-modern mindset where guests are given permission to be authentic and real.”

Father James Mallon, Saint Benedict Parish, Halifax, NS

Launched Globally in April 2016 In April 2016 we launched the Alpha Film Series, a brand new resource featuring the traditional Alpha content re-packaged for today’s audience. Alongside Nicky Gumbel, the series introduced two new presenters, Toby Flint and Gemma Hunt. The episodes were filmed all over the world, including Vancouver, London, New York, France, India, Hong Kong and Israel and featured inspiring stories and interviews.

The feedback from churches in Canada and around the world has been positive and encouraging as this new series has enabled them to run Alpha easily and effectively to engage their communities.

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Alpha Canada Year in Review 2016

807 Churches ran Alpha using the Alpha Film Series in 2016

1,474

Alphas were run using the Alpha Film Series in 2016

CA M PA I G N WAVE 1 R E S U LT S (FALL 2 016)

45,821 Guests

17,179 Volunteers

GLOBAL ALPHA CAMPAIGN F E ATU R I N G B E AR G RYLL S A joint church invitation to people in Canada Starting in the fall of 2016, churches of all denominations across Canada and around the world invited their communities to explore life, faith and God on Alpha. A global advertising campaign featuring British adventurer Bear Grylls and his journey to faith was shared through digital and outdoor advertising in 11 regions across Canada.

18,710

Guests began or restored a relationship with Jesus (41%)

20,935

Guests were non-churchgoers

2,225 Alphas

“The Global Alpha Campaign was a significant rallying point for individuals and the churches in our city. There seemed to be a sense of unity when people saw the billboards or buses. This gave them the confidence to invite people to something bigger than just an event at their church.�

Pastor Kevin Wiens, Forest Grove Community Church, Saskatoon, SK

1,170

Churches & Organizations

~2.1 MIL

Saw Alpha campaign ads Alpha Canada Year in Review 2016

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LOOKING AHEAD NEW ALPHA YOUTH S E R IE S Coming October 2017

A new series of interactive episodes exploring life, faith and meaning Since the launch of the Alpha Youth Film Series in 2013, it has been used to run Alpha for 13-18 year olds in 49 countries, in 19 languages—giving over 500,000 young people all around the world the opportunity to explore life, faith and Jesus through Alpha. Through the new series we hope to reach 3 million young people by 2022.

The new Alpha Youth Series has been updated, rewritten and redesigned and features Ben Woodman and Jason Ballard along with three new hosts.

WHAT ’S N E W? Updated Content After getting feedback from youth leaders around the world, we put in countless hours into creating stronger, refined content.

These changes will help communicate ideas and concepts more effectively.

A Global Audience The new series is designed to better engage a global youth audience. It features interviews, testimonies and insight from more countries, making it relevant to young people everywhere.

Higher Quality With an increase in production quality, scope, and budget, the new series has a brand new look, more dynamic visuals and motion graphics to bring the series to life.

Find out more at alphacanada.org/ays

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Alpha Canada Year in Review 2016

TH E G LO BAL ALP HA CAM PAI G N I N TH E

GR EATE R TORONTO AR EA L AU N C H I N G S E P TE M B E R 2 017 We are excited to be able to serve churches in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in a way that we’ve never been able to before.

After seeing the impact of the first wave of the campaign in other Canadian regions, we are excited for a joint-church invitation in the GTA as churches work together to invite their communities to Alpha.

Other Cities Churches are also working together to invite their cities to Alpha this fall in London, Ottawa, Prince Edward Island and St. John’s.

“We and a lot of other churches in the GTA are really excited. Toronto is the fourth largest city in North America, labelled in the top two most multicultural cities globally. We’re really excited to consider what could be done here, across our country and across the world.”

Pastor Jon Thompson, C4 Church, Ajax, ON

Find out more at invitecanada.ca Alpha Canada Year in Review 2016

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PAR TN E R WITH ALP HA Every dollar from generous donors and partners goes into delivering innovative resources and training to churches to see more people equipped to share the Gospel of Jesus through Alpha.

$ Give Consider giving monthly or through an annual gift to help us effectively serve the church in Canada. Your support helps make it possible for more people in Canada to experience Alpha, and for new and better resources to be provided to all churches who run Alpha.

Pray Prayer is at the heart of everything we do at Alpha. We’ve seen incredible transformation in individuals, families, churches and communities because people have had the opportunity to explore life and the Christian faith through Alpha. Join us in praying that more people will come to know Jesus across our country.

Invite 86% of people attend Alpha as a result of a personal invitation. As Alphas run across Canada in 2017, consider inviting a friend or family member along or volunteering at an Alpha in your community.

Leave a Legacy Impact future generations with a charitable bequest in your Will.

For more information on how to leave a lasting legacy with Alpha Canada, please contact our office or visit our website. alphacanada.org/give

Alpha Canada Alpha Ministries Canada 230 – 11331 Coppersmith Way Richmond, BC V7A 5J9 Toll Free 1.800.743.0899 Office 604.304.2082 Fax 604.271.6124 Email office@alphacanada.org @alphacanada /alphacanada alphacanada.org #TryAlpha