SU Inspire Mag 2019

Alpha Ireland and Scripture Union have
been fast friends and close partners in the
work of inviting young people to explore
faith and discover the amazing truth that
God is interested in the story of their lives.
One such conversation was with a 16 yr old
young woman who had felt she truly loved God
after her Confirmation, but her best friend had
died that summer, and this rocked her faith. She
began to question God and wasn’t sure she
wanted to follow him anymore. Then she did
Alpha in her school in the Autumn, and on the Holy
Spirit Retreat in Ovoca Manor, she shared with
me (in floods of tears) how, after doing Alpha and
going through the prayer journey, she felt close to
God again and that she wanted to trust him again.
schools all over Ireland. On week 7, we bring
these students away on a “Holy Spirit Retreat”
where they encounter the living
God, a gentle healer, burden lifter and a
beautiful rescue ensues. We are so thrilled
to be working with our friends in Ovoca
Manor and at SU with whom it becomes
possible.
If you want to learn more about the work of Alpha
Ireland, you can get in touch with us at:
www.alphayouth.ie
Amanda O’Shea
National Alpha Youth Coordinator for Ireland
I had the privilege of talking to a young man on
his Holy Spirit Retreat in Ovoca Manor where
he was bursting with excitement. I asked
him, building on his Confirmation, did he
want to follow Jesus? He exclaimed “Yes!
How do I do that?” He said he had not taken
confirmation seriously, but after doing Alpha,
now realized what it all meant: that Jesus
is real and wants a relationship with him.
Alpha runs for 8 to 10 weeks in secondary
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