Alpha USA Announces $160,000 Grant From M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust

BANNOCKBURN, Ill., Nov. 2, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Alpha USA, a ministry that will see more than 100,000 people make personal commitments to Christ this year alone, today announced that it has received a $160,000 (USD) grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust. The funds will support the ongoing efforts of Vintage Alpha, a nine-month internship focused on the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.

Conducted at Westminster Chapel in Bellevue, Wash., near Seattle, Vintage Alpha helps young adults become mature (i.e. "vintage") disciples of Jesus and learn to lead others to become His disciples.

The program is ideal for college students, college graduates and young working professionals who sense a calling to ministry and are interested in learning how to bridge mainstream culture and Christianity in a real-life context through the Alpha approach to evangelism.

During the 9-month program, interns are provided with opportunities to live life with those outside the four walls of the church, with the hope of showing them Christ's love through action and deed.

Vintage Alpha interns learn to model the actions of Jesus' ministry, which consisted of building and fostering genuine and intentional relationships with those around Him. Through the guidance of a personal mentor and the act of serving the community in various outreach projects, Vintage Alpha interns have the opportunity to develop spiritual and personal maturity.

An intense study of Jesus Christ is at the heart and center of the Vintage Alpha experience. During their 9-month adventure, Vintage Alpha interns will learn and grow in biblical training, the Alpha philosophy and character development. At the end of every Vintage internship, participants may have the opportunity to travel to an international country and provide Alpha training to Christian leaders.

"This is an amazing season of growth, where all the elements necessary for proper development and maturity converge," explains Janessa Futrell, who heads up Vintage Alpha at Westminster. "It's a one-of-a-kind opportunity for young people who are willing to say, 'Here I am. However you want to use me, God, I'm Yours.'"

A Barna Group survey has revealed that the percentage of young people who are Bible-believing Christians has declined to 4 percent. Vintage Alpha was designed to help turn the tide.

Alpha shares the vision of the Christian Leadership initiative of the Murdock Trust to address the leadership and missional challenges facing Christian organizations today. Vintage is developing leaders who will effectively impact our high schools, colleges and the marketplace with the Gospel.

Vintage Alpha is a ministry of Alpha USA, which promotes the Alpha course -- an introduction to the Christian faith that has been attended by 15 million people in 169 countries around the world. More than 200,000 people will attend an Alpha course this year in the U.S. alone.

For more information, or to request an interview, contact Janine Longoria at 224-588-8526 or [email protected]. To learn more about Vintage Alpha, visit http://www.alphausa.org/vintage.

This press release was issued through eReleases(R).  For more information, visit eReleases Press Release Distribution at http://www.ereleases.com.

SOURCE Alpha USA

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