Stuart - Dalkeith

“Alpha made me see I was loved and accepted by God.”

I've been in recovery for 29 years.

Helping others dealing with addictions has helped me too.

I was in the military and was diagnosed with PTSD.

I’d been exploring faith in different ways but I was quite tired and I needed something else, so I prayed about it.

I ended up moving back to the area and coming to this church at the time of Covid.

Someone said, ‘Do you want to come on the Alpha, aye?’

‘I liked the talks, the style of learning. And it was good to spend some time with people around a meal. Listening to the stories of a diverse group of people.

I could relate to some of the interviews, some of the life stories you know. I could get an identification because I suppose that's my bag.

‘It was really positive. And it was authentic. Evidence-based. I've kind of been finding my way, and I found Alpha very, very helpful on my journey.

It gave me things to think about. I don’t just accept things so I could explore for myself.

I've always had a belief but I think Alpha made me see I was loved and accepted by God.

I think it sort of made things fit together a bit more.

Before it was maybe more about keeping rules but now I can see it’s about what God has done for me.

It was good to go over some of the basic foundations of faith and from a different perspective. I could see that the answers were really there, and it was clear.

The day on the Holy Spirit was very powerful. Very powerful.

It was quite a poignant moment.

I took the opportunity to get prayer. I felt peace right there.

There was like a kind of presence there, aye.

We talked about the fruits of the Spirit, I felt that when we discussed that that there was a way forward for me in the way I lived life.

I’m on a journey, I’m experiencing more contentment now. And I’m not on my own. I've built up friendships from Alpha.

I feel like I've came home at this church, I've explored other things, but it’s like home, good people and a good minister too.

Sometimes we come through the door for a reason, don't we?

I think God’s been there with me through stuff, I just never really seen it, you know.

I feel that I'm still working on my faith, and I'm trying to live it now, and it's given me that way forward, and it's beginning to give me some kind of peace.

I would definitely recommend it.