This is a practical introduction to the Christian faith. It is designed for non-churchgoers and newer Christians alike, or those simply wanting to re-establish the fundamentals. It was established at Holy Trinity Brompton twenty years ago and there are now more than 5000 Alpha courses all over the UK and overseas. It is cast as a non-threatening introduction to the Gospel, based on ex-atheist Nicky Gumbel's books and is used by churches around the world.

The course is composed of ten sessions with an optional week-end away to focus on the Holy Spirit. Each session is preceded with dinner, a dvd presentation and followed by group discussions.

Theo de Villers is responsible for facilitating the Alpha Course and can be contacted at theo@thlm.co.za

The Bethel Series could be seen as the ‘next step up’ from Alpha. This course consists of two components: the Old Testament & the New Testament. Each runs over a period of approximately 21 weeks.

Bethel is a useful tool which utilises visual aids a memory guides for the various books / themes that are studied and thereby giving a broad overview of the Bible. The programme consists of lectures, discussions, notes and assignments – all which gear to enhancing the individual’s knowledge of Scripture as well as deepening of faith.

Further enquiries on the course or the cost for the Bethel notes may be forwarded to the church office at midchurch@midchurch.co.za

Each year any individual who has been baptised as an infant but has not made a public profession of their faith (confirmed their baptismal vows) are invited to participate in the Confirmation Courses hosted at MPC.

The confirmation course seeks to:

• explore the nature of a personal relationship with Christ
• provide a basic outline of our faith, through
• God’s Word, and exploring
• the Character of Father, Son and Holy Spirit
• an understanding of our congregation and denomination

Those who are so moved, at the end of the course, are invited to be confirmed by the leadership of the congregation.

This short course on the basic fundamental principles of parenting run by Focus on the Family’s Rob Parsons is an invaluable tool to stimulate discussion and get new insight on the dynamics and necessities of parenting.

Consisting of 8 sessions over 4 weeks the course includes topics such as: You’re Not Alone, The Gift of Acceptance, The Testing Child, A Mother Looks Back (with Dianne Parsons), Building a Sense of Value, Defending the Boundaries, Teenagers! and Do What You Can.

Contact Pam Louw at pamlouw@midrand-estates.co.za

Any individual who wishes to officially become a part of our church family are invited to participate in our advertised New Members Courses, the purpose of which is to

• introduce you to the ministeries and opportunities in our congregation
• journey with you through the story of your faith
• help us to get to know you and vice versa

Please contact the church office at midchurch@midchurch.co.za for more information.

The Prepare Enrich Inventory, developed by David H Olson, Ph.D., is a tool for counsellors to help their couples to prepare themselves more effectively for married lives as well as in their roles as parents. The course content has been researched and found to have high levels of reliability and validity in clinical practice.

For couples, it can help them increase awareness of both strengths and potential growth areas; stimulate discussions concerning issues vital to the relationship; teach valuable communication and conflict resolution skills and function as a preventative tool to help couples become aware of important issues before they turn into major problems.

These courses are administered by registered and trained counselors and are administered one-on-one with the couple. The couples fill in a questionnaire then spend three additional session working through the feedback and engaging in six couple exercises.

The courses on offer vary from pre-marital counseling to marriage enrichment all the way through to retirement and marriage.

For further information, to find costs or to book a course please contact the church office at midchurch@midchurch.co.za

The Marriage Course is a series of eight sessions designed to help any married couple strengthen their relationship. It’s a great opportunity to spend time together as a couple looking at the important issues in your marriage. It is a very practical course and will help equip you with the tools needed to build a healthy marriage that lasts a lifetime. Each week you are given the opportunity to enjoy a special meal together and listen to a dvd presentation. Thereafter there is plenty of time to discuss the topic privately as a couple. There is no group work involved at any stage of the course.

The Marriage Course is now being run in 60 countries and was started by Nicky and Sila Lee in 1996. The Lees are on the staff at Holy Trinity Brompton – the London church that started the Alpha course. They have been married for over 20 years and have four children.

For more information please contact the church office at midchurch@midchurch.co.za.

These self-contained courses are a means of ‘going deeper’ into the text and could be seen as a ‘step up’ from the Bethel Bible Series. The precepts course is run by Gill Ziervogel and consists of approximately and hour’s discussion around assigned home study and then followed up by a 45 min audio lecture by Kay Arthur.

The material has the potential to bring Scripture to life and make it more relevent to the participents daily experiences. It also offers sound expository insights into the text itself.

Please contact Gill at gill@midchurch.co.za for more information.