A GODLY GETAWAY
By Christopher Quah
Imagine waking up early in the morning in order to watch the breath-taking view of the sunrise in the midst of the cool mountain air at the top of Genting Highlands. Then enjoying a light aerobic warm up, while listening to worship music with friends of the faith. Does this sound like an ideal weekend?
Well this was one of the main highlighted activity that was done by the Alpha team of Full Gospel Assembly for their Alpha Weekend Away. The committee had decided to make it a very memorable event by holding it at the Peacehaven, Genting Highlands on 6-7 October 2018.
Almost about a hundred participants who did not want to miss the chance to attend the event which began on a Saturday morning, hoping for a break from the humid KL weather. While the main idea of the event was to have two days entirely devoted to the pursuit of getting to know more about the Holy Spirit through videos which were hosted by Nicky Gumbel, it was also very important to create an environment that would be conducive for the message to sink in. An environment where participants would be able to get away from busy city life and enjoy the nature nearer to the Creator.
The participants consistent of those from all ages. There were three Alpha teams which joined the weekend away, which was Alpha English, Alpha Seniors, and Alpha Tamil. From the young working adults, all the way to the seniors, it was a weekend for all.
Each of these sessions would then be followed by a discussion that would help to answer the members questions and bring them deeper into the knowledge of the Holy Spirit.
The first day started with a warm up ice-breaker in order to get to know each other as well as shake off the tiredness after a long trip on the bus. Despite the tiredness the participants gladly took part in the activity without hesitation.
There was no shortage of food for the guest as food was plentiful thanks to the Peacehaven kitchen staff. In fact, there were five meals a day, ranging from breakfast, lunch, teatime, dinner, and supper. The delicious meals were a warming sight indeed for participants in the cold Genting weather.
The first three sessions were all about the Holy Spirit which focused on the questions of who the Holy Spirit is, what He does and how can we be filled with the Holy Spirit.
It was an enlightening time for new believers and those who wanted to know more about Christianity as these sessions each had discussion times. In fact many of the groups continued over the time limit in their discussions, a testament to show how hungry were the participants to know more about the Holy Spirit.
After the first three sessions were over, a prayer and ministry time was held that night led by Pastor Kia Sing, where participants were asked whether they would like to receive the Holy Spirit. They also were asked if they had any other needs that needed prayer, before the day ended.
It was an early Sunday morning for everyone as at 7am, guests were invited to join the Praise Dance which was conducted by Peter Ang and Linda Lee. The Praise Dance is a combination of Christian Music and aerobic exercise. The early morning mountain mist added to the calming atmosphere as participants gathered to do the exercise under the warmth of the sunrise.
After that there was a special Sunday service for each Alpha group. Here during the service, they were required to watch the final Alpha video for the weekend which was to answer the question of “How can I make the most out of the rest of my life?”. It was a time of soul searching with this thought-provoking question as participants would revaluate their life, and figure out what they would like to do, and live for after this.
After that there was more ministry and prayer led by Pastor Kia Sing who began moving in the Spirit and begun to pray for couples as well as families.
It was also during this time that there was a time of refreshing revival at the Alpha seniors. As the Spirit lead, there was a joyous celebration among the elderly at the service, as they burst out into praise and worship that lasted for about an hour.
Those who felt changed or moved from the weekend were asked to give short testimonies about what they felt. Many of the guest came up to talk about how the Alpha weekend had help them to understand more about Christianity.
After the closing benediction and photography session, it was time to pack and leave. The participants departed from Peacehaven, at around 1:45pm after lunch. In short, the FGA weekend was a great success as it had really help members bond with each other as well as help truth seekers know more about Christianity. This also shows an example of how effective the Alpha Course really is in bringing people to Christ, and helping the participants get to know more about Christianity.
All in all it was a successful weekend away indeed which promised many memorable memories, and future recommendations to the Alpha course.
