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Chris Cairns never dreamed that God would use his childhood years in Peru, his bachelor’s degree in third world studies, and his years as a Young Life leader to prepare him for ministering to Hispanic immigrants. But that’s just what He did. Cairns, age 30, spent the first five years of his life living in Peru while his father served as an exchange officer to the Peruvian military. Spending those formative years speaking both English and Spanish proved useful later in life when he formally studied Spanish and became bilingual.
Cairns is the director of Esperanza Del Barrio, a Hispanic ministry of the Salvation Army based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Esperanza’s fundamental purpose is to serve as a liaison between the Hispanic community and the community at large, creating access points for the immigrants in Chattanooga. This includes acting as a liaison between the local Hispanic community and local government officials, assisting public agencies with case work, and offering English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes as well as functional trade version classes in English.
It also, in the case of the Chattanooga office, includes sharing the gospel with Hispanics using the Alpha Course—an introduction to spirituality from a Christian perspective.
Originating at an Anglican church in London in the 1970’s, the Alpha Course was first used in the United States in the early 1990s. It has been embraced by churches of all sizes and denominations—spanning Protestants, Catholics, and Pentecostals. Known for its friendly, non-threatening approach to sharing the gospel with seekers, the course is now being offered by more than 6,000 mainline churches across this nation, as well as on college campuses, in prisons, and in the workplace. Worldwide, the Alpha Course is used in more than 130 countries, and it is estimated that 5 million people have attended a course since its inception.
Upon returning from an Alpha Conference in Atlanta in 2001, Cairns ran the 10-week course at his home parish, Thankful Memorial Episcopal Church in Chattanooga. “Alpha really caused a paradigm shift in how our congregation viewed evangelism and our call to tell others about Christ. It caused a shift from being inwardly focused on our own needs to becoming outwardly focused on others’ need to hear the gospel.”
This outward focus has resulted in Thankful Memorial, along with several other churches, joining across denominational lines to financially support the Alpha Course being offered to Esperanza clients.
“Esperanza began tacking on a half-hour Bible study at the end of certain education courses we were offering. However, our clients were working 50-70 hours a week, and in some cases holding two jobs, in addition to taking classes with us,” he said. “Their eyes would start to glaze over by the time we got to the Bible study part.”
Alpha, on the other hand, gave Esperanza the opportunity to invite the clients to dinner, hear an interesting talk, and build community. “They have no other community-based meetings, so they enjoy immensely the opportunity to engage in a fun activity that lends itself to laughter and building relationships,” said Cairns.
After the icebreaker and a few worship songs, guests hear a talk in Spanish based on Nicky Gumbel’s Questions of Life, which is the Alpha Course in book format. Each talk is about a basic aspect of the Christian faith and they build on each other from week to week. More than ten Hispanic pastors representing diverse denominations, help facilitate small group discussion. The course culminates in a weekend retreat where guests go off-site for discussion about the person of the Holy Spirit and his role in a Christian’s life.
“Most of our success stories have been with our leaders and helpers,” says Cairns. “Being part of an Alpha Course team is teaching them evangelism.” One example is Eliza Lopez who works at Esperanza.
Lopez was raised in an upper-class home in Venezuela, and grew up believing in God’s truth. “As I went through the training to be an Alpha Course helper, and then sat through the talks, I experienced for the first time in my life God’s unconditional love for me,” said Lopez, “I knew His truth in my head, but now I understand His love in my heart.”
She is now an avid promoter of the Alpha Course to Esperanza clients—a new-found evangelist with a heart for God. Eliza has also been inviting her American friends from high school to the Alpha Course at Thankful Episcopal Church.
Over the last eight years, the number of Hispanic immigrants to Chattanooga has grown from zero to 15,000. In the region surrounding Chattanooga, which includes parts of Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia, the immigrant Hispanic population has grown from zero to 190,000 in less than twenty years.
Rojelio Silva has also been transformed by the love of God. An illegal immigrant without the rights of a citizen, Rojelio’s entry into this country was rough. After crossing the border, he went without food or water for several days, was robbed, and traveled hundreds of miles with nothing but the clothes on his back. After arriving in Chattanooga, he went through several jobs, being fired whenever his employers found out that his papers were fraudulent, and he often had to stay with whomever would take him in. He came to Esperanza looking for help with food, shelter, and work.
Rojelio had previously heard the gospel preached by well-intentioned Christians, but he always felt pressured to clean up his act before he could come to God. Through Alpha’s low-key and winsome approach to sharing the gospel, Rojelio was able to discover that God accepted him right where he was. “Despues de mi casa, donde yo vivo, mi segunda casa es Esperanza del Barrio. Tengo buenos amigos ahí. Creo que yo soy una parte de la familia. (Besides my house, where I live, my second home is Esperanza del Barrio. I have good friends there. I believe I am part of their family.)”
Since giving his life to Christ, Rojelio has seen God’s miraculous provision for him. Through a spectacular turn of events, Esperanza’s staff was able to get him permanent resident status, and Rojelio gives all the glory to God.
“The beauty of the Alpha Course is that its pure and basic approach to the gospel allows it to be relevant to all cultures. The ‘dinner party’ format appeals to people of all ethnic backgrounds,” says Cairns. “And it affords guests the opportunity to experience Christians who are skilled relationally and who value their opinions, no matter what. It is cutting edge evangelism being used to reach non-churchgoers, complacent Christians, and in our case, immigrant populations.”
Courtenay McCormick is on staff with Alpha USA in New York City. Photos courtesy of Esperanza. To learn more about the Alpha Course, visit www.alphausa.org.
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